Just off the coast of Townsville lies Magnetic Island, with its idyllic palm-fringed beaches, eucalyptus forests, hidden waterfalls and adorable koalas. Explore the island’s hiking trails, snorkel in pristine waters and try your hand at a host of energetic watersports.

The Whitsundays are blessed with some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, lapped by calm turquoise waters. The archipelago consists of 74 mostly uninhabited tropical islands, sheltered by the Great Barrier Reef, and the main draw is the phenomenal snorkelling and scuba diving.

Lifou is the largest and most populous of the Loyalty Islands, part of the French overseas territory of New Caledonia. This friendly little island is everything you would expect from the South Pacific, with gorgeous beaches, superb snorkelling and a jungle-swathed interior dotted with fragrant vanilla plantations.

Mystery Island, or Inyeug as it is known locally, is a small uninhabited island at the southern edge of the Vanuatu archipelago. There are no roads, no electricity and no hotels here, just idyllic white sands and tranquil tropical waters that are perfect for swimming and snorkelling.