Editing Whitsunday Islands National Park

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type                   = protected
| name                   = Whitsunday Islands National Park
| state                  = qld
| iucn_category          = II
| image                  = Whitsunday islands.jpg
| caption                = Whitehaven beach on Whitsunday Island
| image_alt              = 
| coordinates            = {{coord|20|3|37|S|148|52|27|E|display=inline,title}}
| force_national_map     = 
| relief                 = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = 
| pushpin_label_position = 
| map_alt                = 
| nearest_town_or_city   = 
| area                   = {{Convert|170|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on}}<!-- If the area is greater than 100ha (1km2) a conversion template is not required. -->
| area_footnotes         = 
| established            = 1944
| established_footnotes  = 
| visitation_num         = 
| visitation_year        = 
| visitation_footnotes   = 
| managing_authorities   = [[Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service]]
| url                    = http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/whitsunday-islands/
}}

'''Whitsunday Islands''' is a [[national park]] in [[Queensland]], Australia, {{Convert|920|km|mi}} northwest of [[Brisbane]].  It contains [[Whitsunday Island]] and 31 others.<ref name="abwhis">{{cite web |url=http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/whitsunday-islands/about.html |title=About Whitsunday Islands |date=1 December 2014 |publisher=Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing |access-date=7 March 2016 }}</ref>

==Geography==

[[File:Whitsunday Islands National Park (23979794372).jpg|thumb|left|Hill Inlet, 2009]]
The [[Whitsunday Islands]] lie midway along Australia's Queensland coast and are bordered by the [[Great Barrier Reef]] and the waters of the [[Coral Sea]]. Migrating [[humpback whale]]s favour the waters around the Whitsunday Islands as a calving ground between May and September each year.<ref name="xqnp">{{cite book |title=Explore Queensland's National Parks |year=2008 |publisher=Explore Australia Publishing |location=Prahran, Victoria |isbn=978-1-74117-245-4 |pages=19 }}</ref>  [[Marine stinger]]s are found in the waters of the islands between October and May.<ref name="xqnp"/>

The region spans from the beaches of [[Bowen, Queensland|Bowen]] in the north and Laguna Whitsundays in the south. All 74 of the islands are surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef and only eight of them are inhabited.

On Whitsunday Island is the six km long [[Whitehaven Beach]].<ref name="101best">{{cite book |title=101 Best Australian Beaches |last=Short |first=Andrew D. |author2=Brad Farmer |year=2012 |publisher=NewSouth |isbn=978-1742245997 |page=208 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QMASY1bNbkgC |access-date=7 March 2016 }}</ref>  The beach has camping and picnic facilities in its foredunes.  A walking track links to Chance Bay.

==Access==
Access is by private or commercial boat from [[Airlie Beach, Queensland|Airlie Beach]] or [[Shute Harbour, Queensland|Shute Harbour]].<ref name="abwhis"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Queensland}}
* [[List of islands of Australia]]
* [[Protected areas of Queensland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}

{{National Parks of Queensland}}
{{North Queensland}}


{{authority control}}

[[Category:National parks of Queensland]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1944]]
[[Category:North Queensland]]
[[Category:1944 establishments in Australia]]


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