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Hi

As a compact charter/cruise area it works well. We did an 7 day charter and that allowed for a medium paced  zoom around the major features, equally we could have holed up in a couple of spots for the week (personal choice).

 

The charter company was great to work with and the boat was well looked after an set up.

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I'm pretty sure all boats come with the cruising Whitsundays cruising guide, so you get all the spots. Easy anchoring, lots of mooring options too.

 

Thanks. Yeah I read about the moorings and there do seem to be good anchorages. I guess I mean how crowded are the anchorages, and can you actually get on the moorings? For example, in the san juans there are also moorings laid, but they're very hard to get in the summer. 

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I guess I mean how crowded are the anchorages, and can you actually get on the moorings?

 

Can't answer that in general. But we were there in September during the Australian school holiday, and we mostly anchored as we prefer it a bit away from the crowds. Probably most moorings were taken during that time I would say. Definitely not crowded according to my definition, but it's not lonely.

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100 magic miles is the bible for the area. Cruising the coral coast is also helpful.

Bareboat charters are restricted to an area with the smaller vessels smaller again. (But dont worry you wont 

see all of this even if you spend three weeks) The outer reefs are out of bounds for bareboats.

The anchorages on Whitsunday island can get crowded (30 plus boats) but there is usually lots of options. 

Bareboats need to chose and be anchored by late afternoon with a radio sked to the respective operators (sometimes twice a day) with the charterers respective decision. This allows the operators to suggest more suitable options in given conditions if necessary.( ...and also allows the operators to get a "sense" of the charterers competency )

Hamilton island (Hamo) has a large marina and caters for charter vessels ...(it has a jet port and you can start your charter there if you so chose, otherwise either shute harbor or airlie beach are the normal start and finish ports. with proserpine the nearest airport )

Hamilton island has a new very reasonably priced super market and grog shop, but the over night marina berth is expensive ...you can come in for a short period of time but this is also charged for...

 

  The islands themselves have taken one hell of a battering with the most recent cyclone. (Debbie) Most of the important infrastructure has been fixed but some of the reefs took a hit, with coral rubble now in place of what was quite well formed reefs.

Whitehaven beach (rated in the top 10 in the world) had a huge amount of sand stripped from it, but you wouldnt know unless you were a regular visitor.

 

A word on swimming and sharks....

Sharks live there ! Always have and hopefully always will.

Swim in clear water towards the middle of the day. Look before you leap. The recent attacks are horrible but generally thought of as an aberration. The second attack was in the same place 24 hours later...now if there was a rogue shark its probably not a good idea to swim in the same area the next day.

They have set drum lines and have now caught 4 tiger sharks in Cid harbour. I would suggest that this proves how most of the time its NOT a problem. The drum lines are more a kind of revenge than anything meaningful because last time I looked sharks dont stay in the one  bay... Sure they may catch the bastard shark but killing off large numbers to do it is childish.

 

If you want to get sh*t scared worry about the Irukandji a tiny (size of a finger nail) jelly fish or the crocs...

We (seriously) wear stinger suits all year round.

https://www.whitsunday.qld.gov.au/408/Marine-stingers

 

Now that I have hopefully reduced the number of people going to the Whitsundays, for you hardy people left, it is a stunning place to play.

The area and lack of crowds compared to the other of the worlds known charter destinations is magnificent .

Due to the Great barrier reef, the sea state is generally mild with only occasional short seas to deal with.

As you would expect in such a high tidal area, wind on sea can make for some very exciting conditions if you chose to tackle the narrow passages between some islands at the wrong time.

There are safe protected anchorages for all states and directions of wind, (except cyclones). 

White cone buoys mark the limit of anchoring to protect the fringing reef. ....with rated moorings around and often closer to shore. If you cant be bothered anchoring and need to be on a mooring then arrive mid arvo and be flexible as to which of the many often adjacent bays you wish to stay in. Some of the nicest bays are only tenable in the rarer northerly winds...

 

If you have your own boat then the area goes up 25 notches or so...for you lucky person the more remote islands and reefs are your oyster...  most of the time there will be at most one or two other boats and often no one for days....

.....and no...I am not going to tell you where my favourite anchorages are   ...

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