Best for: Seabirds, turtles, snorkelling.

While camping with the shearwaters amid the Lady Musgrave Island’s Pisonia forest has its attractions, the recent launch of Lady Musgrave HQ is a boon for those who crave comfort. Moored 400 metres offshore, the 35-metre pontoon has bunks and beds for sleeping, platforms for diving, food and wine for feasting and a glass-bottom boat for viewing the mesmerising marine life.

Best for: Families, manta rays, vivid coral

While the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort has its charms, the truth is, you don’t visit the southernmost cay of the Great Barrier Reef for flash accommodation – the five-star experience on Lady Elliot Island is all underwater. The protected Green Zone provides sanctuary to more than 1200 species of sea creatures, so we’d recommend snorkeling straight off the beach or taking a boat to one of the island’s 20 stunning dive sites.

Best for: Families, couples, water sports

If the Whitsundays had a capital, Hamilton Island would be it. The largest inhabited island in a sea of 74, it has a choice of restaurants and bars, boutiques, go-karts, a golf course and a kids’ club. Choose between the luxurious adults-only sanctuary Qualia, the family-friendly Palm Bungalows, or the coastal-cool Beach Club for your stay.

Best for: Tranquillity, marine life, snorkelling

The tiny, adults-only Wilson Island, 80 kilometres north-east of Gladstone, is as close as it gets to the classic tropical-island experience, with nine glamping tents to choose from. By day, snorkel with manta rays and parrot fish, watch in awe as turtle hatchlings scurry to the water or simply while away the hours in a hammock. And when the sun sets, marvel at what the chef can do with glorious produce and rudimentary equipment.

Best for: Luxury, relaxation, isolation

Bedarra Island is an adults-only retreat in the Great Barrier Reef that's ideal for when you simply do not wish to be found. Its eleven private villas, all with dazzling views, are dotted throughout the tropical rainforest. Snooze in a hammock or take a dinghy to a deserted island with a gourmet hamper and, when the sun sinks, dine on your candlelit deck or alfresco at the terrace restaurant.

Best for: Families, diving, adventure

The sand is white, the fish kaleidoscopic and the buildings of Heron Island Resort barely visible. Though it’s family-friendly, the 29-hectare Heron Island off the coast of central Queensland is more about nature than water slides and mini-golf. Dive on the reef (it’s right there) and witness turtle hatchlings leave their nests, migratory birds head back to the Arctic or humpback whales pass by.

Best for: Luxury, sailing, snorkelling

According to legend, the singing of the ancient Greek hero for whom this idyll was named was so beautiful that animals, trees and rocks moved about him in dance. If swaying palms and darting fish count, consider the moniker appropriate. With just 14 beachfront rooms,, suites and villas, three gourmet meals a day, quality wines, a spa and canapés served with the sunset, keep an eye on the rocks – there’s no chance they’ll be still.

Best for: Fishing, snorkelling, sustainability

Just 450 metres long and 150 metres wide, this speck in Keppel Bay is as cute as it sounds. Book one of the seven stylish self-catering cabins, from which you can step straight onto the sand, or reserve this whole patch of paradise for up to 34 guests. Do nothing or do everything; just make sure you’re at the bar for sunset drinks. Footwear optional.

Best for: Luxury, families, wellness

The InterContinental Hayman Island Resort is not only the most lavish place to stay on this 294-hectare privately owned Whitsundays island – it’s the only place to bed down. Follow the many hiking trails, go scuba diving and take a charter flight over Heart Reef. Or drift out of the day spa, order a cocktail and lie by the pool. The little ones? They’re at the kids’ club. Chill.

Best for: Families, walking, safe swimming

Affordable, accessible and, for the kids especially, unforgettable (where else can you trampoline on the ocean?). A whopping 97 per cent of Fitzroy Island is national park, easily navigated using clearly marked walking tracks. Snorkel off Nudey Beach – keep your togs on; it’s just a name! – to find Nemo and, if you’re lucky, green turtles. If you don’t see the latter in the briny, visit the island’s turtle rehab centre.

Best for: Romance, diving, luxury

Indulgence comes in many forms. For some, it’s isolation; for others, it’s the incredible beauty of nature; for others still, it’s stylish accommodation, fine food and wine. This gorgeous resort has every base covered. Credit humans for the 40 chic rooms and villas, spa, tennis court, swimming pool and gym. For the aquamarine sea, private beaches, turtles, manta rays, colourful fish and coral, raise your glass of bubbles and give thanks to Mother Nature.

Best for: Hiking, kayaking, wellness

The name may be unimaginative but it’s accurate. The closest Whitsunday island to the mainland is nine kilometres long and just 400 metres at its widest point but it manages to accommodate two resorts and a campsite. The most extravagant, the 10-villa Elysian Retreat, sits at the southern end while the self-catering, family-friendly Palm Bay Resort occupies the island’s neck.

Best for: Windsurfing, families, walking

The only coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef with its own rainforest, this 15-hectare island is made for those who love to explore. The 46-suite Green Island Resort comes with an activities officer who will happily guide you around the isle, explaining its history and attractions along the way.

Best for: Fishing, wildlife, whales

Camp Island sits like a giant manta ray in the iridescent waters of the northern Whitsundays. To stay here, you must book the whole island – not camping but sleeping in a comfy bed and cooled by the sea breeze at Camp Island Lodge, four stylish villas connected via walkways to a main lounge and dining pavilion.

Best for: Fishing, kiteboarding, snorkelling

The five villas on the seafront or scattered through the jungle on this privately owned island off the coast of Cape York are your fantasies of castaway life come true. Fish for your meals, dangle your feet over the jetty and watch turtles glide by then savour a chilled wine by the fire while the chef prepares your catch.

Best for: Families, resort life

With three restaurants, three bars, a landlocked “living reef”, a pool that wends through the tropical landscape and an activity-packed kids’ club, Daydream Island Resort is a haven that will work for every member of the family.