You can rent this entire Whitsunday island for $190/night
How-to
By Hannah Statham
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover – and Camp Island, the island you can rent in the Whitsundays, proves this point. It might be camp by name, but you’ll find no camping in its nature.
In fact, this island is yours to rent exclusively for just $190/night (that is, when you have seven friends to split the $1500/night cost with).
You’ll find it just three kilometres offshore from Elliot River in Abbot Bay, a whisker north of Bowen on the Whitsunday Coast.
The island joins this list of rockstar islands available for exclusive hire on the Queensland coast, with four bungalows that bear no resemblance to this kind of camping.
Discover a new way to see the Whitsundays, with this guide to Camp Island.
Getting there
To land like a Hollywood A-lister, choose GBR Helicopters to transfer you from A(irport) to B(ungalow).
Alternatively, island hop by barge from Elliot River to Camp Island’s jetty across 20 minutes of open sea.
The accommodation
Forget beach camping, here you’ll be sleeping in one of Camp Island’s four modern bungalows.
A large open plan lounge area, The Lodge, connects the bungalows, providing breakout space for you and your dream-team to wine, dine and watch the sunset over Abbot Bay.
With tropical interior design that invites the outside in – chances are you’ll be grateful this island you can rent has a two-night minimum stay.
Eco-design for the eco-conscious
This island runs entirely on solar power, so you can rest assured you’re leaving only footprints on this island of the Great Barrier Reef.
All rainwater is collected on the island, to minimise its footprint on the precious eco-system this island sits amongst.
If you like where this is going, check out these eco-friendly experiences on the Great Barrier Reef.
By day
This island doesn’t have to be all about reading books on the beach. Balance beach time with bush time, discovering the different landscapes on the island, including rocky headlands and hilly outcrops.
If water sports are more your kind of day out, the kayaks, stand up paddleboards or surf skis on the island are all the paddle power you’ll need to discover local coves and beaches around Camp Island.
We’d recommend packing a few sundowners to climb to the highest point to catch sunset over Cape Upstart on the mainland.
Looking for more of a resort experience? You’ll find spa facilities only a phone call away – Bowen’s beauty therapists are as on-demand, as the movies on the resort’s TV. Simply ask the island’s two caretakers to arrange a treatment.
By night
Living up to its rockstar-island status, catering is all part of the customisation of this island resort. You can choose to BYO everything or make like a movie star and have an executive chef prepare your meals.
If you opt for the latter, you’ll find local produce and reef-caught seafood on the menu, with a chef commuting from the mainland to take care of your island cuisine.
For the best of both worlds, opt for a Camp Island BBQ pack– where fresh food is delivered daily for you to prepare yourself.
Wildlife encounters
Photo by @islandjems
What this island lacks in guests (it’s capped at just eight of your nearest and dearest), it makes up for with wallabies, eagles, echidnas and migratory birds including the Torres Strait Island pigeon.
Larger visitors are common between July to October when the Whitsundays passage becomes a humpback highway. Catch them on their journey from the comfort of your balcony – looking out for blow holes and breaching.
To see the best of the Great Barrier Reef, you’ll want to don fins and a mask to go snorkelling. Camp Island provides free equipment for guests to snorkel straight off the beach.
Go fishing
When you’re sleeping on the reef, it makes sense that the fishing action is good.
Private fishing charters, organised through the island’s reception, will teach you how to reel in mackerel, trout and trevally in the outer reef.
If inland fishing is more your style, learn to reel in mangrove jack and barra (seasonal) in Abbott Bay’s estuaries.
Either way, private tours will pick you up for either fishing or snorkelling from the Camp Island jetty.
You can even try netting your own prawns and hunting for oysters off the rocks for a DIY seafood platter.
Camp Island at a glance:
Getting there: Fly into Proserpine and transfer by boat or helicopter to Camp Island Lodge, just offshore from Bowen. Note: Flights/transfers are not included in accommodation rate.
The cost: $1500/night whether you come as one person, two people or eight.
The catering: Keep costs down by BYO-ing supplies from the mainland, or toss in a few extra dollars each for an executive chef to prepare your meals for you. A personal chef starts from $300/day.
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