Whitehaven Beach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. (October 2009) |
Coordinates: 20°15′S 148°58′E / 20.25°S 148.967°E
Whitehaven Beach is a 6 km stretch along the Whitsunday Island. Its sand consists of 98% pure silica which gives it a bright white color, and was used in the construction of the Hubble telescope[citation needed]. The island is accessible by boat from the mainland tourist ports of Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour.
Contents |
[edit] Sand
All of the Whitsunday island's sand is made up of coral from the Great Barrier Reef, when coral broke off in storms it turned white as it died, then was deposited on a small mound under the waves. Over millions of years, more dead coral piled up and rose above the sea and turned into some of the purest white sand.
[edit] Discovery
The beach was named and discovered in 1879 by Staff Commander EP Bedwell, being one of the many names from the then English county of Cumberland he brought to the area following on from James Cook's 1770 naming of the group The Cumberland Islands.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
1. http://sailing-whitsundays.com/WhitsundaysPlaces.php?id=7
