A traveler's guide to Whitsunday Islands
Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island is the base. Whitehaven is a boat, not a hotel lawn. Go early so you are not sharing the lookout with five other vessels at noon.
Seventy-four islands off Queensland, most uninhabited. Whitehaven Beach is the white that people fly for. Hill Inlet lookout is the aerial without a plane. The reef is the other half of the ticket, and it is fragile.
Whitehaven
The sand is 98% silica and stays cool. It is a national park beach: take your rubbish, stay off the dunes, and do not treat it like a club. Hill Inlet at the north end is the photograph.
Stingers and seasons
Irukandji and box jellyfish season is roughly November–May. Many people wear full stinger suits even when swimming off boats. Dry season is kinder.
If you only remember this
- Overnight sails beat a rushed day boat if you have the budget.
- Hamilton Island has an airport. Airlie is the backpacker-and-boat town.
- The reef is not a theme park. Fins off coral, always.
- Sunscreen in this sun is a medical device. Reapply.