Travellers marvel at Langford Island in Whitsundays Queensland

Travel-starved Australians are marvelling at a ‘disappearing island’ off the Queensland Coast.

Sitting 27km from the shore of Airlie Beach, Langford Island is an iconic sandspit long hailed as the ‘sparkling jewel’ of the Whitsundays, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

Popular among divers and fishermen, the long sand cay vanishes beneath the waves when the tide comes in, leaving nothing but a tropical green bluff towering at one end.

Sitting 27km from the shore of Airlie Beach, Langford Island is an iconic sandspit long hailed as the ‘sparkling jewel’ of the Whitsundays, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef

Langford Island, 27km from the shore of Airlie Beach, Queensland

Also known as One Foot Island, the sandbar provides the perfect backdrop for magnificent Instagram photos – provided you time your visit just right.

Photos of the cay have drawn rave reviews on social media, with one man saying it is ‘by far the most beautiful’ of the 74 Whitsunday Islands.

‘Absolute jewel,’ said a second, while a third added: ‘Can’t get over how beautiful this is.’

And it’s not the only picture perfect destination enthralling tourists on Australia’s east coast. 

Also known as One Foot Island, the sandbar (pictured) provides the perfect backdrop for magnificent Instagram photos – provided you time your visit just right

Popular among divers and fishermen, the long sand cay vanishes beneath the waves when the tide comes in, leaving nothing but a tropical green bluff towering at one end

A shipwreck that dates back to the darkest days of World War Two is now a spectacular diving site just a few kilometres away from Langford spit.

After being requisitioned for service the US military in July 1943, the HMS Protector was on its way to a naval base in Papua New Guinea when it was damaged in a collision with a tug boat and abandoned off the coast of Heron Island.

Almost 70 years later, the rusted wreck is one of the state’s most breathtaking underwater attractions, inspiring visitors with its formidable size and incredible history.

This shipwreck was once the HMS Protector which collided with a tug boat on its way to active service in Papua New Guinea at the height of World War Two in July 1943

Almost 70 years later, the rusted wreck (left) is one of the state’s most breathtaking underwater attractions, inspiring visitors with its formidable size and incredible history

Travel photographer Mark Fitz described it as one of his favourite snorkelling spots on Earth.

At low tide, the ship’s hull be reached by wading through the ocean and walking along the sparkling white sand bar.

Sitting 80 kilometres north-east of Gladstone, Heron Island is a natural coral cay surrounded by 24 hectares of coral reef at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.

Famed for its spectacular coral reef, the island is home to an array of extraordinary animals including migrating whales and nesting turtles who glide between gaps in the wreck.