74 Islands. 1000's of Story Ideas.

The Whitsundays is bursting full of great places to visit, things to do, people to meet and stories to tell!

The team at Tourism Whitsundays are always happy to help develop your ideas, or help with new ideas. We update our top ten list of story ideas bi-monthly - here are our latest ideas to get the creative juices flowing...

TOP TEN STORY IDEAS – September / October 10

NEW PRODUCTS:

1. Honeymooner’s favourite, Paradise Bay Eco Escape located in the Whitsundays, is expanding with the current refurbishment plan allowing for a maximum of twenty guests. There will be ten beachfront bungalows (previously eight with maximum sixteen guests), all with newly renovated bathrooms.  This exciting refurbishment is already underway and will be completed by September. This will feature a complete remodel of all bathrooms plus the addition of a new bungalow and a honeymoon suite including a private outdoor bath.

 
2. Spa wumurdaylin {woo-mer-day-lin} was opened in August on Hamilton Island, the Island’s first full service Day Spa for use by all guests and residents, and is the newest spa in the Whitsundays. The name ‘wumurdaylin’, meaning dragonfly, symbolises renewal, freedom and beauty.

Guests will step into a sensory cocoon-like haven with decor inspired by the natural surrounds of the Whitsunday Islands. The comprehensive spa menu includes body cocoon wraps, exfoliations, facials, massages, body treatments, manicures, pedicures and alternative therapies such as naturopath consultations and reiki treatments. 

 
3. Big4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort has just opened seven brand new cabins that have been decorated by award-winning interior designer Suzie Beirne of Maison Jardin through her Airlie Beach showroom ‘Island Edge. All cabins are spotlessly clean with the four new studio cabins and three 3-bedroom cabins decorated with contemporary furnishings and finishes, highlighted with splashes of red, lime and citrus. The fit-out raises the bar in terms of quality, value-for-money resort accommodation. The smaller studio ensuite cabins mean you can even bring the grand-parents for the perfect family holiday.

 
4. The Whitsundays boasts a funky, luxe day spa in the centre of it’s hub, Airlie Beach, after the $150,000 renovation of Airlie Day Spa was completed last month.

Featuring 8 treatment rooms including 3 dual rooms, a variety of wet rooms including Vichy, and the distribution rights for Napoleon Perdis, Kerastase (the sole supplier for the region) and Thalgo products, the Airlie Day Spa is a new level of luxury for visitors to the mainland hub of the Whitsundays.

The spa offers a range of treatments from hot rock and relaxation massage, body wraps and scrubs to a variety of wet room experiences.  It also features a full service hair salon.

A WHALE OF A TIME

5. The Whitsundays is literally bursting to life, with the birth of plenty of baby humpbacks already this whale season.  The protected waters of the Whitsundays are a favourite for mummy humpbacks to shelter in and give birth to their young ones.  Visitors on charter boats, private boats, scenic flights, on racing boats and guests on the islands and mainland have been treated to plenty of spectacular shows of breaching and even ‘Migaloo’ the rare albino humpback whale.  There’s still plenty of whale action throughout September and through to October, so make an extra special day of your reef or sailing trip and go whale watching in the Whitsundays.  This whale spotted by Fantasea Adventure Cruising on their Whitehaven Beach trip.

AND THE WINNER IS...

6. Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays has been named the top Eco Friendly Beach in the world by CNN.com.  Tourism Whitsundays submitted Whitehaven Beach for consideration for this honour.  Leading travel site Viaggi Republica in Italy has also replicated this list on their site.  Whitehaven Beach was the only Australian beach to be honoured.  Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer Peter O’Reilly said he was immensely proud of the efforts of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Whitsunday Regional Council, local tour operators and the community to keep Whitehaven so pristine.  “This is a huge honour and one which everyone in the Whitsundays, and Australia, should be proud of,” Mr O’Reilly said.

 
7. The Whitsundays has been awarded best Environmental Protection in Queensland at the Tidy Towns State Awards in August.

Awarded to Whitsunday Regional Council for their recent efforts to protect the precious environment, Council’s Mayor Mike Brunker said that he was delighted to hear that Council was recognised for the hard ongoing work the employees and the community do in protecting the environment.

“This is a great way to reward our dedicated staff and the groups and organisations they work with for their commitment to protecting and managing the environment,” Mayor Brunker said.

The Whitsunday Regional Council was recognised for a whole of catchment approach to environmental management which supports strategic projects and sustainable outcomes. 

Over the past twelve months, Council has implemented a new Pest Management Plan, Litter Management Strategy, a draft Natural Resource Management Strategy, beach erosion studies, projects and initiatives for the management of weeds, significant upgrades at the Bowen Landfill   and is also in the process of the development of Botanic Gardens in Cannonvale.

Council also supports and works closely with Whitsunday Catchment Landcare, has employed local organisation Eco Barge Services for significant clean up works and has become a Reef Guardian Council.

WHAT'S ON

8. The Bowen Cultural and Seafood Festival featuring an indigenous theme is a must see event for 2010, for all tourists and locals alike! The festival is only in its second year and will build on last year’s successes significantly to create a bigger and better festival than the last.  The festival will kick off with childrens and family activities on the Saturday morning. The fun will continue with entertainment from local performers on Saturday afternoon, followed by the major concert in the evening which will showcase four groups of professional indigenous performers in music, dance, singing and comedy.  Wonderful local seafood straight from the fishing boats, local indigenous dishes including crocodile, kangaroo, emu and bush tucker, and a kup murri cooked on the beach will be served throughout the night. Seaside location, local fresh seafood, endless activities with community participation & brilliant live performances with a mix of cultural awareness; how could you ask for a better way to spend your weekend! 

Date: 16 - 17 October 2010.

 
9. Big 4 Adventure Whitsunday Reef Festival to make a splash in 2010

The Big 4 Adventure Whitsunday Reef Festival is a celebration of one of nature's most amazing natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef. 

The four-day festival held on Airlie Beach foreshore from 21 - 24 October is jam-packed with exciting events. Live music, street parades, fireworks, family fun days, markets, competitions, sand sculpting and fashion shows are just a sample of what's included and the best thing - many of the events are FREE!

The festival caters for all ages with activities for families throughout the program culminating with the Family Fun Day on Sunday 24 October which includes, as it suggests, a whole lot of fun and games but also an opportunity to learn more about reef preservation.

After hours there are fashion shows, cocktail parties and 'Beats on the Beach' for the older boys and girls. This year's musical talent includes The Twine, a tribal blues duo complemented by their dynamic son Obi Sun, who many may have seen on this year's season of Channel 7's Australia's Got Talent.

Jeff Aquilina, chairman of the festival volunteer committee, said 2010 was the 10th birthday of the festival making it a bigger and better event than ever.

“We have special guests including Blair McDonough from Neighbours and Dancing with the Stars, as well as some great performers," Mr Aquilina said.

"We know the community looks forward to the Reef Festival every year because it is a great opportunity for us to celebrate the beautiful natural environment that we live in and a great way to show visitors the best things to see and do in the Whitsundays."

The 2010 Big 4 Adventure Whitsunday Reef Festival is expected to attract more than 10,000 visitors and community members.

FEATURE OPPORTUNITIES

10. Spring hits the business events market

Spring time has always been known as a period of growth, but as this spring dawns, little seedlings are not only sprouting throughout the luscious rainforest and tropical island paradise of the Whitsundays.  The region, located on the central coast of Queensland, Australia, is rapidly growing its portfolio of products for the corporate conference and incentive market. Several new developments have sprung up over the past year, and more are being created, highlighting the region’s on-going commitment to developing this market.

The region is already well known for its natural beauty and wealth of activities, making it successful in the corporate incentive market. However, with the development of new products the destination is becoming increasingly more appealing to the corporate conference market.

 
11. Holiday Winners!

What started out as a motley crew of adventure-seeking holiday makers turned into a dream win for 12 charter guests onboard Prosail’s Condor during Hamilton Island Race Week in August.

Needing no prior sailing experience, guests were able to purchase a spot on board the Whitsunday Charter Maxi and twice Sydney to Hobart winner for a week of racing in one of Australia’s premier racing regattas.

Skipper Dave Molloy sailed Condor with two of his permanent Prosail crew and 12 charter guests.

They scored a 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 6th and 15th to win the Division One Cruising category from C'est la Vie and Inon.

In a very closely fought regatta, Condor needed to beat Inon in the last race and eventually only 1 min 30 seconds separated first from third overall.

Molloy said it was a great win.

“On day one, only five of the guests had met each other before and five others had never been sailing before,”

“At the experienced end of crew skill levels was Seiichi Yoshikawa from Japan. At 61 years of age, Yoshikawa had won three Japanese Offshore Championships before Condor was even built in 1981,”

“With Yoshikawa on the helm for many of the races and Molloy managing the crew, they cobbled together a great team,”

“Our concept for race week is to develop a maxi crew over the course of the week from a group of guests with varying degrees of sailing experience to sailing addicts like myself!”

The Explore Whitsunday group has 6 maxi yachts in its charter fleet and Director Molloy wants three of those boats at Race Week 2011. There are 30 spaces available for next year’s race week from 19 to 27 August 2011.

 
12. Jessica Watson onboard as Queensland's Season of Sailing Ambassador

Queensland sailor Jessica Watson is onboard as Tourism Queensland's 2010 - 2011 Sailing Ambassador, Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Steve Wettenhall and Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor have announced.

Mr Wettenhall made the announcement at Jessica's first official duty as sailing ambassador at the Hamilton Island Race Week - one of Australia's premier sailing events.

"Jessica captivated the world during her seven-month quest to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world and now becomes the face of Tourism Queensland's Season of Sailing," Mr Wettenhall said.

"The Premier, Minister and myself are thrilled to have Jessica on board to promote Queensland's Season of Sailing, which highlights the state's fantastic sailing events from Brisbane to North Queensland.

"Jessica is a genuine Queensland inspiration and has developed an international profile, which makes her the perfect fit for the Season of Sailing campaign.

"Jessica has already succeeded in generating huge interest in sailing with people all over the world."

Mr Wettenhall said Jessica's duties would include featuring in a broadcast sailing special promoting sailing in Queensland and blogging about sailing events on her popular website www.jessicawatson.com.au. 

"In addition to participating in a series of sailing events in 2010 such as Hamilton Island Race Week, Jessica will officially launch Queensland's 2011 Season of Sailing," he said.

"Jessica is a proud Queenslander and the Bligh Government is confident this partnership will raise the profile of Queensland's Season of Sailing even further."

Jessica said she was delighted to be part of the campaign.

She is also Queensland's ambassador for the World Sailing Championships next year, which aims to get more people involved in sailing.

"I am happy to encourage more people to take up the sport of sailing," Jessica said.

"The Season of Sailing offers everyone, from all age groups, an opportunity to get out there and give it a go."


Simply contact Danielle Seymour, Communications Support Manager, for further information on any of these story ideas. Ph. +61 7 4948 5904 or communications@tourismwhitsundays.com.au

Most tourism operators in the Whitsundays are eager to host media famils to the region to showcase their products. Please contact Danielle Seymour if you would like to visit the region on a famil.