Newbie looking for general opinions :)

[PomPomBuckley]

Yes! This is somewhere I have wanted to visit for a long time! Have you been many times?

The only thing my parter has told me so far is that he'd like to visit the Coral Reef, perhaps a spot of scuba? Are these two places relativley close? It would be a great way to end the trip.

Thank you :)

Hi...sorry for gatecrashing this response! But I just thought I'd re-iterate and recommend Whitehaven Beach too! My hubbie is from Brisbane and we are looking to get our plans together and emigrate in 4-5 years. I have visited Queensland twice now in the last few years and this is one of my most memorable trips. The Whitsundays region is closest to the great barrier reef so plenty of scuba etc. and Whitehaven is close to the coral reef. If you are looking to experience a bit of Australian life I'd definitely visit Brisbane too. It's a great city. The sunshine coast is beautiful and quiet slow paced and a lot quieter than the gold coast. Have a great time planning and visiting

[Freckleface]

Yes! This is somewhere I have wanted to visit for a long time! Have you been many times?

The only thing my parter has told me so far is that he'd like to visit the Coral Reef, perhaps a spot of scuba? Are these two places relativley close? It would be a great way to end the trip.

Thank you :)

Yes they are close. The Whitsunday Islands are part of the Great Barrier Reef. You can take daytrips to go scuba diving or stay at one of the Isaland resorts and go from there. You can also do a bare boat charter if you want to.

I go to Whitehaven Beach at least once a year. The sand is as fine as table salt and the water is crystal clear. It is a magical place.

[eriinbrowne]

Thanks you guys! I'm pretty certain we will visit the Islands, I had to giggle to myself because where I live in the UK is close to a spot called Whitehaven. However it's probably the polar oppsite and carries quite a rough reputation.

So for a couple who's never visited this glorious little area before how long would you recommend staying? Should we stay on the islands or just take day trips and stay on the mainland? Apart from LOTS of relaxation and perhaps a spot of scuba is there anything you would recommend for us to do while we are there to really make the most of the islands?

Also I know I'm asking a lot of questions but how much of our 'travel budget' (which has yet to be determined) would say to put aside for this section of our trip? I plan on visiting near the end of our trip and I'd hate to get there are realise we hadn't left enough!

Thank you all so much!

Erin x

[Freckleface]

Thanks you guys! I'm pretty certain we will visit the Islands, I had to giggle to myself because where I live in the UK is close to a spot called Whitehaven. However it's probably the polar oppsite and carries quite a rough reputation.

So for a couple who's never visited this glorious little area before how long would you recommend staying? Should we stay on the islands or just take day trips and stay on the mainland? Apart from LOTS of relaxation and perhaps a spot of scuba is there anything you would recommend for us to do while we are there to really make the most of the islands?

Also I know I'm asking a lot of questions but how much of our 'travel budget' (which has yet to be determined) would say to put aside for this section of our trip? I plan on visiting near the end of our trip and I'd hate to get there are realise we hadn't left enough!

Thank you all so much!

Erin x

OK here you go - this link is a bit of a one stop shop for info on resorts, diving etc.

http://www.seethewhitsundays.com/lin...rts/index.html

How long to stay? Really depends on what you want to do but I would allow at least 3 days. Personally I could stay for a month but you probably want to see other stuff.

Enjoy

[eriinbrowne]

That's fantastic, you're a star!

[Skani]

as we would probably fly to any other destinations, or rent scooters for day trips? Is that worth while in some places?

Renting scooters is not something which would appeal to me in Oz. Firstly, distances between towns can be great, so it's not like popping 5 miles along the road to the next village, as it would be in the UK. Secondly, if you are scootering within cities you are so busy worrying where to go and which lane to get in and how not to get hit that, quite frankly, you wouldn't see much. Also you could be restricted by the weather. I don't know what time of year you are planning on coming, but some parts of Australia can get heavy, tropical rain, even though the temperature is warm, and if it is hot and dry, you can get an extra wall of heat reflecting off the road - and that's not pleasant. I think scooters in Oz are for people who just want to get between point A and point B and know the area and traffic conditions well. I would recommend that any vehicle you get here is airconditioned. Travelling in a hot vehicle is no fun. For sightseeing within cities I think you are better to base yourself near public transport and use that.

Yes, you could definitely include Perth in your 4 or 5 weeks but I recommend that you fly, otherwise you are going to lose several days just driving to get there.

[eriinbrowne]

Thanks for that advice! I will steer clear of scooters and opt for public transport instead! Thanks for that!!

[Bobj]

Thanks you guys! I'm pretty certain we will visit the Islands, I had to giggle to myself because where I live in the UK is close to a spot called Whitehaven. However it's probably the polar oppsite and carries quite a rough reputation.

So for a couple who's never visited this glorious little area before how long would you recommend staying? Should we stay on the islands or just take day trips and stay on the mainland? Apart from LOTS of relaxation and perhaps a spot of scuba is there anything you would recommend for us to do while we are there to really make the most of the islands?

Also I know I'm asking a lot of questions but how much of our 'travel budget' (which has yet to be determined) would say to put aside for this section of our trip? I plan on visiting near the end of our trip and I'd hate to get there are realise we hadn't left enough!

Thank you all so much!

Erin x

G'day mate, A few places well worth staying at in the Whitsundays; 1. Daydream Island 2. Long Island and 3.South Molle, all very accesible by water taxi and reasonably cheap.

http://www.daydreamisland.com/livingreef.html

http://www.longislandresort.com.au/w...and_resort.htm

http://www.south-molle-island.com.au...nd-resort.html

Cheers, Bobj.