This was published 1 year ago
Does Australia’s ‘mind-blowingly beautiful’ beach live up to the hype?
Is Whitehaven Beach in Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands worth a visit? The short answer is yes. After all, blue water fizzes onto white sand so soft it feels like icing sugar. But is that enough?
The longer answer is that you could find yourself underwhelmed on a basic tour that doesn’t take in surrounding landscapes, or arrives at this famous sandy strip at the wrong time.
Whitehaven Beach, with its famous fine sand, is not the real highlight of Whitsunday Island.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland
Whitehaven is located on the eastern coast of undeveloped Whitsunday Island. The nearest accommodation is on Hamilton Island, 30 minutes away by high-speed catamaran and a lot slower on other boats.
From Airlie Beach on the mainland, it takes a good hour by catamaran, or two otherwise. First rule: don’t do a half-day tour, as you’ll be frustrated by the limited time you spend on land.
Pick the right tour. The ones that deposit you at the beach’s southern end leave you with the impression of a lovely beach of super-fine white sand and vodka-clear blue water, but the wow factor isn’t completely off the charts.
The posts you see on Instagram (#whitehavenbeach shows nearly a quarter-million photos) and Facebook, where the beach is invariably accompanied with words such as “stunning”, “deliriously wonderful” and “mind-blowingly beautiful”, are often not of Whitehaven Beach at all.
Hill Inlet is the true highlight of Whitsunday Island.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland
The true wow factor is at Hill Inlet, which slices into the island past the northern end of Whitehaven Beach. An easy 20-minute walk leads up to a lookout point, not from Whitehaven Beach but on the inlet’s other side.
The whole inlet is swirled with sandbanks, and the water’s varying depths create an Impressionist canvas of navy, neon and egg-shell blues. Time it right. You’ll want a low tide to see it at its finest.
If you’re young and have a bikini, floppy hat and hordes of eager Instagram followers, Hill Inlet is where you need to be. If, like me, you’re a middle-aged and increasingly unimpressed traveller, then be at Hill Inlet too: its electric waters will jolt you back to life with their sheer mesmerising beauty.
Beaches, I’ve seen a few. I slept on Greek beaches in my backpacking days, I’ve waded into Pacific lagoons, I’ve been to Rio and Ibiza. I live in Sydney. I can recognise a good beach when I see one.
Betty’s Beach is even better than Whitehaven.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland
Betty’s Beach at the northern side of Hill Inlet might even be better than Whitehaven Beach, especially since a thoughtful cyclone tossed up a water-sculpted tree trunk that provides the perfect perch on which to strike a pose.
Betty’s has the same silica sands as Whitehaven and, as the tide sloshes out, you can take a dip in waterholes left behind. Make sure your tour spends some time here, or you’re really missing out.
The absolute best way to see Whitehaven Island is to charter a boat overnight. You can avoid the middle-of-the-day heat and day trippers and find a sheltered anchor in nearby Tongue Bay, from which a trail leads up to Hill Inlet Lookout.
You’ll also be able to select your own private strip of Whitehaven Beach, which runs for seven kilometres. Your only competition might be a helicopter landing nearby; tour boats congregate at the beach’s southern end, which has toilet facilities and picnic tables.
Talking of helicopters, if you can afford it, arrive here by seaplane or helicopter. That way you avoid tedious boat transfers and see the swirl of white and blue wonder from above, which is the way it’s shown in tourist-brochure photos.
Down at sea level on Whitehaven Beach, the water is warm and shallow, the swimming easy. But if splashing about is a big part of your plan, best not come in the October-to-May stinger season, especially if you want sultry photos. Stinger suits will never win fashion prizes or Instagram likes.
There are no fringing reefs at Whitehaven, so you needn’t bother with a snorkel. But if you walk from the beach’s southern end along the three-kilometre track to Chance Bay you’ll encounter several turtle species bustling about. This is a sheltered bay in which to overnight if you’re sailing; Whitehaven is exposed and choppy, especially when southerlies blow.
Conclusion? Well, Whitehaven Beach itself is special, but what takes it into the league of world’s best is what surrounds it. Best not rush, plan accordingly, and your socks will be knocked right off.
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Among several companies that offer day trips to Whitehaven Beach are Cruise Whitsundays and Red Cat Adventures. The writer last visited on a shore excursion with Viking Cruises during a 17-day “Komodo & the Australian Coast” cruise between Bali and Sydney. The next departure is on November 19, 2023. Prices from $9495pp twin share. See vikingcruises.com.au
The writer was a guest of Viking Cruises.
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