Three Days in Airlie Beach for Whitehaven Beach

Three days in Airlie Beach is the right length for most people who come for Whitehaven Beach. One day to arrive and find your marina, one on the beach, and one for the reef or the air, with room to swap them if the wind gets up. This plan uses the real departure times and the tours that fit each day.

How many days do you need?

The beach itself takes one day. Every boat to it leaves Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour early and brings you back in the afternoon or early evening. So the question is what else you want, and how much slack you need for the weather.

Three days gives you both. You get the beach, a second outing to the reef or the air, and a spare half day if a boat changes its plans. Two days works if you only want the beach. Four days lets you add a night at sea.

Day one: arrive and find your marina

By road, the Bruce Highway takes you to Proserpine, 125 km north of Mackay. From there it is 25 km east along Shute Harbour Road to Airlie Beach, or 10 km further to Shute Harbour. Hamilton Island is also reachable by air, but it is an island, 20 km south-east of Shute Harbour, and only the private charter boards there.

Use the first afternoon to find where your boat leaves from. It sounds fussy, but the departure points are spread out. Coral Sea Marina alone has meeting points in its northern and southern villages, and OzSail warns you not to end up at the wrong end. Camira and the half-day catamaran leave from the Cruise Whitsundays terminal at 24 The Cove Road. SeaLink leaves from Shute Harbour.

If your tour runs a pickup, check your stop. SeaLink's coach calls at 13 stops in town, the fly-raft package at 17, and Whitehaven Xpress collects you from your accommodation. ZigZag has no pickup; its meeting point is a 10 to 20 minute walk from most of Airlie Beach.

Day two: Whitehaven Beach

Make the beach your first full day. It is the day most people come for, and if the wind changes a boat's plans you still have a day to move it to.

Your morning starts early. Iconic meets at 7:40am, ZigZag at 8:20am and Red Cat at 8:30am, and SeaLink's catamaran sails from Shute Harbour at 9am. Eat breakfast before you leave, carry at least 2 litres of water, and pack a hat, sunscreen, swimwear and a towel. There is no shop and no mobile reception on the beach.

Pick the boat by what you want from the day. The ocean-raft day gives you the lookout, a snorkel and about two hours on the sand in seven hours. The big-catamaran day does the lookout and the sand with no swim. Every full day is compared on the Whitehaven Beach day tours page.

Day three: reef or air?

On your third day you choose between going under the water and going over it. For the reef, Red Cat stops at two snorkel sites and also walks you up to the lookout. Iconic takes you to Bait Reef on the outer reef for about two hours when the conditions allow, then to the lookout and the beach.

For the air, the one-hour flight costs $257 and passes over the beach, Hill Inlet and Heart Reef without landing. You check in at Whitsunday Airport 45 minutes before, and a courtesy bus runs from town. The helicopter lands on the beach for about 90 minutes, for $1,112 a person.

If you want both in one ticket, the fly-raft package puts the one-hour flight in front of the raft day. You could then keep day two for the beach by catamaran and see it again from above on day three. The Whitehaven Beach scenic flights page compares all three flights.

What if the wind is up?

Wind is part of life here. The Bureau of Meteorology's Hamilton Island station recorded a mean 3pm wind of 22 to 27 km/h in every month from 1985 to 2002, strongest in March and April at 26.5 km/h. Most boat days run in all weather but may change the route or the end of the beach.

A flight can be cancelled for weather. That is why the plan puts the flight after the beach day, not before it, and keeps a spare half day. If the flight is cancelled, you move it; if the boat changes its route, you still get the sand. Look at the weather month by month before you fix your dates.

Can you do it in two days?

Yes, if the beach is all you want. Arrive in the afternoon, find your marina, and take a full day on the water the next morning. Choose a boat that reaches both the lookout and the sand, because you will not get a second go.

The fly-raft package is the best fit for a two-day stay. It gives you the view from the air, the lookout, a snorkel and about two hours on the beach in one day, for $401 to $401. If you would rather keep the day short, the half-day Whitehaven Beach tours page lists the morning and afternoon options.

Can you add a night at sea?

A fourth day lets you sleep among the islands. The OzSail boats leave Coral Sea Marina in the late morning: 'Spank Me' at 10:30am and Avatar at 11am. OzSail's two-night seat brings you back to the marina at about 8 or 9am on the third day.

Put the overnight trip at the start of your stay and the day trips after it. You then come back with the day boats still ahead of you, and you can use them for whatever the sailing trip missed. Every overnight boat is on the Whitehaven Beach sailing tours page, with its ages and its refund window.

Where should you stay for early starts?

Stay in Airlie Beach itself. Most departures either pick you up there or meet at Coral Sea Marina, which ZigZag puts at a 10 to 20 minute walk from most of town. If you drive, parking at the marina costs $13 a day for OzSail's overnight guests.

Check the pickup list before you book a room. The raft days run a courtesy bus from local hotels and parks, SeaLink's coach calls at set stops, and Whitehaven Xpress collects you from your accommodation. A room on a pickup route saves you an early walk.

What should the plan look like for a family?

Slow it down. Keep day two for a big catamaran with lunch on board and toilets, like SeaLink's, and make day three a short one. The half-day catamaran gives you up to two hours on the sand for $89, and the one-hour flight is back on the ground in an hour.

Check the age rules before you book each day. Iconic needs children taller than 130 cm, and the overnight boats take no one under 16. Our guide to Whitehaven Beach with kids has every age band.

Our tours for these days

For day two, the raft day and SeaLink's catamaran are the two safe picks. For day three, the tours in the block below are chosen for the reef and the air: the fly-raft package, Red Cat's two snorkel stops, and the one-hour flight.

If you have only one day for the water, the fly-raft package is the one that covers the most of this plan: you fly over the reef, walk to the lookout, snorkel and have lunch on the sand, all before the evening. If you have four days and like the idea of a night aboard, start with two nights on 'Spank Me'.

Frequently asked questions

Tours for the reef and the air

Fly Raft Package: Whitehaven Beach, Snorkel and Scenic Flight

A one-hour flight with a guaranteed window seat over the reef and the islands, then the ocean-raft day: the lookout walk, a reef snorkel, lunch and about two hours on the beach. A courtesy coach runs from town to the airport.

From $401 per person

Check Availability

Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet Lookout Snorkeling Cruise

Eight hours on a high-speed catamaran with two snorkel stops, mask and snorkel provided, the lookout walk and about an hour on the beach. Fins and prescription masks are not in the fare.

From $181 per person

Check Availability

1hour Scenic Flight Heart Reef, Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet, GBR

One hour in a small plane over the reef, the islands and the beach, with a window seat for everyone and a courtesy bus from town. It does not land: you see the sand from the air only.

From $257 per person

Check Availability