November Beach of the Month: Whitehaven Beach, Queensland, Australia
Whitehaven Beach is considered one of the world's most unspoiled and beautiful beaches. In 2016, it was voted the Best Beach in Australia and 5th Best Beach in the World. It's located on Whitsunday Island in Queensland, Australia and can only be reached by boat, plane or helicopter. Known for it's super high silica content, it's sand is blindingly white and soft.
We based ourselves at an Airbnb condo in Airlie Beach for our trip to Whitehaven. We went by boat - we booked passage on Cruise Whitsunday's, a tour operator that runs out of Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island.
We walked from our condo rental - about a 15 minute walk - to the Cruise Whitsunday's office at Airlie Marina. There is a cafe and gift shops available while you wait to board your boat. Our boarding time was 6:45 am - yep, it was an early one and it was already 90 degrees outside - and departure was at 7:15. (We were on the half-day tour which was part of a package with our reef trip the day before. But you can take an all day trip with a hike to Hill Inlet to view the famous Whitsunday Island "Swirls".)
Our boat had an outdoor seating deck and two air-conditioned areas on the top and bottom deck with viewing windows to watch the passing scenery. Complimentary tea and coffee are offered along with toast when you first board. And morning fruit and muffins before you reach the island. It took about an hour to reach Hamilton Island where we picked up more passengers. And then it was about 45 minutes until we reached Whitsunday Island.
Once arriving at Whitsunday the boat drops anchor and you are tendered onto the beach by a contraption called a "rail" that holds about 30 people at a time. The trouble on the day we went was that the winds were strong and "the northerlies" - winds from the north - which were less than ideal for our trip. We were told that we probably wouldn't be able to get to the beach. But as luck would have it, the winds started drifting more from the northwest and calmed a bit so we could actually get to the beach. Fun item: there was a bride and groom either getting married on the beach or taking photos - they sure picked a hot one for that!
We were transported by the rail and spent about 2 hours on the beach itself. Cruise Whitsunday's provided sand tents to stay out of the fierce sun, a guided nature walk, a volleyball competition and drinking water. We chose to walk the beach - it's about 5 miles long - and enjoy the delightfully aqua water. The temps were about 100 degrees by the time we reached the beach but as I said before, there was a big breeze blowing so that made it a little more comfortable.
In the warm waters off the Whitsunday's there are lethal jellyfish that can't be seen and the box jellyfish can kill an adult with it's venom within 2 to 3 minutes. So precautions are taken if you're swimming there in spring or summer when the waters heat up. That's when the "stinger suits" come into play. Cruise Whitsunday's offers a complimentary suit for everyone to wear and you're covered from head to toe except for your face. Aren't they the sexiest? (Mr. UR asked one of the crew if they were really necessary and his reply was "It's up to you, mate, but I wouldn't go in without one")
We enjoyed the swimming and the beach and then it was time to board up again. By now the winds were really picking up so they beached the boat and we entered by gangplank for our 2 hour return trip to Airlie Beach. We arrived by 1:45 and headed out for lunch.
My daughter declared this one of the most beautiful beaches she's been to. I, also, thought it was beautiful but I've seen some beaches just as beautiful but easier for me to get to. (It was an hour drive to Sydney airport, a 2 hour flight to Prosepine, a 40 minute shuttle ride to Airlie Beach and then your time on the boat - not to mention 21 hours in the air from the US alone with 28 hour total travel time from the East Coast) Am I glad I went? Oh, most definitely! If you're on the East Coast of Australia - go! And if you're visiting the eastern part of Australia - go! I'm so glad that I did!
How about you? Have you been to Whitehaven Beach?
Interested in traveling to Whitehaven Beach? For more on the tour group we used - Cruise Whitsunday's - click here (This is not sponsored, just a good experience)
Linking up with: The Weekly Postcard at Travel Notes and Beyond and The Weekend Wanderlust Weekend Travel Blog Party!
We based ourselves at an Airbnb condo in Airlie Beach for our trip to Whitehaven. We went by boat - we booked passage on Cruise Whitsunday's, a tour operator that runs out of Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island.
We walked from our condo rental - about a 15 minute walk - to the Cruise Whitsunday's office at Airlie Marina. There is a cafe and gift shops available while you wait to board your boat. Our boarding time was 6:45 am - yep, it was an early one and it was already 90 degrees outside - and departure was at 7:15. (We were on the half-day tour which was part of a package with our reef trip the day before. But you can take an all day trip with a hike to Hill Inlet to view the famous Whitsunday Island "Swirls".)
Our boat had an outdoor seating deck and two air-conditioned areas on the top and bottom deck with viewing windows to watch the passing scenery. Complimentary tea and coffee are offered along with toast when you first board. And morning fruit and muffins before you reach the island. It took about an hour to reach Hamilton Island where we picked up more passengers. And then it was about 45 minutes until we reached Whitsunday Island.
Once arriving at Whitsunday the boat drops anchor and you are tendered onto the beach by a contraption called a "rail" that holds about 30 people at a time. The trouble on the day we went was that the winds were strong and "the northerlies" - winds from the north - which were less than ideal for our trip. We were told that we probably wouldn't be able to get to the beach. But as luck would have it, the winds started drifting more from the northwest and calmed a bit so we could actually get to the beach. Fun item: there was a bride and groom either getting married on the beach or taking photos - they sure picked a hot one for that!
We were transported by the rail and spent about 2 hours on the beach itself. Cruise Whitsunday's provided sand tents to stay out of the fierce sun, a guided nature walk, a volleyball competition and drinking water. We chose to walk the beach - it's about 5 miles long - and enjoy the delightfully aqua water. The temps were about 100 degrees by the time we reached the beach but as I said before, there was a big breeze blowing so that made it a little more comfortable.
In the warm waters off the Whitsunday's there are lethal jellyfish that can't be seen and the box jellyfish can kill an adult with it's venom within 2 to 3 minutes. So precautions are taken if you're swimming there in spring or summer when the waters heat up. That's when the "stinger suits" come into play. Cruise Whitsunday's offers a complimentary suit for everyone to wear and you're covered from head to toe except for your face. Aren't they the sexiest? (Mr. UR asked one of the crew if they were really necessary and his reply was "It's up to you, mate, but I wouldn't go in without one")
We enjoyed the swimming and the beach and then it was time to board up again. By now the winds were really picking up so they beached the boat and we entered by gangplank for our 2 hour return trip to Airlie Beach. We arrived by 1:45 and headed out for lunch.
My daughter declared this one of the most beautiful beaches she's been to. I, also, thought it was beautiful but I've seen some beaches just as beautiful but easier for me to get to. (It was an hour drive to Sydney airport, a 2 hour flight to Prosepine, a 40 minute shuttle ride to Airlie Beach and then your time on the boat - not to mention 21 hours in the air from the US alone with 28 hour total travel time from the East Coast) Am I glad I went? Oh, most definitely! If you're on the East Coast of Australia - go! And if you're visiting the eastern part of Australia - go! I'm so glad that I did!
How about you? Have you been to Whitehaven Beach?
Interested in traveling to Whitehaven Beach? For more on the tour group we used - Cruise Whitsunday's - click here (This is not sponsored, just a good experience)
Linking up with: The Weekly Postcard at Travel Notes and Beyond and The Weekend Wanderlust Weekend Travel Blog Party!
Nice beach days!
ReplyDeleteYes, fantastic beach days! Thanks for visiting, Sharon!
DeleteHooray, beach of the month! Ever since I first heard of Whitsunday Island I've wanted to visit. Great post. It looks so beautiful. I think I'll be sure to stay out of the water.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sarah! It was beautiful and I'm so glad I was able to visit. Probably won't ever make it back since it's so far and there's so many other beaches to see. :) Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!
DeleteI'm sold! ;) #TheWeeklyPostcard
ReplyDeleteHa Ha Hope you make it there someday then! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteOooh, those stinger suits! It's always a tough call...do I want to look good, or risk certain death? I think I'd opt for just playing on the beach. After all, those are pretty nice beaches! :)
ReplyDeleteThe water was so beautiful that I decided to forgo fashion and wear the suit. And those suits turned into such fun photo opps that I'm glad I did. I will always laugh when I see those photos! Thanks for visiting, Rob!
DeleteWhat a beautiful beach and area! I would love to visit one of these days. We've only been to the beaches by Cairns and Great Barrier Reef islands which were coral filled. This looks vastly different. It looks like it was definitely worth the long trip to get there. So, glad you get to explore Oz with your daughter.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary! I'm so glad I was able to go, also - it was a trip of a lifetime for me! And thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!
Delete