When the late Robert ‘Bob’ Oatley set out to build qualia on the northern tip of Hamilton Island, he looked to every five-star experience he’d ever enjoyed and set out to create one better. No stranger to excellence himself, Bob launched his career as a pioneering Papua New Guinea coffee and cocoa trader in the 1960s, then set new benchmarks in the Australian wine industry in the 1970s and ’80s with his Rosemount Wines producing what became Australia’s most famous chardonnay. The Oatley family bought Hamilton, the largest inhabited island in north Queensland’s Whitsunday group of 74 islands, in 2003. As the only Whitsunday island with a commercial airport, it’s perfectly positioned for direct flights from the eastern-state capitals. The Oatleys revamped the existing facilities and engaged local architect Chris Beckingham to design qualia, which opened in 2007. Chris also designed the Hamilton Island Golf Clubhouse for the course on neighbouring Dent Island in 2009.
Qualia is Latin for a collection of deep sensory experiences and every aspect of the visitor experience is designed to evoke the word. From the fragrance of the eucalypts that surround the property’s low-profile buildings and the sound of waves washing on Pebble Beach to the prickly sprinkle of the Vichy shower in the day spa and the salty smack of seafood just plucked from the ocean, qualia delivers sensory awakening in spades. It begins on arrival as guests enter through a covered walkway that opens to the Long Pavilion, a combined reception area, dining room and library looking across an infinity pool to reveal the jaw-dropping expanse of the Whitsunday Passage. It would be hard to imagine a better spot to enjoy your morning laps. Or indeed breakfast, or an à la carte dinner in the evening.
Guests can also dine poolside or from the lunch menu at Pebble Beach restaurant by the waterfront. Locally caught spanner crab and prawns, Moreton Bay bug with a green papaya salad and char-grilled reef fish are hard to resist, though vegetarians and carnivores are similarly spoilt for choice. At dinner, Pebble Beach steps it up a notch, with a six-course degustation menu and the option of old- or new-world wine pairings. In-room dining is available around the clock.
Guests have use of golf buggies to navigate their way around the island and to and from the freestanding accommodation pavilions dotted throughout the resort’s 12ha of tropical gardens. There are 33 Leeward Pavilions, each positioned for privacy with views over Dent Passage, and 26 Windward Pavilions, with their private infinity plunge pools providing vistas across the Coral Sea. For visitors requiring ultimate privacy, The Residence accommodates up to six guests in a three-bedroom house, while the Beach House has a master bedroom and a guesthouse for security or accompanying staff. The emphasis in all spaces is on natural materials and flow between indoors and out.
While some visitors stay close to the resort with its gym, day spa with six treatment rooms, and Pebble Beach offering catamarans, stand-up paddleboards and pedal boats, most opt to explore the region’s broader attractions. A helicopter flight to Heart Reef tops the list of exclusive activities, while a drop-off for a picnic on a deserted beach comes a close second. Private charters can be arranged for exploring the many fringing reefs and islands. From May to September, the Whitsundays host thousands of humpback whales nursing their young and earning the region recognition as one of only two spots in Australia designated as a Whale Heritage site by the World Cetacean Alliance.
There are also 20km of walking tracks on the island, with several Insta-worthy locations. An early-morning trek to Passage Peak comes with the spectacle of sunrise, a snorkel over the reef reveals a kaleidoscope of coral and fish below and a cruise to Whitehaven Beach provides access to 7km of famously white squeaky sand, all positive proof that nature reigns supreme when it comes to reinvigorating the senses qualia-style.
