What is Hamilton Island?
Hamilton Island is a resort island in the Whitsundays, off the coast of Queensland. It is the largest inhabited island in the group and has its own commercial airport, making it a popular holiday base.
The island was developed as a resort from the 1980s and is now owned by the Oatley family. It offers hotels, apartments, restaurants, a marina and shops.
Visitors travel around the island in golf buggies, which are the main form of transport. Hamilton Island Airport has direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Activities
Catseye Beach is the island's main swimming beach. Popular activities include sailing, snorkeling, scenic flights over Heart Reef and day trips to Whitehaven Beach.
Each August, the island hosts Hamilton Island Race Week, one of Australia's major sailing regattas.
Wild Life Hamilton Island lets visitors see koalas and other Australian animals. Next door, Dent Island is home to a championship golf course. Hamilton Island is also a starting point for boat tours to the outer Great Barrier Reef.
The island also has walking trails through bushland to lookouts such as Passage Peak, the highest point on the island, which offers views across the Whitsunday Passage.