The Whitsunday Archipelago

Suggested tour : Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands

Difficulty : low

Weather : tropical - season is April to October

Wonderful waterways is what the Whitsunday's is all about, and this is where our experience really counts.  We can guide our guests to locations, where entering the magical world of colourful coral gardens is as close as just jumping off the back of our boat.  Here they will be accompanied by so many brightly coloured, friendly fish that it is like swimming in their own aquarium.  We will take them to places where these fish will eat right out of their hand and will swim up to their mask to look them right in the eye as if to say "Welcome to my world"!  We offer free tuition to those who have not snorkeled before and (being scuba divers) we can "buddy" up with any qualified diver who does not have a buddy and guide them to the best locations underwater.  I have attached some images to "whet their appetit" !

We offer a "hands on" holiday, where our guests can take the wheel and experience true "big boat" sailing, without having the responsibility of navigating the "tricky" reefs or the drudgery of cooking.  The American magazine "Bon Appetite", has written to Lynne requesting one of her recipes for publication in the USA, so you can be assured that the meals they will enjoy aboard will exceed expectation and surpass much of what is served in well known Sydney restaurants!    We suggest that guests should consider our yacht as their own private floating luxury hotel, located in the middle of the world's largest marine park because it is fully equipped with  "play toys" such as floating inflatable chairs, fishing gear, and snorkeling equipment.  WE EVEN HAVE A GLASS BOTTOMED DIVE TENDER making us the first live aboard sailing vessel in the area to boast such a great facility!

Our yacht offers so much deck space for relaxing (we are licensed to carry 50 day passengers), that you can just imagine how enjoyable our cruises become when we limit our guests to a maximum of 8 (even though we are licensed to sleep up to 12 plus 2 crew overnight).  We like to think of our yacht "Sydney Sundancer" as the little sister to the QE2, and indeed previous guests have advised that our level of service for those who want a "do nothing" holiday, is similar.  BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY WE GUARANTEE NO CHILDREN ABOARD when we accept individual cabin bookings (If guests have children under 18 years of age they must charter our yacht privately).   Please don’t get me wrong, we love having children aboard because they are enthusiastic about the experience and want to learn so much about the ecology of the reef, it’s just that it Lynne and I think it is not fair on our fellow guests to ask them to appreciate someone else’s’ children the way they do….

Each night, we anchor our yacht in a different bay, so calm that long stemmed wine glasses are safe !  We like to advise that our guests can go snorkeling over magnificent coral gardens accompanied by thousands of friendly fish  before breakfast AND THEIR DAY JUST GETS BETTER FROM THERE !  Our itinerary each day depends on the wind direction and the best place to visit on the day, and is decided upon by the guests and skipper.  We know the islands so well, both below and above the water, that you can be sure to see the very best of everything the area has to offer.   For those who do not have the opportunity to enjoy a full week, we have a water taxi service where a speedboat will bring guests to our yacht's location on the day they wish join the cruise (at charterers own cost, which might be up to $800 for the taxi, depending where we are on the day), that way we have not inconvenienced any of the other guests by returning to Hamilton Island.  We normally conduct 7 day, scheduled departures from Hamilton Island each Saturday afternoon and do not see civilisation for a whole week until our return on Saturday morning. 

Without trying to brag, we know we offer "the best of the best".  This fact was recognised in May 1999, when we were awarded BEST  PRODUCT at the first "World Wide Aussie Specialist Conference" (of overseas travel agents) in Brisbane for our sailing and scuba diving holidays in the Great Barrier Reef.  During the wet season in the tropics, we operate on Sydney Harbour where we have won the prestigious Australian Bridal Industry Award (ABIA) for Excellence for the Best Sydney Harbour Wedding Reception Vessel five years in a row (2003 through 2007) and in 2008 we were inducted into the ABIA “Hall of Fame” making us one of only 6 wedding suppliers in the whole of Australia to be so honoured !    We are also the only charter boat ever, to win both the City of Sydney Council Award for The Best Decorated Boat on New Years Eve, and The Australia Day Council’s award for The Best Presented / Best Decorated Charter Boat on Sydney Harbour (2000, 2001, 2002, & 2007), so you will appreciate just how much effort we invest in making each and every cruise a success !!   In the Whitsunday’s, being one of the original professional tour operators, our Permit issued by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority allows us to visit unique and remote locations where other boats are not permitted.  We hope you will allow us to personally introduce you to the "Wonder of the Whitsunday's", where we guarantee that your expectations for your holiday of a lifetime will be exceeded and your dreams come true.