Airlie Beach is a top spot to base yourself affordably to experience Whitehaven Beach, Hamilton Island and other beautiful destinations in the Whitsundays. One of the best day trips to take from Airlie Beach is Cruise Whitsundays’ Whitehaven Beach and Hamilton Island tour. This day trip ticks off two bucket list destinations in the Whitsundays and it’s also just a really enjoyable day out!
Leaving from Airlie Beach for your day trip, you will cruise via fast cat out to the beautiful Whitehaven Beach. Here you can swim and play for a couple of hours before cruising to Hamilton Island in time for lunch. After lunch, explore the island as you wish before heading home at the end of the day. This tour may also be offered in reverse, hitting up Whitehaven Beach in the afternoon.
Check out our YouTube clip of the Airlie Beach day trip to Whitehaven Beach and Hamilton Island
Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven Beach will no doubt be the highlight of this Airlie Beach day trip. A stunning 7km stretch of beach on Whitsunday Island, the sand is said to be among the purest in the world because it contains around 98% silica. This makes it very fine and soft and it doesn’t retain heat like ‘normal’ sand, meaning you can get around barefoot on a hot day.
The Cruise Whitsunday staff set up marquees with some beach equipment such as stand-up paddleboards, sand toys and more. Stinger season is from around October to May and the staff will offer you stinger suits to wear at no extra charge. Only half of the guests chose to wear them when we visited.
Stake your claim on the beach and spend the next couple of hours enjoying the dreamy blue water and white sand that is Whitehaven Beach. Agghhh Bliss!
Hill Inlet can be found at the northern end of Whitehaven Beach and the shifting tides and water merge to create a really stunning blend of colours. Unless you’ve booked a helicopter flight, the lookout at Tongue Point is a top spot to view the swirling sand from. If you wish to see Hill Inlet, make sure to ask about this when booking any Whitehaven Beach tour so you don’t miss out.
Don’t forget to slip slop slap as you will usually get around two hours to spend at Whitehaven Beach on this Airlie Beach day trip.
Hamilton Island
Hamilton Island (aka Hamo) is a popular holiday destination in Australia chock full of tourist offerings such as accommodation restaurants and activities. It lies on the same tropical latitude as Honolulu in the north and Mauritius in the south. This means there is a year-round warm climate with an average temperature of 27-28 degrees celsius.
Although I loved visiting Hamilton Island on the Airlie Beach day trip, I personally would not want to overnight here. For me, tropical island bliss is most definitely an undeveloped island and Hamilton Island is quite overdeveloped with accommodation offerings, restaurants and shops.
The Airlie Beach day trip includes lunch on Hamilton Island and the lunch itself is pretty good. Afterwards, you are free to explore Hamilton Island how you see fit. Swim and snorkel at Catseye Beach, jump on the hop-on-hop-off shuttle bus, or just enjoy the pool/resort area.
Golf buggies are available for hire at an additional cost to explore the island however you must pre-book these as they are usually booked out.
The Cruise Whitsunday Ferry
I was really impressed with Cruise Whitsundays’ fast cat on this Airlie Beach day trip and this comes from someone who has anxiety about boat travel due to an unfortunate ability to get motion sickness in the calmest of seas. I popped a travel sickness tablet before we left and had no problems whatsoever.
The boat was large and clean with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating options. Morning Tea was served on board and the staff were welcoming and friendly.
What to bring on your Airlie Beach day trip to Whitehaven Beach and Hamilton Island
- Bathers and towel
- Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and protective clothing
- Light jacket for a windy day
- Comfortable shoes (sandals are great as you will be on both sand and paved areas)
- Camera
- Credit card for any optional activities
Where to base yourself in Airlie Beach to explore the Whitsundays
The NRMA Airlie Beach holiday park is a top choice for those staying in Airlie Beach to explore the Whitsundays. We stayed in a bungalow (perfect for families) however there are also cabins, campsites and caravan sites. The park features a dedicated tour booking office, a swimming pool and free WiFi.
The location is great with a fish and chip shop next to the reception, a 2-minute drive into town and it’s less than 1km from Shingley Beach.
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