Brampton Island .

Brampton Island is located 32 km north-east of Mackay and is considered by some to be the southern most island in the Whitsunday Island group

A large 770 ha island with seven idyllic beaches. Most of the island is part of the Brampton Island National Park.

The island is characterised by great variation of vegetation with hoop pine, tropical rainforest, and coastal mangroves.

Bushwalking

There is no better walking track on the Great Barrier Reef islands than the exquisite, and superbly maintained, 7-km National Parks track which circumnavigates most of Brampton Island. Forests of hoop pine give way to gloriously isolated beaches; hundreds of blackboys and aquamarine waters, driven by the island's 3 metre tidal range

Resorts

The first resort on the island was established in 1933 when two of the sons of the island's original settler, Joseph Busuttin, welcomed passengers from P&O's ship, the SS Canberra. The Busuttins retired in 1959 and since then the resort has gone through a number of owners. In 1965 an airstrip was built on the island. The saltwater swimming pool was completed in 1972 and in 1985 TAA purchased the island and upgraded the resort. In late 1997 the resort was purchased by P&O Resorts who promptly spent $3 million on refurbishment

Activities - an adventure snorkel trail, archery, basketball, volleyball, catamarans, golf (6 hole chip and putt), tennis, windsurfing. Other activities - Coral viewing, fishing trips, Great Barrier Reef Cruises, Melaleuca tour on Carlisle Island, scuba diving, water skiing.

Dining out - Saltwater Rocks Cafe (breakfast and lunch) and Carlisle Restaurant (dinner). Resorts Brampton Resort;PO resorts;Brampton Island; 132 469;Rating: ***