View from the walking trail around to Plantation Beach

Lindeman Island
Club Med resort island in the Whitsundays.
Geologically the Whitsunday Islands are all drowned mountains. Prior to the last Ice Age they were connected to the mainland and would have all been prominent mountains in the area. The melting of the polar caps drowned the valleys between the mountains creating a network of 74 islands of which only 7 have resort facilities. Beyond the resorts the whole area is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the uninhabited islands are all controlled by National Parks and Wildlife.

The first European to explore the area was Captain James Cook who travelled through the area on his journey up the eastern coast of Australia in 1770. He passed through Whitsunday passage, a narrow channel which lies between the mainland coast, South Molle and Daydream Islands to the west and Dent, Whitsunday, Hook and Hayman Islands to the east, on Sunday 4 June which happened to be Whit Sunday (the seventh Sunday after easter) - hence the name of the area.

Cook probably sighted Lindeman but he certainly didn't name it. It wasn't until the 1870s that Captain Bedwell, charting the Whitsunday waters in the Royal Navy HMS Virago, named the island after his sub-lieutenant, George Sidney Lindeman. Although other islands in the Whitsundays were settled during the 19th century, Lindeman remained unsettled because the local Aborigines saw it as a vital part of their fishing regime and were prepared to do battle with any possible settlers.

In 1905 Captain James Adderton took out a sheep grazing lease on the island. He established shearing sheds, a wool press, and did much to clear the island and fence it.

It is the oldest of all of the resort islands in the Whitsundays. As early as 1923 Angus Nicolson established a camp for visitors. It was very primitive and it is said that Angus used to advise his 'campers' "Anytime you run short of bread bring me your flour and I'll cook you some damper. If you want meat, then shoot a goat. But don't get shootin' them for sport."

Since then the island has developed progressively. Club Med took over the current site in 1992.

Things to see:  

Vital Information About the Island
1. The Island Itself
Location
30 minutes by fast launch from Hamilton Island, Lindeman is at the southern extremity of the Whitsundays.

Description of the island
A substantial island covering 700 hectares with a number of pretty beaches easily accessible by good walking tracks.

How do visitors access it?
Fly Ansett to Hamilton Island. Lindeman is 30 minutes by launch. Also accessible by small plane. The island has its own runway.

Activities on the island
9 hole golf course, excellent bushwalking, Club Med Circus School. There is a Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage brochure (available on the island) which provides a detailed map and outlines a series of walks including Loop Walk (5.8 km), Plantation Beach (2.5 km one way), Mt Oldfield (3.2 km one way). The island offers excellent walks to deserted beaches and outstanding lookouts.

The main swimming pool at Club Med

2. Resorts on the Island
History
Lindeman can claim to be the first of the islands in the Whitsunday group to be developed. There was a resort on the island as early as 1923. In 1928 a group of over 100 people from Sydney visited the island to study the fauna and flora and by the mid-1930s there were cabins and a dining hall. It was around this time that the first 9 hole golf course was built. Tourism to the island grew after World War II and in 1954, during her visit to Australia, the Britannia anchored off Lindeman and Queen Elizabeth II swam in the waters near Picanniny Point. In 1974 P&O took over the island and rebuilt the resort which was eventually sold to Club Med in 1992.

How big is it?
218 rooms some set on the beach others located on the hill rising behind the beach.

Who does it appeal to?
Wide range of people. Club Med is activity based but it is quite possible to avoid the activities and sit around the pool or on the beach.

Free activities
Club Med pride themselves in offering all activities free of charge. Obviously tennis balls and golf balls have to be purchased.

Other activities
Trips to the Outer Reef, Whitehaven Beach and a Sunset Cruise. Deep sea fishing and joy flights.

Eating at the resort
Main restaurant offers outstanding buffet-style meals. Two other restaurants.

	Resorts
	Club Med Lindeman Island 241 Adelaide St Brisbane Lindeman Island QLD 4000 Telephone: (07) 3229 3155, 1800 258 2633 Facsimile: (07) 3221 2173 Email: www.clubmed.com Rating: ****