Active Pursuits

Island Hopping

Day-trippers to Hamilton, Daydream, South Molle, Club Crocodile Long Island, and Hook Island resorts can rent the hotels' watersports equipment, laze by the beaches and pools, scuba dive, join the resorts' activities programs, hike their trails, and eat at some or all of their restaurants. Club Crocodile's Long Island Resort is rather noisy but unpretentious, with plentiful watersports, picturesque hiking trails, wild wallabies, and a large beach-cum-tidal-flat where you can relax on sun lounges.

You can get to the islands on your own by ferry, or take an organized day trip that visits one, two, or even three islands in a day. Fantasea Cruises (tel. 1800/650 851 in Australia, or 07/4946 5111; www.fantasea.com.au) and Whitsunday Island Adventure Cruises (tel. 07/4946 5255 for the booking agent) all offer them, as do several yachts.

Hitting the Sand at Whitehaven Beach

The 6km (3 3/4-mile) stretch of pure-white silica sand on Whitehaven Beach will leave you in rapture. The beach, on uninhabited Whitsunday Island, does not boast a lot of coral, but the swimming is good and the forested shore is beautiful. Take a book and chill out. Some sailboat day trips visit it, as do some motorized vessels. A day trip with Fantasea Cruises (tel. 07/4946 5111) costs A$85 (US$77/£38) per adult and A$32 (US$29/£14) for children ages 5 to 15, with lunch.

Fishing

Reef fishing is superb throughout the islands; red emperor, coral trout, sweetlip, and snapper are common catches. One of the most popular charter vessels is the 16m (52-ft.) timber cruiser Moruya (tel. 0400/450 111 or 0415/185 653 mobile; www.fishingwhitsunday.com.au). Day trips depart Shute Harbour daily at around 8am. They include lunch, bait, and fishing rods. The crew will even clean your catch for you. Adults pay A$130 (US$117/£59), students and children 4 to 14 pay A$80 (US$72/£36), and families of four pay A$330 (US$297/£149).

If you want to undertake your own fishing expedition, Harbourside Boat Hire, in Shute Harbour (tel. 07/4946 9330), rents motorized dinghies for A$60 (US$54/£27) for a half-day or A$90 (US$81/£41) for a full day. Half-cabin cruisers cost A$90 (US$81/£41) for a half-day, A$150 (US$135/£68) for a full day. They also rent fishing rods and sell tackle, bait, ice, and anything else you might need for angling.

Whale-Watching in the Whitsundays

Humpback whales migrate to the Whitsundays July through September to give birth. These fearless giants of the deep come right up to the boat. Fantasea Cruises (tel. 07/4946 5111; www.fantasea.com.au) runs whale-watching cruises in season; trips feature an onboard talk and videos. The cost is about A$100 (US$90/£45) per adult. If you don't see whales, you can go free another day, or choose another of Fantasea's cruises as an alternative.

Ecotours

Visitors to the Whitsundays can get up close and personal with crocodiles in their natural habitat with Proserpine River Eco Tours (tel. 07/4948 3310; www.crocodilesafari.com.au), which combines an open-air wagon ride through the pristine Goorganga wetlands and a boat trip on the river to learn more about one of Queensland's major crocodile-breeding grounds. This is the only place to see crocs in safety in the wild south of the Daintree. Bus pickups operate from Airlie Beach, Cannonvale, and Proserpine for the tours, which run about 4 hours, depending on tides, and cost A$98 (US$88/£44) for adults, A$48 (US$43/£22) for kids 1 to 14. Back on land, you'll enjoy billy tea, the best damper I've ever tasted (and they'll even give you the recipe), and a talk on native wildlife over a barbecue lunch.

Great Whitsunday Walking

The Whitsundays Great Walk -- one of six Great Walks of Queensland -- covers 36km (22 miles) in Conway State Forest and Conway National Park, behind Airlie Beach. The trail starts at the end of Brandy Creek Road, a short drive from Cannonvale, and winds in three stages from Brandy Creek to Airlie Beach, with two campsites at 12km (7 1/2-mile) intervals. The hills here are rich in giant strangler figs, ferns, and palms, and if you're lucky, you'll spot a giant blue Ulysses butterfly. Walkers should carry drinking water, because the water in natural systems is not good for drinking.

A permit is required for overnight walks and must be booked in advance (tel. 13 13 04 in Australia; www.qld.gov.au/camping). The cost is A$4.50 (US$4.05/£2) per person or A$18 (US$16/£8.10) for a family of two adults and children ages 5 to 17. More information on this and other walks, including the new Ngaro Sea Trail, which links sea routes with walks on Hook, Whitsunday, and South Molle islands, can be obtained from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service information center, Shute Harbour Road at Mandalay Road (tel. 07/4946 7022) 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) northeast of Airlie Beach. It's open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5pm and most, but not all, Saturdays from 9am to 1pm.

Four new Great Walks, including the above-mentioned Ngaro Sea Trail, are due to open in 2009 and 2010. For more details on all Great Walks, log onto www.epa.qld.gov.au/greatwalks.

Golf

Serious golfers should not miss a round on arguably Australia's best resort course, the championship Turtle Point golf course at Laguna Whitsundays Resort, Kunapipi Springs Road, Midge Point (tel. 07/4947 7777), a 45-minute drive south of Airlie Beach. An 18-hole round dodging wallabies, goannas, and kookaburras on the difficult fairways will set you back around A$100 (US$90/£45), plus A$25 (US$23/£11) for club hire.

Sea Kayaking

If you have strong arms, sea kayaking is a wonderful way to enjoy the islands. Daydream Island and the beaches and bays of the North, Mid, and South Molle group of islands are all within paddling distance of the mainland. It's common to see dolphins, turtles, and sharks along the way. One long-established operator is Salty Dog Sea Kayaking (tel. 07/4946 1388; www.saltydog.com.au), which takes escorted trips through the islands. Half-day trips run on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and full-day trips on Monday, Thursday, and Friday, departing Airlie Beach at 8:30am. A half-day trip is A$70 (US$63/£32) per person and a day trip is A$125 (US$113/£56) per person. Two- and 6-day trips, during which you camp out, are A$365 (US$329/£164) and A$1,490 (US$1,341/£671). All rates include snorkel gear, meals, pickup, and, on overnight trips, camping gear. The company also delivers sea kayaks anywhere in the Whitsundays. Rental prices start at A$50 (US$45/£23) for a single kayak, A$80 (US$72/£36) for a double for a half-day, including delivery, pickup, and safety equipment. A deposit of A$200 (US$180/£90) is required for rentals.