Whitehaven Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – Hands down. In a world is filled with millions of miles of coastline and beaches but without question, this is easily one of the most beautiful. Renowned as one of the top ten beaches in the world, Whitehaven Beach is located on Whitsunday Island, the largest island in the region and is fully protected and uninhabited due to its National and Marine Park status. Its shallows are graced by various species of turtles, and these ancient creatures are often sighted during daily visits. At the right tide time, the view over Whitehaven Beach is magical.

The fastest tour around the Whitsunday Islands includes exploring Whitehaven Beach, snorkelling pristine reefs and tropical island guided walks. The focus of Ocean Rafting is on adventure, participation, education, and the natural environment. Most overnight vessels in the Whitsundays include Whitehaven Beach if possible during their voyages around the islands. Try polishing your jewelry in the sand while you laze on the beach ! Details at www.hamiltonisland.com.au. If you are staying on the islands you will probably fly directly to Hamilton Island, however the flights can be expensive and there are not very many. It is around 30 minutes from Airlie Beach and is basically one room and there is generally only ever one airplane at the airport at any one time. Tropical North Queensland boasts hundreds of kilometres of stunning mainland beaches, and goodness knows how many kilometres of pristine sand on the 900 islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

Airlie Beach is situated in the dry tropics, rather than the wet tropics. Local terrain contributes to many tourist areas being in rain shadows from south east breezes for much of the year. The gateway to your trip through the Whitsundays, Airlie Beach is such a party town! Great bars and clubs, the beaches aren’t that great, but following in Cairns’ footsteps, there’s a lagoon that the beautiful people like to lounge around. The ride to Airlie Beach is smooth and takes about 40 minutes. Everything within Airlie is very accessible and so walking will get you everywhere!