Whitsunday Islands
| Whitsunday Islands | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Coral sea | |
| Geographical location | 20 ° 18 ′ S , 148 ° 56 ′ E | |
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| Number of islands | 74 | |
| Main island | Whitsunday Island | |
The Whitsunday Islands (German Whitsunday Islands ) are a group of islands off the east coast of the Australian state of Queensland .
geography
The Whitsunday Islands consist of 74 islands, 17 of which are inhabited. Most of the islands have national park status and belong to the Whitsunday Islands National Park , with a 35,000 km² marine park in between, which stretches from Sarine in the south to Cape Upstart in the north. The Whitsunday Islands are part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area . The Great Barrier Reef is 35 nautical miles to the east, but the islands are also surrounded by smaller reefs.
The largest island is Whitsunday Island .
Geology and formation
The islands were originally a volcanic mountain range and belonged to the mainland. The end of the last ice age 30,000 to 50,000 years ago melted the poles and raised the sea level. This separated the mountains from the mainland. The highest mountain peaks today form the Whitsunday Islands.
Climate and nature
There is a subtropical climate with mild winters:
| Average temperature | Maximum temperature | Lowest temperature | Rainy days (more than 0.2mm) | Average water temperature | |
| January to February | 29.6 ° C | 36.5 ° C | 22.8 ° C | 13 | 27 ° C |
| April to May | 22.6 ° C | 28.2 ° C | 17.0 ° C | 14th | 26 ° C |
| July to August | 17.0 ° C | 26.7 ° C | 7.2 ° C | 5 | 22 ° C |
| November to December | 25.0 ° C | 29.4 ° C | 20.6 ° C | 5 | 24 ° C |
The average temperature is 27.2 ° C. The water temperature is 20–24 ° C all year round. Rainfall averages 1,792.4 mm per year, 60% of which falls during the rainy season between January and March.
From May to September, the surrounding waters are used by humpback whales for calving. On several islands of the group, for example on the uninhabited isle Bird Island , there are large breeding colonies of numerous species of sea birds .
In the archipelago are Convey National Park , Whitsunday Islands National Park and Lindemans Islands National Park .
history
The islands and the parallel mainland were inhabited by the Ngaro , an Aboriginal tribe of Australia. On one of the islands in this group, Hook Island , are the oldest archaeological sites on the east coast of Australia with an age of 9,000 years. These seafaring Aborigines left hundreds of traces on the islands. They were expelled in the period of British colonization from 1861 and became extinct. Another source reports that Australia's indigenous people only visited the island seasonally to forage for food and not to build permanent settlements.
On June 4, 1770, sailed James Cook islands and named the traveled by him passage to the Whitsunday Whitsunday Passage . After Cook came Lieutenant Phillip Parker King in 1819 , followed by British naval surveys during the 19th century. In 1878 the ship Louisa Maria came in, which was burned and sunk by an Aboriginal tribe, the shipwreck lies at Passage Island and is now called Louisa Maria Schooner.
The first settlers became interested in the Whitsunday Group in the mid-19th century. The first leases for the islands were issued during the 1880s . From 1920 the first huts were built for guests on the islands. With the completion of the Airlie Beach to Shute Harbor road in 1962, the islands became more accessible.
tourism
Resorts are located on the islands of Hamilton Island , Daydream Island , Hayman Island , Hook Island, Lindeman Island, Long Island and South Molle Island . Each of these islands has its own character (luxurious, familiar, sophisticated, etc.) and is owned by a hotel group.
There are a total of 30 bush tent sites where camping is allowed. For this purpose, approval must be obtained in advance, which also requires a seat reservation. It can be requested by phone and online at the Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing website. Permits are also available from the Whitsunday Island Camping Connection Shop in Airlie Beach and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) in Mandalay. The campsites can only be reached by boat. Open fires and generators are prohibited everywhere and sufficient drinking water must be brought along independently. Picnic tables and toilets are available at all camps. Campsites may be closed in bad weather conditions and during regeneration measures. Information about which camps are open can be obtained from the regional tourist information and from the institutions just listed. Campsites exist on Whitsunday Island at Dugong Beach, Nari's Beach, Whitehaven Beach , Joe's Beach, Chance Bay, and Peter Bay. On Hook Island, camping is possible at Maureen's Cove, Steens Beach, Curlew Beach, and Crayfish Beach. The Bushcamp on Henning Island is called Northern Spirit.
Due to the sheltered location behind the Great Barrier Reef , the Whitsundays are considered one of the best sailing areas in the world.
Various ships depart daily from the coastal towns of Shute Harbor or Airlie Beach to the islands. There are also local airports on the islands of Hayman, Daydream, South Molle and Lindemann. Hamilton Island even has a scheduled airport with daily flights from Sydney , Brisbane and Cairns .
Whitsunday Islands Group
The islands of the Whitsunday Islands are grouped into four archipelagos, which is now also called the Whitsunday Islands Group. The Whitsunday Islands Group are, however, part of the officially still called Cumberland Islands . James Cook named these islands the Cumberland Islands in 1770 during his voyage of discovery on what he called the Whitsunday Passage . The name Cumberland Islands goes back to the Duke of Cumberland, who supported Cook's trip at the time. The name Whitsunday Island is the name of the island that he discovered on Whit Sunday, June 3, 1770.
Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands include Bird Island, Black Island, Border Island, Brempton Island, Cid Island, Cowrie Island, Deloraine Island, Dent Island , Dumbell Island, Dungarra Island, Esk Island, Fitzalan Island, Hamilton Island , Harold Island, Haslewood Iceland, Hayman Island, Henning Island, Hook Island , Ireby Island, Langford Island, Long Island, Lupton Island, Nicolson Island, Perseverance Island, Plum Pudding Island, Teague Island, Titan Island, Whitsunday Island , Wirrainbela Island and Workington Island.
Lindeman Islands Group
The Lindeman Island Group includes the islands of Baynham Island, Cornston Island, Gaibirra Island, Triangle Island, Keyser Island, Lindeman Island , Little Lindeman Island, Maher Island, Mansell Island, Pentecost Island, Seaforth Island , Shaw Island, Thomas Island and Volskow Island.
Molle Islands Group
The Molle Archipelago includes Daydream Island (formerly West Molle Island), Denman Island, Goat Island, Mid Molle Island, North Molle Island, Long Island , Planton Island, and South Molle Island .
Northern Islands Group
The Northern Island Group includes Armit Island , Double Cone Island, Eshelby Island, Gloucester Island, Grassy Island, Gumbrell Island, Olden Island, Rattray Island and Saddleback Island.
Web links
- Tourism Whitsundays (English)
- Tour tip: Whitsunday Islands (Airlie Beach) , australien-info.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Carolyn Colfelt: 100 Magic Miles of the Great Barrier Reef. The Whitsunday Islands . 10th edition. Windward Publications Pty Ltd., Berry, NSW 2014, ISBN 978-0-9586989-7-9 .
- ^ Fiona Dickson: The Ngaro people of the Whitsundays. June 25, 2008 ( abc.net.au ), accessed May 22, 2010.
- ^ Whitsunday Islands: Information & Advice. In: in-australien.com. Retrieved December 11, 2013 .