Other Articles

• The cry from the Outback: What Recession...
• The AT Soapbox: Don’t be ripped off by n...
• Whitsundays Outer Reef
• Molle Group, including South Molle & Day...
• Hayman Island

Midway between Mackay and Shute Harbour, Lindeman is usually the southern limit for bareboat charters, not because they’re not permitted further south, but simply because few venture far from the bareboat hubs of Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach.

The island has seven beaches, with Gap Beach a popular haunt for snorkelling and shucking oysters off the rocks. There’s a beachside camping area in the rainforest at Boat Port on the north coast. And on the southwest corner a public jetty and moorings managed by the three star Club Med Lindeman Island Resort (www.clubmed.com.au) make popular anchorage for bareboaters on day trips.

Club Med’s philosophy is: begin the activities and entertainment as the sun rises, and don’t stop until well after the stars are out. The style is bold and brash and it’s no place for shrinking violets. Nor is it the place for an intimate, lazy hideaway. Guest participation, while not mandatory, is actively – almost aggressively – encouraged. Terrific if you or the kids want to fly through the air on a trapeze or a bungy trampoline; not so good if you want to gaze into your loved one’s eyes over a quiet dinner.

Full board includes three meals a day with wine and beer included at lunch and dinner. For tranquillity, though, you have access to more than 20km of walking tracks through vine forests and butterfly valleys to the summit of Mt Oldfield, 212m above sea level, with views of Pentecost, Hamilton and Whitsunday Islands.

Getting There: Boat transfer directly from Hamilton Island.