Airlie Beach

White sand runs for more than 7km along the east side of Whitsunday Island. It is almost pure silica, so it stays cool underfoot even at midday and squeaks when you walk. There is no road; only boats and seaplanes get there.

A bush track of about twenty minutes climbs to this lookout above Whitehaven's northern tip. When the tide goes out, white sand and blue channels swirl together, the scene behind most photographs of these islands. Tours are timed to the tides.

A small reef that grew into a heart shape inside Hardy Reef. Protection rules bar boats from mooring and people from swimming there, so the only view is from a helicopter or light plane above. A clear morning gives the sharpest colour.

An island with an airport that takes jets. People get around in hired golf buggies instead of cars, and from One Tree Hill, reached by buggy, you watch the surrounding islands darken one by one at sunset. The boat from Airlie Beach takes about an hour.

Retired racing yachts carry people among the islands on trips of two or three nights. Cabins are tight and toilets shared, so operators ask for one soft bag rather than a suitcase. On calm days the boat motors instead of sailing.

A market that sets up on the foreshore lawn every Saturday morning. Tropical fruit, handicrafts and coffee carts stand in rows, and most pack away before the heat of the day. Many shoppers then cool off in the lagoon right beside it.

Twenty-five minutes' drive from town, a fall drops over rock into a pool where you can swim. In the last weeks of the dry, long after any rain, the water dwindles to a dribble, and after heavy storms the creek crossing on the way in goes under water.

A trail through the forest of Conway National Park ends at a timber platform facing the Whitsunday Islands strung out over open water. Trees give shade yet the air stays humid, so bring lots of water; an early morning start is cooler.

A small bay at Bowen, an hour north of Airlie Beach, where sand curves like a horseshoe between granite boulders. You can snorkel straight off the shore, and a giant mango sculpture stands at the entrance to town.

An artificial coral lagoon wrapping around the island resort, with a waterline path for looking down on rays and small sharks. At set times staff feed the fish and talk about them. The boat from town takes just over thirty minutes.

A big free outdoor pool set into the foreshore lawns in front of town. Even in the months when stingers fill the sea you can swim here without worry, so it packs out at midday. Lifeguards patrol, and barbecues sit in the shade around it.

At low tide a thin spit of sand stretches far out from Langford, and you can stroll to its tip. Snorkel the shallow coral on either side and turtles often glide past. High water drowns the spit, so tours schedule around the tides.

A sheltered cove at Hook Island's northern end, the most frequent stop for Whitsunday snorkel tours. Jump straight off the boat and big fish such as Maori wrasse cruise up to swimmers. Despite the name, manta rays appear only rarely.

A national park beach nearly two hours' drive south, where kangaroos and wallabies come onto the sand at sunrise to forage. Rangers attend and set how close people may approach. Staying a night at the nearby campground is the way to arrive by dawn.