Reef & Islands

Mackay provides easy access to the Great Barrier Reef and its islands. A stay on one of the region’s many nearby islands offers numerous snorkelling, eco and nature based experiences. Day tours and extended charters offer scenic reef flights and sailing trips out to great diving and snorkelling places and to each of the islands within the region.

Be a castaway for a day and get back to nature on your own secluded island or sandy cay. Or stay a few nights on popular Great Barrier Reef islands such as Brampton Island with its nature trails, the Newry Islands offering great camping facilities, the Cumberland group of islands (including Keswick, Scawfell, Carlisle and St Bees), accessible only by private vessel and/or the Lindeman groups of islands. These island groups exist within the southern Whitsunday’s Passage and offer a variety of island accommodation, everything from camping facilities to the famous Club Med Lindeman Island Resort.

Catch reef fish with a local tour guide and enjoy a freshly cooked seafood smorgasbord or snorkel around Bushy Atoll - a suspended lagoon of corals and marine life.