No trip to the Whitsundays would be complete without a trip to the famous Whitehaven Beach. Famous for its pure white silica sand and pristine blue water, this beach is definitely worth the hype. Whitehaven Beach is located on Whitsunday Island, the biggest island in the Whitsunday Group. This island is completely uninhabited and is only accessible by boat or sea plane. Despite this, there are plenty of different ways you can experience Whitehaven Beach! In this post, I will help you decide which Whitehaven Beach experience is best for you.
Getting to Whitehaven Beach
Despite Whitsunday Island being the biggest island in the Whitsundays group, it is completely uninhabited. Therefore, it is only possible to get to Whitehaven Beach by boat or seaplane. If you have your own sailboat, there are a few places you can anchor near Whitehaven Beach. If you are hoping to visit Hill Inlet, your best bet is to anchor at Tongue Bay and hike over the hill to the lookout. Otherwise, you can anchor at the southern end of Whitehaven Beach. If conditions aren’t favourable or you’re wanting to avoid the crowds of day trippers, Chance Bay and Chalkies beach are also anchorage options.
If you don’t have a sailboat of your own, you can still easily make it to Whitehaven Beach! There are plenty of full and half day tours available departing from all major accommodation centres in the area. Both Cruise Whitsundays and Explore group offer half and full day trips departing Hamilton Island. It is also possible to take a seaplane to Whitehaven Beach. This would be a great way to combine beautiful aerial views of Hill Inlet, Heart Reef and the Whitsunday Islands with some beach time!
Southern shores and Whitehaven Beach lookout
If you have a young family and are wanting to truly enjoy Whitehaven Beach, a trip to the Southern end of Whitehaven Beach is for you. I don’t remember being particularly impressed by the beach at Hill Inlet. There was too many rocks! The southern part of the beach, on the other hand, really lives up to expectations. Pure white sand meets clear, turquoise water to create the perfect kids playground. If you have taken a boat tour, beach equipment such as buckets and spades, and stand-up paddleboards may also be provided. Tour guides may also offer fish feeding, which is great fun!
Heading to the southern end of Whitehaven Beach doesn’t necessarily mean you have to miss out on the stunning views. There are three walks of varying lengths departing from this area of Whitehaven Beach. A short (970m), but uphill walk will get you to Whitehaven Beach Lookout. From here, you can look out all the way along Whitehaven Beach! Plus, you get a clear view of Chance Bay on the Western side of the Island too. This lookout is definitely not one to miss.
If you have extra time, you can add the 400m Headland Track for additional views of the coast. You could also do the Solway Circuit. This walk is 1.2km long and travels through a variety of vegetation types to a small lookout. Whilst you can look out over the islands in both directions from this point, there is no clear view of Whitehaven Beach.
Hill Inlet half-day trip
Hill Inlet is located at the Northern end of Whitehaven Beach and is probably the most famous view of Whitehaven. The shifting tides cause the white sand and turquoise waters to swirl together, creating a beautiful pattern. This phenomenon is best viewed at low tide, so if you are heading out independently be sure to check the tide times. Full day tours to Whitehaven Beach generally include a trip to Hill Inlet. Some half day trips also take you to this location instead of the southern shores.
To be brutally honest, I didn’t think much of the beach itself at the Northern end of Whitehaven Beach. Yes, it still has the white sand and beautiful blue water. But there’s a few rocks thrown in there as well, which doesn’t make it ideal for swimming. However, the view from Tongue Point lookout over Hill Inlet is so incredibly unique! The walk up to the lookout is only 700m, though mostly uphill.
Scenic flights
They say the best way to view Whitehaven Beach is from the air and even though I haven’t flown over myself, I am quite inclined to agree. From the ground, it’s hard to get an idea of the scale of Whitehaven Beach. Plus, on a clear day, the colours would be truly stunning! There are various tour options by both plane and helicopter that fly over Whitehaven Beach. Depending on your budget you can choose to fly over only the islands or head out over Heart Reef as well.
If you want to experience the best of both worlds, taking a sea plane tour is also an option! Like the scenic flights, you can choose to fly over just the islands including Hill Inlet, or you can extend your trip and fly over the outer reef including the famous love-heart reef.
The one main drawback to this option is the cost. The minimum cost for a scenic flight is around $200 AUD (as at September 2022), which is for a non-stop plane flight over Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet departing Hamilton Island. Seaplane tours cost nearly $300 AUD per person and require a minimum of four people to book.
So which tour is right for you?
Overall, I think the best tour for you will depend on who you are travelling with. If you are travelling with young children, a half-day tour to the Southern end of Whitehaven Beach is the best for you. This tour is ideal for beach play whilst also providing an option to check out a lookout if you’re feeling energetic!
If you have older children, or if you’re travelling solo or as a couple, any of the options would be nice. If you have the budget, I would strongly suggest a scenic flight over Whitehaven Beach and Heart Reef. Whilst I have only experienced Heart Reef myself, the views from there were incredible and I can only imagine how the colours of Whitehaven would pop from the air, especially on a clear day. A scenic flight is definitely still on my bucket list! Just be aware if you are a solo traveller, some airlines including Hamilton Island Air won’t allow you to book certain trips solo. A scenic flight could easily be complemented with a half-day trip to either end of Whitehaven Beach, though if you want to swim, I recommend the Southern end.
I hope this post has helped you to decide which Whitehaven Beach experience is right for you! There are certainly plenty of options to choose from to suit any budget and travel group. Have you visited Whitehaven Beach? I would love to hear about your experiences below!
If you’re planning a trip to Hamilton Island or the Whitsundays any time soon, be sure to keep an eye out on my Facebook and Pinterest for more blog posts coming soon! You can also check out my review on the Reefworld Day trip for the ultimate outer-reef experience.
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