A tropical transformation – Airlie Beach,Australia

by Holly Reynolds on 14 Dec 2005 Since its discovery by Captain James Cook in 1770, the natural beauty of The Whitsunday islands has attracted visitors from near and far. The earliest ‘tourist accommodation’, consisting of galvanised iron huts, was constructed in 1920 by some enterprising locals who years before had been granted grazing leases over some of the islands.

The first ‘tourists’ from the mainland hopped aboard the mail boat to take a ‘day trip’ – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Tourism has become the mainstay of The Whitsundays economy. Figures supplied by Tourism Queensland for 2004 indicate that almost 640,000 visitors spent time in the Whitsundays and a growing percentage of those tourists came from interstate (25 per cent) and overseas (35 per cent).

Drawn to ‘Australia’s sailing playground’ for its pure escapist appeal, the sailing, yachting and watersports, visitors are also discovering the beauty of the mainland and the increasing sophistication of Airlie Beach as a place to not only stopover, but potentially as a longer term second home, weekender or place to invest.

Airlie Beach has experienced boom property markets in the past 36 months, and is poised to move again. Investors from within Queensland are joined by a growing contingent of buyers from Sydney and Melbourne and as far afield as the UK, USA and Dubai.

Airlie Beach itself, bounded by the expansive Conway National Park to the west and the Coral Sea to the east, is a relatively young community, officially named and settled from 1936. The township, widely regarded as the gateway to the Whitsundays, is well equipped with a range of specialty stores, cafes, bars and restaurants and an active community calendar of events – everything from weekly markets, boardwalk markets and even full moon parties…

The water and anything to do with it, remains a fundamental attraction of Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays. Sailing and boating are as much as part of life as breathing. With its deep-water harbour, Airlie is the favoured mooring with a growing fleet of Super Yachts from Australia and around the world.

Regular races include the Hogs Breath Race Week and the Hahn Premium Race Week at Hamilton Island – both major events in the sailing calendar, and the annual boat show at Abel Point Marina consistently draws large crowds.

Fishing, golfing and bushwalking are also favourite activities among guests to the region.

A vast network of bushwalks – ranging in length from 1 kilometre to 16 kilometres - stretches from Shute Harbour around Airlie Beach and through the National Park.

Golfing is fast becoming a major attraction to the Whitsundays, with 5 championship courses planned or completed within the area. Laguna Quays just out of Airlie has been rated a one of Australia’s best courses over the past several years.

Though its popularity with an adventurous international backpacker crowd may be legendary, this rich and rowdy part of the area’s character is tempered by a new wave of well-heeled tourists and residents who liken the tropical township to Noosa of 20 years ago and are making a beeline to the growing selection of prestige accommodation.

Developers have pre-empted this, and now, thanks to a combination of demand and limited supply given the area’s natural geographic boundaries, few opportunities remain to purchase absolute waterfront property in Airlie Beach.

The residential and commercial development underway at Airlie Beach indicates a transformation of the township into a more elegant and well-serviced destination.

Among the residential projects on the drawing board, Whisper Bay at Airlie Beach has already attracted a significant proportion of buyers from New South Wales, Victoria, the UK and USA with sales already totalling more than $50 million.

Sydney-based developer Rory O’Brien cites the prestige development’s location right on 2.2 hectares of waterfront overlooking the Coral Sea as a major drawcard.

Added to this is the promise of a more relaxed lifestyle and one that many purchasers, including discerning investors such as former Prime Minister Bob Hawke and his wife and author, Blanche D’Alpuget, feel reflects their own interests and lifestyle pursuits most closely.

At the official launch of Whisper Bay, where more than 100 guests sipped champagne and dined on canapés as the sun set over the islands, Mr Hawke, an avid golfer and sun lover, spoke of his delight in discovering the Airlie Beach community.

'It is a paradise for people who are interested in golf, fishing, sailing, if you’re a nature lover or a sun worshipper – it has absolutely everything,' he said.

Mr O’Brien says purchasers from the southern states have been transfixed by the opportunity. 'With Airlie Beach just a few hours direct flight from Sydney and Melbourne, it is becoming a viable alternative to the traditional local weekender,' he said.

Whisper Bay offers 50 private marina berths in adjacent Abel Point Marina for exclusive allocation to purchasers. Considered as an ‘epicentre’ for the Queensland marine industry, Abel Point Marina is one of Australia’s largest marinas and is now the busiest in the Southern Hemisphere.

Far from the iron huts of the Whitsunday’s first property developers, Whisper Bay is unashamedly luxurious. The collection of apartments, villas and penthouses designed by award-winning architects Woodhead International, will sit within a lush resort landscape and take in unparalleled ocean views.

Whisper Bay has launched its second release of stunning lagoon apartments with construction expected to start in early 2006.

The three-bedroom lagoon apartments, all with stunning ocean views, are priced between $1.5-$1.8 million. A selection of 50 marina berths, ranging in size from 18-30 metres, are available to purchasers.

Find out more about Whisper Bay at www.whisperbay.com.au or call Dave Alcock, Ray White Airlie Beach on 0414 291 039. In Sydney you can see the Whisper Bay model at 2 Bay Street Double Bay or call 02 9362 1727 for details.