Airlie Beach

Most visitors come to get out on the sea: sailing and day cruises through the islands, swimming and walking at Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, snorkelling and diving on fringing and outer reefs, and seeing humpback whales in winter. The town itself has a lively main street, marinas and a waterfront, and neighbouring Cannonvale adds supermarkets and quieter residential streets. Vacation rentals include apartments with views over the bay, family houses in Cannonvale and Jubilee Pocket, and holiday homes on Hamilton Island. The cooler, drier months from about May to October are the most popular; summer is hot, humid and the wet season.

Where to stay in the Whitsundays

Airlie Beach suits travellers who want restaurants, bars, tour departures and marinas within walking distance. Apartments on the hillsides above the main street often look out over the bay and islands, though the centre can be lively at night.

Cannonvale, just west, is a larger, mainly residential suburb with supermarkets, family homes and beaches along Pioneer Bay; it is a practical base for longer stays and families with a car. To the east, Jubilee Pocket and the road to Shute Harbour are quieter, closer to the walking tracks of Conway National Park and to the harbour used by some island boats.

For an island stay, Hamilton Island, the largest inhabited island in the group, has its own airport and holiday homes and apartments as well as resorts. Proserpine, inland near the airport, and Bowen, up the coast to the north, are lower-key towns for travellers who prefer a local pace.

Whitehaven Beach and the islands

The Whitsundays are a group of 74 continental islands, the drowned peaks of an old coastal range, and many are protected as national park. Only a handful are inhabited. Whitsunday Island, the largest, is famous for Whitehaven Beach, a long sweep of white sand that is about 98 percent silica and stays relatively cool underfoot. At its northern end, the Hill Inlet lookout track at Tongue Point looks down on swirling patterns of sand and water at Hill Inlet.

The islands are reached only by boat, seaplane or helicopter, on day tours, ferries or chartered yachts; many visitors sail for several days on a skippered or bareboat charter. The Ngaro Sea Trail links walking tracks on South Molle, Hook and Whitsunday islands by water, and national park camping areas on several islands need a permit. Pack sun protection and water, as there are few facilities on most islands.

The Great Barrier Reef from Airlie

The Great Barrier Reef, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981, is the largest coral reef system in the world, with close to 3,000 individual reefs along the Queensland coast. Around the Whitsundays, fringing reefs ring many islands and are good for snorkelling from the beach or a boat, while the outer reef lies much farther offshore and is reached by longer boat trips or scenic flights.

The reef and the islands' waters fall within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, where fishing, anchoring and collecting are regulated by zones; follow the rules and the advice of your operator, use public moorings where they exist, and avoid touching coral. The Queensland Government warns that dangerous marine stingers are present in tropical waters all year, with the highest risk in the stinger season from about November to May, and that crocodiles and sharks also live along this coast. A full-body lycra stinger suit is recommended for swimming and snorkelling.

History and culture

The islands and surrounding waters are the traditional lands and sea country of the Ngaro and Gia peoples, who travelled between the islands by canoe for thousands of years; the Ngaro Sea Trail and an underwater art trail now tell part of that story.

On Whit Sunday, 3 June 1770 by his reckoning, Captain James Cook sailed the Endeavour through the broad channel he named Whitsunday Passage, and the wider chain became the Cumberland Islands. Through the 19th and 20th centuries the mainland around Proserpine became grazing and sugar-cane country. The seaside town of Airlie was named in 1936, probably after the Scottish parish of Airlie, and grew with tourism from the second half of the century; its post office opened in 1959. In March 2017, Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie made landfall near Airlie Beach and caused heavy damage across the region, including erosion at Whitehaven Beach.

Getting there and around

Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP), south of Proserpine and about 39 kilometres from Airlie Beach, has flights to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns; the drive into town takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes. Hamilton Island Airport (HTI) has direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and connects to Airlie Beach by ferry. Proserpine is also on the coastal railway line, and the Bruce Highway links the region with Brisbane and Cairns.

Airlie Beach's centre is compact and walkable, and local buses link it with Cannonvale and nearby suburbs. A car is useful for Conway National Park, beaches farther along the coast and trips to Proserpine or Bowen, and for day trips to Cedar Creek Falls after rain. Ferries, cruises and charters to the islands leave from the town's marinas and from Shute Harbour. Queensland uses Australian Eastern Standard Time all year, with no daylight saving.

Weather and when to visit

The Whitsundays have a tropical climate with a hot, humid wet season in summer and a warm, drier season in winter. From about May to October, days are sunny and mild, seas are often calmer and humidity drops, which makes these the most popular months for sailing; book rentals and charters early for the winter school holidays. Migrating humpback whales use the waters around the islands as a calving ground, roughly from May to September.

From about December to March, heavy downpours and storms are common, the sea is warm and marine stingers are more frequent. The tropical cyclone season runs from November to April; when a cyclone threatens, follow official warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology and local authorities, as tours and ferries may be cancelled. The sun is strong all year, so use high-factor sunscreen, a hat and protective clothing even on cloudy days.