Hayman Island

, QLD

Hayman Island
Five Star Hotel Resort on one of the most beautiful islands in the Whitsundays.
Geologically the Whitsunday Islands are all drowned mountains. Prior to the last Ice Age they were connected to the mainland and would have all been prominent mountains in the area. The melting of the polar caps drowned the valleys between the mountains creating a network of 74 islands of which only 7 have resort facilities. Beyond the resorts the whole area is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the uninhabited islands are all controlled by National Parks and Wildlife.

The first European to explore the area was Captain James Cook who travelled through the area on his journey up the eastern coast of Australia in 1770. He passed through Whitsunday passage, a narrow channel which lies between the mainland coast, South Molle and Daydream Islands to the west and Dent, Whitsunday, Hook and Hayman Islands to the east, on Sunday 4 June which happened to be Whit Sunday (the seventh Sunday after easter) - hence the name of the area.

It is said that when the aviation entrepreneur Reg Ansett chose Hayman Island as a suitable place for a resort he had the choice of virtually every island off the Queensland coast. It's quite possible. Certainly the view across the peaceful waters of the Whitsundays with the other islands, like some real equivalent of a setting from 'South Pacific' rising steeply from the glassy waters, is a tantalising, if albeit cliched, vision of a tropical paradise.

It is also said that when, in the heady 1980s, Sir Peter Abeles decided Australia needed a large, superior hotel in the tropics that he bought a marble mine at Chillagoe to ensure that there would be no shortage of prestigious rock. Of course pink marble was imported from Italy for the hotel's main foyer but this was not to be a hotel where the marble stops at the foyer. This was a hotel where the marble reached the sea.

With its new $300 million development Hayman Island, which has been one of the longest established tourist destinations in the Whitsundays, is now regarded as the premier luxury destination in the Whitsunday group. The only Australian resort hotel to be included in the 'Leading Hotels of the World' organisation it is a true five star resort.

There is a generation of Australians who know Hayman Island from the hugely successful Leslie Rees children's book Digit Dick on the Barrier Reef which was written in 1942 after Rees had visited the island and went on to sell over 350 000 copies.

The island resort's emphasis is on luxury. There are bush walks on graded tracks and it is possible to walk out to parts of the reef at low tide.

Things to see:   

Vital Information About the Island
1. The Island Itself
Location
The northernmost island in the Whitsunday group. It is located 33 km from the mainland.

Description of the island
Relatively small island - 400 hectares (4 km long by 3 km wide) with particularly beautiful views to the south.

How do visitors access it?
Ansett Airways fly daily to Hamilton Island. Transfer to Hayman Island is via a luxury vessel which serves complimentary champagne. The journey from Hamilton takes approximately one hour. It is also possible to fly to Proserpine airport and transfer to the island by seaplane ($480 for the flight with capacity of six) or helicopter.

Activities on the island
Swimming at the resort in Lagoon Bay; snorkelling at Blue Pearl Bay (a one hour walk from the resort or a dinghy trip); and bushwalking with the 8 km island circuit walk taking around 2 1/2 hours. There are a number of shorter walks. Hayman Island resort has a brochure which includes a map of the island as well as details of each of the walks.

2. Resorts on the Island
History
There has been a resort on Hayman Island since the 1940s when Sir Reginald Ansett chose it as an ideal destination. The current $300 million 5-star hotel (it is one of the 'Leading Hotels of the World') was built by Sir Peter Abeles and opened in 1987.

How big is it?
214 rooms including 33 suites and 11 individually styled penthouses.

Who does it appeal to?
People whose idea of a tropical holiday includes the facilities and ambience of a 5-star city hotel. In essence it is The Intercontinental or The Regent in a tropical beach setting.

How much does it cost?
Room and Breakfast: $490-$1500 (per person/twin share) per day. The most expensive penthouse is $3,300 per night.

Free activities
Swimming, bushwalking, windsurfing, paddleskiing, catamaran sailing, outdoor spa, golf putting, badminton, tennis.

Other activities
Trips to the Reef ($160 for snorkellers), picnic cruise to Whitehaven Beach ($120), reef trip by seaplane ($240), dinghy hire ($95 per day), archery ($5), tidal golf ($25), squash ($20 per hour), health club, scuba diving (introductory reef dive - $285), game fishing ($1400 per day), yacht charter.

Eating at the resort
The resort has the largest kitchen in the southern hemisphere. This caters for La Fontaine Restaurant where men must where a jacket; La Trattoria; The Oriental Restaurant; Planters. The food is typical of a 5-star hotel.

Hayman Island Resort
Great Barrier Reef
Hayman Island QLD 4801
Telephone: (07) 4940 1234, 1800 075 175
Facsimile: (07) 4949 1567
Rating: *****