Weekend in the Whitsundays | Australia
Ok, technically I wasn’t in the Whitsundays all weekend. I was in Airlie Beach, which is the gateway to the Whitsundays on mainland Australia. Staying on the islands themselves is well beyond my budget, though I did splurge a little on a single room. Anyway, after exploring North Queensland and then journeying south by train, I had arrived in the final destination of my big Australian trip. My time in Airlie Beach was mainly for rest & relaxation, after a very busy 7 weeks of travel! But of course, I still squeezed some activities in during my weekend in the Whitsundays.
Airlie Beach
This little town is the way to get to the Whitsundays, unless you’re flying into the small airport on Hamilton Island. But most people will fly into Proserpine, then transfer to Airlie Beach and take a boat, or visit as a day trip. I spent three nights in Airlie Beach, which allowed me two full days – one for my Whitsundays day trip, and the other to relax in town.
The main strip is crammed with accommodation, restaurants and souvenir shops. There’s plenty more accommodation throughout the rest of town as well so it’s a busy tourist hub! I have enough Australia souvenirs already, and I wasn’t interested in partying in the bars so I didn’t spend much time on this street beyond going in and out of my accommodation. There isn’t a whole lot to do in the town itself – you have to book tours and activities – so it’s mainly just a place for rest & relaxation.
Airlie Beach Lagoon
I took a wander along the shoreline though, including the beach, park and marina where the day tours depart from. It was almost the start of stinger season in Queensland, when dangerous jellyfish can be found in the area. A lot of beaches put out nets to provide a safe place to swim, but technically it was still a few days away (not that I think jellies can read a calendar…) so there were none here yet. Meaning most people weren’t swimming at the beach, to be on the safe side!
Instead of the beach, I spent most of the day at Airlie Beach Lagoon, which seemed to be a popular choice! This outdoor swimming pool sits in the park, with heaps of places to lie out on the grass or sand. There’s a shallower kids pool as well, plus public toilets and changing rooms. I had picked up some food for lunch and spent much of the day alternating between sunbathing and going for a dip in the pool. Despite it being busy, the pool didn’t feel overcrowded or too noisy or anything for the most part which was a relief! And the weather was on my side, warm and sunny for relaxing outdoors.
Whitsundays Day Trip
There seems to be an endless number of options for day trips to the Whitsundays. It was a bit overwhelming to choose from! I always check out reviews of course, plus pricing is a factor. A lot of tours include snorkelling which I was happy to do, but since I’d just been to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, I didn’t need this to be the focus of the day. I was more interested in spending time on the islands and seeing the white beaches. The largest is Whitsunday Island itself, which most tours visit to see the famous Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach on its far side. But there are several more islands in this little archipelago which together make up the Whitsunday Islands National Park. Known for having some of the most pristine white silica sand in the world!
I ended up on this tour which seemed to combine everything I was looking for. I would just advise others to look at the type of boat – it was fine for me but may be a bit fast and bumpy for some people. For example, my parents are travelling to the Whitsundays in a few months and are doing this tour instead, which is a larger, more comfortable boat. The journey from Airlie Beach to the far side of Whitsunday Island can take 1-2 hours depending on the boat!
Snorkelling
Our boat journey whizzed across the ocean towards the islands. They had music playing and a cooler of drinks onboard, but our group seemed content to chill out rather than a party vibe. As we approached the islands and cruised between them, we could admire the scenery. The Whitsundays are known for the white beaches, but the actual islands are quite hilly and covered in thick forest. Aside from Hamilton Island which is full of expensive accommodation, many of them are totally untouched and uninhabited.
We sailed around the southern end of Whitsunday Island then headed into a bay for our snorkelling stop. After getting kitted out, we climbed into the water where we were free to swim around the bay and the boat for up to an hour or so. The water was definitely murkier here than at the Great Barrier Reef, so it was a little harder to see. And there were some algae-covered patches, but our guide quickly directed us towards a better area. It wasn’t quite as impressive as the Barrier Reef but still had plenty of coral and fish to admire. I think someone even saw a turtle but I was in the wrong place and didn’t glimpse it in time!
Hill Inlet Scenic Lookout
This was definitely my favourite part of the day! We cruised up the island’s far side, following the white sandy line of Whitehaven Beach. Then we circled into Tongue Bay where the boat moored to let us all hop off. It would meet us on the other side of the peninsula after our walk up to the inlet. The walk is all uphill through the forest, but not too steep and takes less than half an hour. You emerge from the tree line on to three wooden platforms, greeted by the money shot!
Hill Inlet is the photograph you’ve probably seen of the Whitsundays. Bright, turquoise-blue water swirled with clear, dazzling white sand. It’s stunningly beautiful and the colours were just as expected from photos! Our guide explained that the tides affect the sand swirls, so it only looks like this at certain times of day. Fortunately, we were there at the right time! I expect most tours construct their itineraries accordingly and there were a few other boats moored in Tongue Bay. We managed to beat most of them to the top and got a moment of quiet before the platforms got super busy. It was a gorgeous sight and I was happy to just stand and admire it for a while.
Whitehaven Beach
So, to be perfectly honest, this part of the day was a little disappointing to me. We descended the walking trail to Betty’s Beach, looking into the inlet. I assumed we were getting back on the boat to travel to the main stretch of Whitehaven Beach (per the tour’s online itinerary). But we actually ended up staying on this beach for the afternoon instead – which isn’t even technically Whitehaven Beach, as I realised later after the tour. They explained that they are the only company allowed to moor here, so it’s like having exclusive, private access.
Unfortunately, due to the tides, the beach is really a largely damp sand bank, unless you go way back from the shore. This made it rather uncomfortable to find anywhere to lie down! I think I would have preferred to get to go to the main Whitehaven Beach instead. The weather also clouded over, making everything a bit grey. Not quite as scenic as from the lookout!
There is a large tree branch stuck in the shallows, a popular photo spot for Instagram. And just behind it, there are often rays or small sharks, which were pretty cool to see and perfectly safe to swim alongside! Or paddle, since the water is barely knee high. I had a paddle there before grabbing my packed lunch on the boat. Then I found a dryish patch of sand where I sat and read for most of the afternoon. Certainly not a bad way to spend an hour or two. It just wasn’t quite the image of Whitehaven Beach I’d been picturing! Then there was the almost-2-hour ride back to port to finish up the day.
Weekend in the Whitsundays
After a long, busy trip throughout Australia, I think finishing in Airlie Beach was a good choice for some rest and relaxation. Particularly with time off work as well! While I was a touch disappointed with the day tour as mentioned, I’m still glad I got to visit the Whitsundays and see the incredible view at Hill Inlet. It was probably worth it for that alone!
And with that, I returned to Proserpine, to the airport rather than the train station this time. I was headed back to New Zealand, to see out the last three months of my working holiday visa. There’s still plenty more adventures to be had there over the summer!
