Australians call Queensland ‘the Sunshine State’ for good reason – with 300 sun-filled days a year, it’s the spiritual home of the Aussie beach holiday, with thousands of swimmable areas dotting its breathtaking coastline. Stretching nearly 7,000 kilometres, Queensland’s coast is only just shy of the distance between New York and Los Angeles!

A visit to this northeastern state simply wouldn’t be complete without a dip into one of the great natural wonders of the world – the Great Barrier Reef, home not just to some of the world’s best diving and snorkelling, but also more than 900 islands and some of the best luxury resorts in the country. As one of the world’s largest coral reef systems, the Great Barrier Reef is home to thousands of marine species, including dugongs, turtles, dolphins, whales, more than 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of molluscs.

Singapore Airlines and Qantas fly multiple times daily, non-stop from Singapore to Brisbane, while SilkAir flies thrice weekly to Cairns. From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas and SilkAir fly to Brisbane and Cairns via Singapore. From there, find plenty of connecting flights to several more domestic airports dotted about the coastline. Indulge with a stay at the One&Only Hayman Island Resort. The entirety of Hay man, the very northernmost island in the Whitsundays, is dedicated to this resort, leaving guests free to roam about from tip to toe. They even offer helicopter and seaplane rides-for guests only.