Suggested Itinerary & Whitsundays Activities

This is a Suggested Itinerary ONLY
Note : once you have secured your booking, we will send you a copy of our Briefing DVD which contains a lot of information to assist in preparing you for this great adventure.

Click here to contact one of our friendly staff to discuss your Whitsundays holiday activities


Day 1.  Arrive at Whitsunday Rent A Yacht base at Shute Harbour, gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, where you will be prepared for charter with an approx. 3 hour briefing.  This consists of an area briefing, followed by a “hands on” boat familiarisation.  Before your briefing, you may load your personal gear on board. If we have organised your food and beverages, this will already be stowed for you. Your personal cruise guide will take you for a sail or drive, of your boat, to ensure you and your group are confident in its handling. You may then head off to your first overnight anchorage such as Long Island, which is approximately a one-hour sail from our base, and let your Whitsundays holiday activities begin.  There you have a choice of anchorages off the island resorts of Club Crocodile or Peppers Palm Bay.

Long Island is approx. 5kl long and has 5 or 6 small peaks approx. 200 to 300ft above seas level, is heavily vegetated and uninhabited except for 2 small resorts. It has several protected, small beaches with excellent fringing coral for snorkelling and fishing.

Peppers Palm Bay Resort is on the protected western face of Long Island
If you feel like celebrating your first night “at sea” try the quaint “La Riviera” restaurant. Or if you’d prefer to take a stroll, there is a 1.5 km walking track through rainforest to Club Crocodile Resort which is situated to the north of Palm Bay.

Day 2. Next morning the real Whitsundays activities begin - take your dinghy ashore and go for a bush walk through the lush rain forest, which will be throbbing with bird song. Then be enticed back on board by the aroma of breakfast. All vessels are supplied with barbecues mounted on the stern - essential for one of the ultimate Whitsundays holiday activities, a cooked barbecue breakfast.

 At 8am you will be contacted on your first scheduled radio call. These are conducted every morning and provide you with a weather forecast and we record your plans for the day.  Note we also conduct a 4pm “sched” to ensure you are safely tucked in for the night.

After the “scheds”, set off on a leisurely sail or cruise to the east in the direction of  Whithaven Beach. You will pass Gulnare Inlet and the craggy shores at the bottom of Whitsunday Island. The largest in the group, Whitsunday Island is uninhabited and blanketed in lush green vegetation dotted with majestic Hoop pines. You will notice Whitsunday Peak, which reaches 1296ft above sea level and is a great landmark for navigation as it can be seen from virtually all directions. As you cruise through the narrow Fitzallen Pass, you will also skim the northern face of Hamilton Island and Hamilton Island Resort which is the biggest resort in the area and offers a variety of restaurants and great facilities to the visiting yachtie..

One of the next Whitsundays activities is the trip from Long Island which will take approx. 2 hours to reach Solway Pass. As you enter the pass you will see your first dazzling glimpse of Australia’s most famous beach, Whitehaven Beach, with its 6 kilometres of pure white silica sand and clear turquoise seas. The best anchorage is off the rocky point at the south end of the bay.

Whilst your there travel by dinghy or walk to the northern most point of the beach and to the lookout on Tongue Point, for one of the best views in imaginable.

When visiting Whitehaven there is also an overnight anchorage to the north, called Apostle Bay.
Alternatively travel east to Hazelwood Island and anchor at Chalkies Beach on the western face.  Windy Bay on the north and White Bay on the south offer magnificent expanses of coral reef.

Day 3. Out of bed early to cast your line or have an early dip as the sun over the sparkling  seas, then enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the beach. After speaking with our base at 8 am head up the spectacular east coast, past the amazing Hill Inlet with it’s pure white sandy shoals and beaches. Here too you may see mantaray, dolphin and huge green turtles bobbing in the clear blue water.
 
Pick up a mooring at Border Island and relish a barbecued fish lunch on board before walking to the top of this grassy little island which offers a 360-degree view of the area. The island appears surreal with its low shrubs and grass trees “standing guard” amongst the bushy thicket. Exotic bush orchids, with their meter long flower spikes, cling to the rocky outcrops. The snorkelling is very good too, as the bay to the north is protected and has excellent coral reefs. This is an overnight anchorage and a lovely, secluded stopover worth visiting.
 
Or you may prefer to cruise through the narrows of Hook Passage, to the south of Hook Island to Macona or Nara Inlet. Note Hook Island Resort has changed hands and is currently being rebuilt.

Day 4.  Nara Inlet is deep and fiord like with steep heavily wooded embankments.
If there’s been recent showers, small waterfalls tumble down the rocky faces to shore and provide a refreshing bath, particularly if you’ve just tackled the exhilarating climb to explore the caves, with ancestral aboriginal rock paintings, located in the area.
Nara is a narrow 3kl inlet, very protected and suitable as an overnight anchorage in all weather conditions.  Here too the fishing is great and there are lots of oysters to gather from the rocky shores at low tide.
The inlet offers several anchorages however we recommend the one at the top as it is the most protected and quite beautiful. This anchorage is surrounded on 3 sides by steep rocky faces with ferns, palms and variety of other rainforest plants and is near the main waterfall.

Day 5.  A short cruise around to the western face of Hook Island (the second largest in the group) then head north to Langford Reef. This is a delightful day time stopover with the reef and sand spit emerging at low tide and then disappearing at high tide. It’s a great area for picnicking at low tide. The vast array of cheeky fish seething amongst the coral “bommies” makes it one of the best snorkelling spots in the area.
As navigation can be tricky through the reefs always refer to your chart and the “100 Magic Miles Guide” which shows how to enter the area safely.

The world class Hayman Island Resort lies to the north and can be visited during the day to enjoy a very exotic lunch time experience. However the best overnight anchorages are at Stone Haven to the east of Langford Reef, Blue Pearl Bay on the western face of Hayman Island or around the top of Hook Island into Butterfly Bay. No anchoring is permitted at Blue Pearl Bay and Butterfly Bay however moorings are provided. This minimises the risk of damage to the reef, as this is a very sensitive ecological area.  When snorkelling and diving around this island group you can expect to see an amazing variety of marine creatures including enormous clams. If you venture ashore at Butterfly Bay and explore the creeks at certain times of year, the bushland is clouded with thousands of golden butterflies.

Stonehaven is on the western face of Hook Island and is not as protected as Cid Harbour or Nara Inlet.  However there are 3 anchorage areas with moorings to choose from and the northern most anchorage has a very nice beach, with good fishing from the rocks to the south.

Day 6.  Head south to Cid Harbour, spot  the majestic sea eagles that scoop the waves for small fish. The main anchorage at Sawmill Beach, is off a shoaling sandy beach edged with reef. If you’re feeling adventurous, climb through the rainforest over spring fed streams and palm forests to the top of the Whitsunday Peak. For the less energetic, the bush walk to Dugong Inlet, which offers a beautiful secluded beach, is well worthwhile. Expect to encounter large, lazy goannas and lots of bird life on the way.    
Cid Harbour, one of the most popular anchorages in the area is situated on the western face of Whitsunday Island. It is often chosen as a “first night” anchorage as it is approx. a 2-hour sail form our base at Shute Harbour.

Day 7.  Approximately one hour sail to the west will take you to South Molle Island Resort. A fun relaxed resort, check with our base to check out their entertain programs. You may also use the facilities such as shops, showers, bare, laundry etc.

Day 8. Slowly cruise to our homeport at Shute Harbour, past the colourful
Daydream Island Resort and Spa, one of the more recently refurbished resorts in the area. We also offer a 7-night  package which combines 5 nights boating adventure followed by 2 nights of pampering at the resort.  

Note : When booking an 8 or more night charter you are required to return to base for a mid charter turnaround, to top up water and fuel, fresh linen and fresh food and drink plus anything else the you and your group may require. If you would prefer to spend a few extra hours,  you  can catch a bus or taxi to Airlie Beach and Cannonvale to explore this beautiful little mainland resort. It offers a very good variety of shops and restaurants plus medical etc. facilities. Charterers can return to base, collect their vessel and then continue to their next overnight spot. However they may choose to have a night out at Airlie Beach, stay overnight on their yacht at Shute Harbour and head off the next morning.  Or sail to Airlie Beach and anchor off the main beach opposite the sailing club. Another option is to proceed to the Abel Point Marina at Cannonvale..

Day 9.  Sail to Hamilton Island resort for a visit and a little retail therapy or simply relax and enjoy the bustling boatie atmosphere in the harbour village. An overnight stopover is permitted and is generally in a marina berth and a fee applies. The island also has a major airport. Consider a trip to the outer barrier reef by helicopter during your stay. Sightseeing
Seaplanes can also be organised to collect you from your boat in selected anchorages.

Day 10.  Cruise to Club Med Lindeman Island. The only Club Med resort in Australia. If you wish to visit the resort you must pay for a pre costed meal package. There are several anchorage options in  delightful bays on or near the island.  

Day 11.  Visit uninhabited Shaw island which offers several great anchorages. Explore Neck Bay on the western face. The short walk through palm groves takes you to the eastern face of the island. Cruise to the southwest to anchor off Burning Point, an ideal anchorage when there’s a brisk  “sou’easter” blowing. Shaw Island is rugged, spectacular and possibly one of the most beautiful in the area. If time permits, we suggest several nights should be spent in this area. However check your vessel cruising limits.

There are 74 islands in the Whitsunday area. Six island have resorts on them, nine resorts in total.  Most of the resort islands are basically uninhabited except for the area allocated to the resort buildings and facilities. Charter yachts are welcome to visit them and a fee generally applies costing between  $30 and $80 per vessel per night. The facilities vary with each island. When paying these fees you are entitled to use the facilities such as toilets and showers, laundry, swimming pools etc. and to purchase goods such as meals, beverages, ship supplies, and souvenirs.

There are approximately 120 approved overnight anchorages in the area. The suitability of each anchorage depends on the weather forecast.  

Note: although charterers may book a minimum 5 nights to 14 night (or longer) they may prefer to visit only  6 or 7 anchorages and stay several nights in a favourite spot. Each anchorage has its own individual charm and no two are the same!

Click here to contact one of our friendly staff to discuss your Whitsundays holiday activities