Hamilton Island, Australia offers visitors a
wealth of activities to choose from.
1 Take the plunge Hamilton Island is a
scuba divers' and
snokellers' paradise whether it's on the
Great Barrier Reef, off a local beach or a neighbouring island.
Free introductory lessons are available, as well as
dive master courses, through H20 Sportz (www.h2osportz.com.au).
2 Fantasea's Reefworld Reefworld is an
aquatic wonderland located at Hardy Reef, 75 minutes by
boat off the coast. Here guests can
snorkel in a sheltered and
protected environment, take a tour on board a
semi-submersible and view the marine life from the 50 seat underwater
viewing chamber. 3 Whitehaven BeachWhitehaven Beach offers a more
relaxing alternative for an aquatic outing. World renowned for its
pure silica sands, Whitehaven Beach is only a
short boat ride from Hamilton Island and is a must for
beach lovers wanting to experience one of the
most beautiful beaches in the world (www.fantasea.com.au).
4 GolfThe new Hamilton Island
Golf Club is open to golfers of all levels and offers a par 71
championship course with fantastic views and
bracing sea air. Golfers can play
nine or 18 holes on the course designed by five-time British Open winner
Peter Thomson, located on
Dent Island, a five minute boat ride from Hamilton Island (www.hamiltonislandgolfclub.com.au).
5 Flightseeing For some of the best views of the
Great Barrier Reef and to appreciate its sheer size and beauty take a
helicopter or
seaplane flight for a truly amazing view of the planet's
largest living structure (www.avta.com.au).
6 Sailing & leisure cruising The
Whitsundays is one of the best regions in
Australia to learn to sail with many
courses on offer ranging from instruction for
beginners to offshore skipper and
international qualifications. Alternatively, guests can sit back and let someone else do all the hard work with many
cruise options on board a luxury yacht or catamaran, including
sunset cruises on board classic yacht,
The Banjo Paterson (www.cruiseindigo.com.au).
7 Bush walking trails
Stay on dry land and explore Hamilton Island on foot with an invigorating bushwalk. There are many walking trails, all of which offer great
bird spotting opportunities and sublime views. This is an ideal
opportunity to find one's own
private spot for a delicious picnic lunch.
8 Quadbiking For a quicker pace guests can negotiate the
fire trails and tackle different terrain on a
quadbiking tour around the island. An exhilarating option for
adults and children over 16, this is a fun way to explore the island. There is also an
option for children
under 16. 9 Deep sea fishing Guests with an interest in
fishing will find great success in the waters around
Hamilton Island. Experienced professionals, such as
Renegade Charters, are happy to share their
expertise and even help prepare your catch for the dinner table (www.renegadecharters.com.au).
10 Adrenalin sports activities These include
sea kayaking, water skiing, parasailing,
wakeboarding, tubing and
go-kart racing. There is also a one hour
jet ski tour which circumnavigates the island, not to mention go-karting,
target sports, tennis and squash.
QANTAS HOLIDAYS (Tel 020 8222 9124 www.qantasholidays.co.uk) can arrange holidays to
Hamilton Island with prices starting from £1,619.
For more information on
Hamilton Island visit www.hamiltonisland.com.au
