Those who would like to take enough time for the Great Barriere Reef and its unique fauna, should take a sailing trip across the island world of the Whitsundays.
![Abel Point Marina – Your Gateway to a Sailing Trip Across the Whitsunday Islands]()
Location & Approach Welcome to Australian sailing! As soon as you’ll see the many marinas scattered all though the eastern coast of the continent you’ll realize that the Ozzies love sailing just as much as the Europeans do. Just take a look at the beautiful Abel Point marina located on the northeast coast of the continent that faces the Whitsunday islands. veterans might recognize the name of the resort that houses the marina, Airlie Beach, Queesnland as a congregation point for local sailing enthusiasts.
Airlie Beach is the perfect place for a vacation since it’s close to the Great Barrier Reef, one of those must-go-to places for any recreational sailor out there. The marina is just 35minutes from Prosepine Airport in Whitsundays. The coordinates are 20 16' S lat. 148 43' E long, with the marina being located on the western side of town, taking its name after the Abell family, the first people to settle the region.
Currently, the marina is still expanding, in able to cope with the growing numbers of visitors each year. Today, the marina has almost doubled in size and provides numerous facilities for sailing and scuba diving fanatics both local and from across the Globe.
For a sailor used to the marinas in Europe, Abel Point sure does look different: there are two breakwaters protecting the marina, one to the east, which is made up of two straight slightly curving towards the entry, while the other has a funny shape made up of two semicircular parts joining at the middle. This forms 2 entry points, both wide and deep enough for even the biggest yacht. After all, this is the biggest marina in north Queensland.
Infrastructure & Ambience With over 500 berths that are also suited for superyachts, Abel Point marina is surely a popular place among the holiday crowds of east Australia. Although it is known for providing first-class, quality service, the Abel Point marina does have a bit of a down side: that of the pricing which might seem steep to some of the European mariners used to lower fees.
The marina has excellent facilities that include showers and toilets, water and electricity on the berths, a supermarket, stylish restaurants, casual cafes, luxury resort accommodation, parking, security and a fuel station. For those addicts willing to pay extra, the marina offers a concierge system that promises to fulfill each and every wish of the crew, from provisioning to making daily itineraries for the duration of the stay.
For those that consider the berthing tax too expensive, the marina offers mooring places outside its breakwaters, but these are unfortunately unusable when the wind blows from out to sea (northerly, westerly or easterly). Also, remember that fishing within the marina grounds is prohibited. For that, there are some lovely spots around Whitsunday island.
Abel Point Marina is a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and some other 74 islands in the Whitsundays archipelago, which is home to some of the best looking turquoise waters in the world, as well as a great variety of sea life.