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The Whitsundays are 74 islands off the central Queensland coast, embedded inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, served from two embarkation points: Hamilton Island (the resort-airport base) and Airlie Beach (the mainland marina base). Charter rates in 2026 run AUD $35K to AUD $80K per week for the local bareboat and skippered catamaran fleet (12m to 18m), AUD $90K to AUD $180K per week for crewed motor yachts in the 24m to 38m range, and AUD $190K to AUD $320K per week for the small number of 40m+ crewed yachts that work the region during the May to October dry season. APA 25 to 30%, as of May 2026.
The workable charter season is May through October, with the strongest weeks running June to September. November through April is the wet season, the cyclone watch window, and the box jellyfish season inshore. Most international fleet operators only run the Whitsundays during the dry months. The local Whitsundays fleet runs year-round but quotes carefully around weather risk in the wet season.
The reason the Whitsundays week is unlike most charter weeks: it is a marine-park-managed cruising ground. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) zones the entire region into green zones (no take, often no anchor), yellow zones (conservation, partial restrictions), pink zones (preservation, very limited entry), and a few other categories. Anchoring is prohibited or restricted across large stretches of reef. Several of the most photographed anchorages have public moorings only. A captain who does not know the zoning will either run aground on a rule or miss the best spots. The right captain knows the marine park map in detail.