Review: Whitehaven Beach Cruise from Port Airlie or Hamilton Island
Top Oz Tours offers a great range of Airlie Beach tours and experiences. You can book this experience here.
‘Beautiful one day; perfect the next.’
The catchphrase of Queensland tourism campaigns past could very well have been coined specifically for the Whitsunday Islands, so fitting is it for this destination. During a recent stay on Hamilton Island, I decided to visit famous Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet on Whitsunday Island (the largest island in the group) with premier tour operator Cruise Whitsundays. Their ‘Chill and Grill’ day trip covers both of the region’s most lauded natural wonders, and includes a gourmet burger lunch. So, did Whitehaven and Hill Inlet live up to the hype? Read on!
Watch our video of top things to do in Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays:
Ten Great Things to Do in AIRLIE BEACH and the WHITSUNDAYS, Australia | Ultimate Travel Guide
Queensland’s Airlie Beach has long been a popular stop on the east coast backpacker trail, but today it’s a holiday hot spot for anyone wanting to experience the extraordinary beauty of the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef. Think turquoise waters, amazing beaches, palm trees swaying in the breeze, and incredible snorkelling and diving.
My day begins with seamless boarding of our catamaran at the Hamilton Island marina. The comfortable vessel began today’s journey in Airlie Beach — and while there are already a number of passengers on board, there’s more than enough space to go round. The crew are an easy-going and friendly bunch, and the captain’s commentary is peppered with laidback humour en route to the southern end of seven-kilometre-long Whitehaven.
Wow, what a sight! The sweeping arc of powdery sand is blindingly white in the sunshine. Sandwiched between glistening waters and lush green bushland, Whitehaven Beach is every bit as wondrous as the hundreds of Instagram images suggest (no filter needed!). Now I understand why it recently made the top five of the world’s 50 best beaches!
Once ashore, it’s time for a swim in crystal-clear waters teeming with marine life — not all of it friendly. We don stinger suits to protect us from the tiny-but-poisonous Irukandji jellyfish, which migrate here annually between November and May. Luckily, there are no signs of this species of box jellyfish today.
A school of black-and-white striped reef fish circle around me, their pace so relaxed that we collide from time to time! I could easily spend all day here, but it would be silly to miss seeing Hill Inlet at Whitehaven’s northern end — renowned for its breathtaking palette of blue and white hues.
Getting there starts with a 15-minute boat ride to Tongue Bay, where turtles are excitedly spotted cavorting in the waves. Along the way our skipper shares interesting details about the surrounding geography, and conspiracy theories on the origins of Whitehaven’s pure silica sand. ‘No one really knows where it comes from, but geologists don’t think it originates from around here’, he confides. ‘I don’t believe that for a second.’
We alight from the boat in the shallows of Tongue Bay, clambering over fragments of rock and coral to get ashore. Bring thongs!
From there, it’s a short hike to see the Instagram-famous gum tree on Whitehaven — a once towering eucalypt, now lying sideways on the beach. I must confess, I’ve never heard of this sun-bleached social media icon until now. But that doesn’t stop me joining the queue of millennials (and a baby-boomer or two!) waiting to preen and pose for pictures on its branches.
Priorities sorted, we head up to the Hill Inlet lookout — a triple series of vantage points, each yielding a jaw-dropping vista even more incredible than the one before. Swirls of snow-coloured sand intertwine with shades of blue water so intense that they feel other-worldly. Everyone fumbles furiously for their smart phones and cameras to capture the ‘painting-like’ scene. When the taking of selfies subsides, we head back to southern Whitehaven — spotting more turtles along the way.
A build-your-own-burger lunch awaits us, with quintessentially Aussie ingredients like smashed avocado, bright-red beetroot chunks, and mounds of smoky charred onion. As we chow down on our bun cupped culinary creations, a metre-long goanna watches patiently from the undergrowth — hopeful of some scraps.
Following lunch, there’s an optional guided trek up to another lookout on offer. I decide instead to enjoy a snooze in my sun tent, followed by more gentle bobbing about in the warm sea.
On the cruise back to our temporary island home, crew members turn bar staff — pouring complimentary wines and ice-cold beers, as we nibble on cheese, crackers, and charcuterie.
All in all, this has been a day of beauty and perfection in equal measure!
You can book this experience here. Browse our full range of Airlie Beach tours and experiences here.
Cover image: Tourism and Events Queensland. Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Cindy Bingley-Pullin is a Sydney-based freelance writer, wanderluster, corporate bee, and happy homemaker. In between analysing spreadsheets in the office, she pursues her combined passions of travel and writing. Cindy’s work has appeared in Virgin Australia’s Voyeur magazine, International Traveller, Fitness First magazine, and the Sydney Morning Herald.
Travel essentials
You can book many aspects of your holiday on the Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas website, including flights, hotels, car hire, travel insurance, and more. When you purchase a product or service using the following links from our partners, we receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay, and it enables us to continue to provide readers with amazing travel inspiration.
Flights
Compare airlines, flights, and fares in one place with Booking.com. They don’t charge any credit card fees and you can always see exactly what you’re paying for in the price breakdown. You can book one-way, round-trip, and multi-city flights, and change your travel dates with ease when you opt for a flexible ticket option (an additional cost applies). It all adds up to a great flight! Search for flights with Booking.com
Hotels
If you’re looking for a great deal on your next hotel or homestay, look no further than Booking.com. Their mission is to make travel affordable and accessible to more people, and to deliver seamless accommodation experiences that complement your holiday. Search for hotels and homestays with Booking.com
Car hire
Discover Cars is an award-winning (World Travel Awards) car rental comparison website, which helps customers find, compare, and hire cars at the most competitive prices globally. Search for hire cars with Discover Cars
Day tours & experiences
Search and book day tours, guided experiences, and attraction tickets and passes worldwide with Top Oz Tours and Viator. There are no booking or credit card fees when you book through us, and you’ll have access to the widest choice of activities and most competitive prices. Browse day tours and experiences
Multi-day tours & trips
Top Oz Tours has joined forced with Tour Radar to bring you a fabulous range of multi-day tours and trips from the world’s leading operators. Travel with like minded people and get the best possible price on the holiday of your dreams. Browse multi-day tours and trips
Travel insurance
World Nomads aims to be a part of every traveller’s journey by providing a reassuring range of travel insurance services. Benefits include coverage for emergency medical and evacuation or repatriation, lost baggage, trip cancellation, and more than 150 adventure activities. Get an insurance costing
