Whitehaven Beach is a spectacular white sand beach located on Whitsunday Island, the largest of the Whitsunday group of islands located off Queensland coast, Australia. Whitehaven Beach measures 6 km in length and its sand has a very high pure silica content that gives it a bright white colour (the beach is often referred to as ‘silica masterpiece’). Whitehaven is considered to be among the top ten beaches in the world. The beach is home to turtles, gulls, dolphins and swifts and provides ample opportunity to swim or snorkel in sky-blue water or just stroll down or camp on the beach.

Reaching:

Whitehaven Island is accessible by boat from Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour ports.

Whitsunday Islands:

Whitsunday Islands are a collection of islands of various sizes and is situated between just south of Bowen and the north of Mackay, about 900 km north of Brisbane and 700 km south of Cairns. All 74 of the constituent islands are flanked by the Great Barrier Reef and only eight them are inhabited.

It is a fantastic tourist destination in the Southern Hemisphere and features, besides the Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet beach, anchorage of Cid Harbour and sheltered waterway of Gulnare Inlet.

Popular beach:

Whitehaven is a ‘must see’ destination in the Whitsundays. Cruise Whitsundays offer several cruises, all of which feature Whitehaven.

Some of the Whitehaven cruises are:

• Whitehaven Beach & Hook Island Cruise (visit to Whitehaven and enjoy Hook Island)
• Whitehaven / National Parks – Three Island Cruise (enjoy Whitehaven as well as Hook Island and Long Island Resort)
• Whitehaven Beach – Three Island Cruise (includes visit to Whitehaven, Hook Island and Daydream Island Resort and Spa)
• Whitsunday Blockbuster (feature trips to Whitehaven Beach, Daydream Island Resort and Spa, Hook Island and Long Island Resort)
• There is Camira Sailing Adventure day cruise on ‘Camira’, one of the world’s fastest sailing catamarans. This fantastic high speed sail explores Whitehaven Beach and the spectacular Whitsunday Islands National Park. Swimming, snorkeling and barbeque lunch are other specialities.

Reaching the Whitsundays:

By air:
The Whitsunday Islands are served by Whitsunday Coast Airport at Proserpine and Great Barrier Reef Airport at Hamilton Island. International flight connections are available from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns. Proserpine is about 20kms from Airlie Beach, the gateways to Whitsundays. Shuttle service is available. Qantas, Virgin Blue and Jestar flights serve Whitsundays.

By rail:
Queensland Rail conducts service between Proserpine and Brisbane and Cairns. Great South Pacific Express and the new Tilt Train also serve this region.

By coach:
Greyhound operates regular services between various major cities and Airlie Beach.

By car:
Take Bruce Highway from Brisbane to Ciarns. The turn off to Airlie Beach is one km north of Proserpine and from there it is a 20km trip into the beach town.

Whitsundays Tours include:

• Whitsundays Crocodile Safari
• Whitsundays Day Cruises (Subsea Adventure, glass bottom boat, snorkelling, diving or Seawalker helmet diving, visiting Great Barrier Reef)
• Whitsundays Scenic Flights

Accommodation:

• Reef View Hotel Hamilton Island
• Waterfront Whitsunday Retreat
• Whitsunday Holiday Apartments, Hamilton
• Palm Bungalows Hamilton Island
• Club Crocodile Resort Airlie Beach
• Coral Sea Resort Whitsundays
• Long Island Resort Whitsundays
• Hamilton Island Holiday Homes
• Best Western Colonial Palms Motor Inn
• Daydream Island Resort & Spa