My velvet escape travel tip: Whitsundays, Queensland

“My velvet escape travel tip” is a guest series about what the name ‘Velvet Escape’ evokes and what that would be in the hometown of the guest writer. With this series, I hope to uncover travel tips from places around the world to help visitors have a truly local experience.

My favourite location is a tranquil spot, shaded by palms,not more than a stones throw from Club Crocodile Resort on Long Island in The Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia. This is my Velvet Escape. It’s is far enough from the sounds created by guests cavorting nearby in the Waterfront Pool and Bar, yet close enough to be convenient when the need takes me to have a cooling dip and a thirst quenching drink.

Looking north from my ‘haven of peace’ I can see the entrance to Shute Harbour, and Ferries vying to and fro across The Molle Channel in their haste to deposit eager tourists to their Island destinations, yachts with their sails urging the breeze to propel them forward, barges taking cargo to Islands in need of supplies. Transformed back in time as if watching a silent movie, I relax and watch the world go by. Lorikeets flit by and shriek to interrupt this latter day phenomena,whilst Curlews wander aimlessly as they probe the undergrowth in search of some poor insect failing miserably to hide from the hungry beak. On rare occasions I have been startled into reality by a Wallaby breaking cover from the undergrowth, to frolick briefly on the sand, before,with lightning leaps returning to the scrub and relative safety.

Happy Bay has a northerley aspect and is protected from the south-easterley winds that are prevalent in The Whitsundays. This gives the sea a shimmering, sparkling effect, the like I have not seen anywhere else. Visitors can walk the entire island as there are approximately 20 kilometers of tracks that meander through the bush.

A short climb from the Club Croc Resort will bring you high above Palm Bay. Magnificent views over the lagoon reveal coral reefs protecting the anchorage that is navigated by a narrow channel enabling visiting yachts to tether close to the Peppers Resort.

On the southern side of the Island, The Eco Resort is an exclusive destination that can only be visited by helicopter and prides itself on being self reliant on solar power, natural gas and collected rainwater, Paradise Bay Eco Escape prides itself in being boldly green, whilst maintaining absolute comfort for even the most discerning traveler.

If you have the opportunity to visit The Whitsundays I recommend a trip to Long Island with Cruise Whitsundays our local carrier. Their ferries run frequently from Abel Point Marina and Shute Harbour, to the Jetty at Long Island.

I have traversed the island, but much prefer those few short steps that bring me back to my own Velvet Escape among the palms at this glorious spot on the shores of Happy Bay.

About this week’s guest writer
Alf Welch resided in the UK until the age of 40, then moved to Queensland, Australia in 1983 and resided on the Gold Coast for almost 20 years. Liz and Alf decided to move to their favourite holiday destination to retire in 2002 and are now running their own travel website The Queensland Armchair Guide as well as the Queensland Armchair Guide Blog from their home at Shute Harbour in The Whitsundays. Follow Alf & Liz on Twitter.

Read more ‘My velvet escape travel tips‘:

• Normandy, France
• Lake District, Cumbria, England
• Nova Scotia Atlantic Coast, Canada
• Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Tucson, Arizona, USA
• Toronto, Canada