Kiwi injured in 'freak boating accident' in Australia

The Kiwi woman was flown to hospital. Photo / File

A New Zealand woman was flown to hospital with serious head injuries after a "freak boating accident" in an Australian tourist hotspot.

The 50-year-old Dunedin woman, who was holidaying on Hayman Island in the Whitsundays, was out swimming about 3pm NZT yesterday when she was struck by a boat.

The Whitsundays are a popular tourist destination on Great Barrier Reef, off the Queensland coast.

A statement from RACQ CQ Rescue, whose helicopter was called to the scene from its Mackay base, says the woman suffered "severe lacerations and fractures to her arm".

Australian media have reported that the woman's arm was caught in the boat's rotor.

The chopper landed on Hayman Island about 4.30pm NZT and the woman was first stabilised. She was then flown to Townsville General Hospital for further treatment, arriving two hours later.

"RACQ CQ Rescue flew 380 nautical miles (703km) during the six-and-a-half hour mission and returned to base in Mackay at 6.15pm (9.15pm NZT)," the statement says.

Hayman Island is privately owned, but open to the public.

A hospital spokeswoman said the Dunedin woman remained in a stable condition.