When David Hutchen started the Whitsunday Reef Festival 19 years ago, little did he know it would one day come of age as the ‘Great Barrier Reef Festival’.

After the long North Queensland summer comes the absolute pinnacle of living in the tropics! WINTER! Beautiful sunny mild days, slightly cooler nights. As winter rolls around every year and we listen to the news reports of freezing southern temps, we smugly enjoy PERFECT winter weather!

In today’s modern world, we are all getting busier. We are time poor and with the invasion of social media in recent years, family time is rare, but more importantly -priceless. The best way to really connect with each other is to disconnect yourselves from routine and what better way that escaping for a family holiday. Unfortunately, however, as the parent of teenagers, going away on holiday does not always mean disconnecting your children from their friends. Social media has them glued to their phones and devices 24/7, right?

A Walk to Bowen's Lighthouse

A few times a year, during the winter months, Bowen’s daytime tides are low enough for visitors to walk to North Head Island and Queensland’s third oldest lighthouse. This unique experience takes walkers on a beautiful journey that not only celebrates the history of Bowen, but also the wonderful array of sea life that inhabits the shores of the bay. We asked one of our visitors to describe their first Walk to the Lighthouse.