Are you planning a trip to the Whitsundays Islands in Australia and you also want to know what to do in Airlie Beach? In this article we share everything you need to know so that you can make the most of your visit to this Australian tropical paradise. Well, let's go in parts. If you didn't know, Airlie Beach is one of the destinations or Most convenient gateways to reach the stunning Whitsundays (including Whitehaven beach) and Great Barrier Reef. Therefore, if you are planning your itinerary through Australia and want to know how to get to the Whitsunday Islands, in the next lines we are going to give you all the information and advice you need. We start with Airlie beach y what to do in this destination coconut trees and jellyfish. Here we go!
10 Things to See and Do in Airlie Beach
As we said, the coastal destination of Airlie Beach is the main starting point to visit the nearby Whitsundays Islands and, of course, the famous Whitehaven beach. However, it also has its own attractions that you should not miss. We share the list of things to do in airlie beach next. At the end we give you more information about nearby airports, restaurants, hotels, etc.
1) Go on a day trip to the Whitsunday Islands and visit Whitehaven Beach
As you may know, one of the best things to do in airlie beach is the excursion to the Whitsunday Islands. These islets are known for their white sand and crystal clear waters and, without a doubt, you should include it in your route through the essentials what to see in Australia. In total there are about 70 islands located next to the Great Barrier Reef. Here Whitsunday Island stands out where it hides one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: Whitehaven beach. There are also other islands that receive many visitors and are part of this Australian National Park. For example, the Hamilton Island, where many celebrities spend their vacations and being the only one in the archipelago with an airport.
To visit Whitehaven beach you can only do it hiring a guided tour. That is, there are no public ferries that take you here. We booked a day trip with snorkeling at Hook Island and also included spending several hours at Whitehaven beach with lunch on the beach. During the excursion the guys on the boat give you information about the islands you are sailing through, without a doubt, a unique experience. Our tour left from Coral Sea Marina (Airlie beach) and we booked it in this page.
In our case, the day we went on the road It was very windy on Whitehaven beach and we were unable to disembark. Of course, we got closer to the shore and we could see it from the boat. In any case, We spent the day on Whitsunday Island on a nearby beach called chance bay, spectacular. Maybe that's where his name came from and the truth is that it's not that bad (see photo above). There were no jellyfish here!
2) Snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef or one of the Whitsundays Islands
If you want to discover an underwater world full of colorful coral reefs and diverse marine life, we recommend taking advantage of the fact that you are here to snorkel or dive. On our tour we stopped at Hook Island more than an hour to snorkel and enjoy its coral, although we imagine that it has nothing to do with the Great Barrier Reef. There are many excursions from Airlie beach to do snorkeling like the one we did and that you can combine with Whitehaven beach. Some of them take you to areas where turtles reside such as this activity stopping at Border or Dumbell Islands, depending on weather conditions.
3) Fly over the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays Islands
For a unique view and, also for those who have a budget, fly over the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Islands is another of the activities to do from Airlie beach. This experience will give you a different and spectacular perspective of this world heritage. If you want to combine a visit to Whitehaven beach + snorkelling + plane ride, this excursion includes everything. As we say in Spain, from lost to the river hehe. If you don't have the €300 it's worth, you have this slightly cheaper option, but of course, it does not include visiting Whitsunday Island, nor snorkeling.
4) Enjoy the artificial Lagoon beach, what to do in Airlie beach for free
One of the things to do in Airlie Beach, without having to invest a single euro, is bathing and sunbathing in Airlie beach Lagoon. An artificial beach where you can swim and relax without worrying about jellyfish. Perfect for families and totally free. Regarding jellyfish, it is a serious issue in this area of Australia.
In fact, To snorkel, the use of full neoprene is mandatory. (given to you by the excursion company). For us, who are from the Canary Islands, it was very shocking to see the beaches of Airlie beach empty. But of course, then you understand everything when you see the signs and warnings indicating that There are poisonous jellyfish and swimming with neoprene is recommended. Furthermore, next to these posters there is a container with vinegar so that you can apply it to the bite area if necessary.
5) Take a swim at Boathaven Beach
Linking to the previous paragraph, you should know that in Boathaven Beach you can safely bathe in the sea in its protected area with nets. So if you want to take a dip, write this down airlie beach. On the other hand, one of the things that surprised us about Australia is that many of its beaches are pet friendly and Boathaven is one of them.
6) Visit the market, what to see in Airlie beach on Saturdays
El Airlie Beach Flea Market It is another of the things to do in this sun and beach destination. Here you can buy souvenirs, local art and trying local delicacies. For example, they have Australian fur hats, decorative items made from shells, stalls aussie feet (filled cakes), australian shirts (typical of short-sleeved flowers), fruit and vegetables, etc.
- ⏰ Market hours: every Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m. It is also open on cruise days. In fact, we saw it open the day we arrived because there was a cruise and also on Saturday.
7) Stroll along its maritime avenue, things to do in Airlie beach for free
Another of the plans what to do in Airlie beach for free is to enjoy a relaxing walk along the promenade that connects Coral Sea Marina with Boathaven Beach, enjoying stunning views of the sea. In addition, we recommend that you look at the birds in the area, we were able to see several species such as cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets (coconut lorikeets) and even some turkeys strolling along the beaches.
8) Have something in the Whitsunday Food Garden
One of the places to eat in Airlie beach or take something is the Whitsunday Food Garden. It is an outdoor space that usually has live music and is full of food trucks with street food. Therefore, it is one of the coolest environments in the area, which is already quite touristy. We show it to you in our YouTube video where we share our list of places to see in Airlie beach.
⏰ Whitsynday Food Garden Hours: every day from 10:30 a.m. to 21:00 p.m.
???? ️ Restaurants in Airlie beach: Everything we saw seemed super touristy. One of the days we ate at Paradiso Rooftop Bar & Restaurant with sea views. another of the days We ate during the excursion and, finally, we bought some feet at Whitsunday Market. For the rest, we grab snacks and fruit from the supermarket to try to eat something healthy.
9) Walk the Honeyeater lookout trail
Another of the places to see in Airlie beach is the Honeyeater lookout which can be reached by walking a path of about 8 kilometers. Additionally, during the route you can explore the fauna and flora of the area highlighting its giant lizards and birds. The beginning of the trail part from the center, so here you have another free plan in Airlie beach what to do. We could not do this activity because we only went for two days and, furthermore, The heat was suffocating. If you sign up, remember to bring enough water and food for the route, there are no services along the trail.
10) Airlie beach park, what to do in Airlie beach with children
If you are traveling with children, there is a piece of park in Airlie beach where you can have a great time, so also write down this plan for when the temperatures drop. Although there are areas of the park with tarps for the sun, you should know that Airlie and the Whitsundays are a destination with a tropical climate. With which, The heat is sticky, it is usually windy and when it rains, it is torrential rain. In fact, we were surprised to see several sewers around Airlie that said “storm water.” We assume they collect water from storms when there are rain warnings.
Video with places to see in Airlie beach and Whitsunday Islands
Below we share the video of our visit to Airlie beach with the places we visited and many tips for your visit. We are waiting for you in our YouTube Channel with more travel content.
Where to stay in Airlie beach
The hotels in Airlie beach are not cheap, I'm not lying. However, we found an offer in Airlie beach front line and we spent two nights in the apartments Whitehaven Beachfront Holiday Units. If you are looking for a hotel, there is front-line options such as Coral Sea Marina Resort Known for its beautiful pontoon (we show it below). Anyway, below you can check availability and prices of hotels or apartments to stay in Airlie beach.
Finally, keep in mind that in Whitsunday Islands also have campsites which you can consult on the official website of Whitsunday Islands National Park.
How to get to the Whitsundays and Airlie beach
- En flight to Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast Airport) and from here on bus transfer a airlie beach (base camp to do all the activities we mention in this post). We already explained at the beginning how to go to Whitsunday Islands from Airlie.
- En car or train on the Queensland Coastal Highway from Brisbane but also Airlie Beach, something recommended for travelers with more time or who are doing a road trip along the east coast of Australia.
- En plane to Hamilton Island. However, be very careful with this option since accommodation on Hamilton Island must be prohibitive (the island of the famous). It also makes no sense to use this airport if you are going to spend the night in Airlie, since the boat from Hamilton to Airlie is around €150 per person and the boat trip is slower than the bus from Proserpine Airport to Airlie.
As we mentioned at the beginning, to travel to the Whitsundays, the The most practical and economical option is to do it from Airlie Beach. It was the one we chose. As for how to get from Proserpine Airport to Airlie Beach, you can rent a car at the airport or taxi if there are more than 3 travelers. In our case, since there are only two of us, we reserve the transfer with Whitsunday Transit by $36 AUD per person round trip (about €22). If I remember correctly, it was the cheapest company we found and You can book it at the same counter they have at Proserpine airport or online on their website. The journey takes about 40 minutes, since the bus stops at different complexes.
How many days does it take to visit Airlie Beach and Whitsunday Islands?
We recommend you Reserve at least two nights of your Australia tour for this paradise. So you have the arrival day to settle in and visit the area, the next day for your excursion to the Whitsunday Islands and the third day to visit something else or prepare to travel again to your next destination in Australia. At least this is what we did and, not liking such destinations very much tourist, we wouldn't dedicate much more to it. And even less being Gran Canaria. Below we share some articles that may be of interest to you to organize your trip to Australia:
Travel insurance for Australia
We always We travel with IATI to all international destinations to "cure ourselves in health" before any accident, illness, flight delays, damage and/or loss of luggage, expenses will be covered. We have a 5% discount for our readers and it works for any destination and type of policy. For this specific trip we booked the IATI Backpacker, since we did several adventure sports such as the boat ride with snorkeling.
Unlimited mobile data in Australia
Likewise, another traveler tip that we want to give you is the Holafly eSIM with Unlimited data to access Google Maps, attraction schedules, restaurant information, etc. from your mobile and anywhere in Australia. We had coverage even on Whitsunday Island. The Holafly eSIMs are very easy to use, since they are virtual and are activated by scanning a QR code. That is, you don't have to take your operator's card out of your smartphone. You can check the rates depending on the number of days on the Holafly website, if you book through our link, they will give you a 5% discount at the end for being our reader.
And here comes our article about this Australian paradise. We hope it has been helpful to you and if you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them in the comments. Remember that in the In the Other Destinations section of our blog you have all the information about our trip through Australia and more travel inspiration. Also in video format in our YouTube Channel!
Hello! I am Ruth, Canarian with a traveling soul. With training and experience in the tourism and digital marketing sector. In this blog I tell you all the tips you need to get to know the most authentic side of Gran Canaria on your own. I also share my travel guides to all the places in the world that I am visiting so that you can discover the destinations like a local and save time planning. In addition to traveling, I love gastronomy and sports. I run and hike in the mountains with my “dog-children” (Silver and Plata). In all these adventures my partner accompanies me, Jorge, which you will also see a lot on this blog.
Spectacular beaches and crystal clear waters, but also dangerous, thank you for sharing and for the good work you do
Thank you very much Carmen. A hug