The Whitsundays Plan of Management (The Plan) assigns each reef, bay and coastal area to a ‘setting’, ranging from intensively used settings (Setting 1) to protected settings (Setting 5).  Setting 5 areas are located at Cow and Calf Islands, Deloraine Island, Double Bay (East), Eshelby Island, Haslewood and Lupton Islands, and Hill Inlet (including the northern end of Whitehaven Beach).

The Plan currently prescribes the following limits for each setting:

Recreational users are able to access Setting 5 areas.  Only a limited number of tourism operations that have relevant endorsements on their permits are able to operate in Setting 5 areas.

Site plans for Setting 5 areas were developed in consultation with the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency, the Whitsunday Local Marine Advisory Committee, the Tourism and Recreation Reef Advisory Committee, Traditional Owners and local users of the Marine Park. The site plans were available for public consultation from 14 February 2007 to 19 March 2007 and comments were incorporated prior to the site plans being finalised.

To view the site plans that have been developed for the six Setting 5 areas click on the relevant links below:

• Cow and Calf Islands 
• Deloraine Islands
• Double Bay (East)
• Eshelby Island
• Haslewood and Lupton Islands
• Hill Inlet (including the northern end of Whitehaven Beach).

Amendments were made to the Whitsundays Plan of Management in December 2008, in order to implement the site plans.

• A maximum vessel length of 20 metres will be allowed in Setting 5 areas
• A maximum group size of 15 people will be allowed in Setting 5 areas
• No additional commercial tourism permits will be issued for Setting 5 areas.  NB: those operators who currently have an endorsement allowing them to operate in a Setting 5 area can continue to do so

Updated December 2008