Snapshot
| Where | Whitsunday Passage, 25km east of Airlie Beach in the Whitsunday group of the Great Barrier Reef · About 1,120km and roughly 12 hours' drive north of Brisbane to Proserpine · Proserpine to Airlie Beach is 30km on sealed Shute Harbour Road · Whitsunday Coast Airport at Proserpine is about 40 minutes from Airlie Beach · Hamilton Island Airport is the island-side gateway, with ferries back to Airlie Beach |
|---|---|
| Getting there | Sealed Bruce Highway through Proserpine, then sealed Shute Harbour Road to Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour; conventional vehicles everywhere and no 4WD needed · No roads on the park islands: every visit starts with a boat from Coral Sea Marina or Port of Airlie at Airlie Beach, or from Shute Harbour · Independent access is by private boat, hired vessel or bareboat charter; commercial transfers drop off and collect campers and must be arranged before you book · Public boat ramps at Shute Harbour, Airlie Beach, Cannonvale, Dingo Beach, Conway Beach and Midge Point · Strong winds and cyclone warnings cancel commercial trips, and islands may be evacuated well before a cyclone reaches the coast |
| Best time | April to September — Queensland Parks names these as the best months for walking, with daytime temperatures of 21–26°C and nights of 16–22°C, and August and September the driest months of the year |
| Worst time | January to March — the wettest months, with about 230–300mm falling each month around Hamilton Island, the highest marine stinger risk and the middle of the cyclone season |
| Time needed | Two to three days — one day for Whitehaven Beach and the Hill Inlet lookouts on a tour, plus a night or two camping on Whitsunday or Hook Island |
| Cost | Island camping $7.75 per person per night or $31.00 per family per night, with children under 5 free · No park entry fee is listed for the Whitsunday islands · Full-day tours from Airlie Beach with snorkelling and Hill Inlet start around $249, Whitehaven Beach half-day trips from about $124 |
| Facilities | Toilets at every listed island camping area and picnic tables at all except Crayfish Beach · Tent camping only, with no campfires, generators, showers, barbecues or dogs, and no drinking water — carry at least 5 litres per person per day · Fuel, supermarkets and ATMs in Proserpine and Airlie Beach · Mobile phones are unreliable on the islands: satellite phone, marine VHF radio (channels 16 and 81) and a personal locator beacon are the reliable contacts, with forecasts on 1300 360 426 |
| Best for | Boat-borne campers, day-trippers sailing out of Airlie Beach, and snorkellers after fringing reef, turtles and clear water |
| Difficulty |
3 of 5 — Challenging
None of the walks is long — most run 40 minutes to a few hours — but Whitsunday Peak and the Whitsunday Cairn track are graded difficult, and the Cairn track has no defined track. Everything depends on boat access, tides, wind and open water, and you carry in all your own food and water. |
Driving there? Car hire and what to check →
Whitsunday Islands National Park protects 30 of the islands in the Whitsunday group, 25km east of Airlie Beach inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. These are continental islands — the drowned tops of an old mainland range, cut off when the sea rose about 10,000 years ago — and welded ash, rock fragments and dark lava dykes show in the island cliffs. Whitehaven Beach runs 7km along Whitsunday Island in fine white silica sand, and the aquamarine shallows at Hill Inlet come from fine sediment scattering the light. This is the sea Country of the Ngaro people, the 'Canoe People', whose occupation here goes back at least 9,000 years and is recorded in a stone quarry on South Molle Island, fish traps across the group and a rock art cave at Nara Inlet on Hook Island.
There is no road, jetty or shop on the park islands: everything comes in by boat from Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour, and most visitors see the park on a day tour. Independent travellers camp at 25 island camping areas from Whitehaven Beach to Maureen's Cove and walk the short tracks that climb from the beaches to the lookouts.
Go if…
- You are happy arriving by boat — there is no road, jetty or shop on the park islands, and everything comes in from Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour
- You want the classic Whitsunday views in one trip: the Hill Inlet sandbars, 7km of silica sand at Whitehaven Beach and clear fringing reef a short snorkel from the boat
- You like camping simple and quiet — 25 island sites with toilets, no campfires and no generators, and dark, still camps once the day boats leave
- You are travelling as a group that can be self-sufficient, carrying in food, fuel and at least 5 litres of water per person per day
Skip it if…
- You want to drive in, park and walk from a carpark — every track in the park starts from a beach reached by boat
- You are not comfortable on open water: the crossings are exposed to wind and swell, and operators cancel trips in strong winds
- You have small children or mixed swimming abilities and want patrolled beaches and stinger nets — there are none in the park, and swimming at Cid Harbour is banned because of dangerous sharks
- You are on a tight schedule in the wet season: from January to March the heaviest rain falls, marine stinger risk peaks and cyclones are more likely, and islands may be evacuated before one arrives
What to expect
Reviewed
You cross the Whitsunday Passage from Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour and land at Tongue Bay on the northern end of Whitsunday Island, 25km east of the mainland. From the beach a formed track climbs through hoop pine to the Hill Inlet lookouts: 1.4km return, 40 minutes, graded easy to moderate, with two or three lookout platforms above the swirling sandbars where Hill Inlet meets Whitehaven Bay. The walk is short and entirely boat-access, so the crowd on it is whatever your vessel and the day tours deliver that morning. A junction above the inlet branches back down to Tongue Bay or across to Lookout Beach at the mouth of the inlet, and the Lookout Beach track runs 500m return in 20 minutes from there. The sandbars change shape with every tide, so the scene from the platform at low water is not the one you get two hours later. Whitsunday Craig rises behind the inlet, and the rock underfoot is part of the welded ash bedrock that shows across Whitsunday and Hook islands.
Below the lookouts, Whitehaven Beach runs 7km of fine white silica sand along Whitsunday Island. Unlike the coarser shell-and-coral sand of most Whitsunday beaches, this sand most likely drifted north along the coast millions of years ago and was leached clean by fresh water. The water at the northern end is shallow and clear, but marine stingers are in these waters and the risk peaks in the summer wet season, so tour operators hand out stinger suits and you should carry your own if you are travelling independently.
Off the sand, the walking gets steeper fast. The Solway circuit climbs 1.2km from Whitehaven Beach in 40 minutes to a natural rock platform over Solway Passage, and the Chance Bay track branches off the same route for 3.6km return and 2.5 to 3 hours. Across on the western side at Cid Harbour, the Whitsunday Peak track climbs 5km return in 4 hours from Sawmill Beach and is graded difficult. Do not swim in Cid Harbour — Queensland Parks warns of dangerous sharks there, with serious injury or death possible.
You share the beaches with lace monitors, which work the driftwood logs, and with birds that make this one of the busier seabird coasts in Queensland. White-bellied sea eagles, brahminy kites and ospreys patrol the headlands, pied and sooty oyster-catchers work the tideline, and eastern reef egrets and striated herons hunt the rocks. From October to April thousands of waders and seabirds arrive to nest, and beach closures and boating restrictions apply around some colonies — keep your distance and watch for nests. Offshore, green turtles surface in the passages and fringing coral rings most of the islands. The Ngaro people's marks are here too: a stone quarry on South Molle Island, fish traps across the group and a cave at Nara Inlet on Hook Island, where a 340m return track climbs stepped rock to a viewing platform above the artwork. Queensland Parks asks that you do not touch or tamper with the art and that you treat Hill Inlet with the respect due to a place of cultural significance. At night the campgrounds are dark and quiet, with no campfires and no generators permitted anywhere in the park.
Where to stay
Almost everyone bases at Airlie Beach on the mainland, with Shute Harbour and Cannonvale next door and the resort islands of Hamilton, Daydream and Hayman as the on-water alternatives.
When bookings open: Island camping must be booked and paid before arrival through the Queensland National Parks Booking Service. Queensland Parks asks for at least 6 weeks ahead for popular sites in public and school holidays and releases camping on a 12-month horizon; some commercial transfers drop off and collect campers, so arrange passage before you book. Official booking page. Checked 8 November 2026. Booking dates for every state.
| Stay | Guest rating | Best for | Distance | Style | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitsunday Islands national park camping (QPWS) | Not rated | Walkers and paddlers who want to sleep on Whitehaven Beach or in a Hook Island bay | 25 island camping areas across Whitsunday, Hook and Henning islands · 25km east of Airlie Beach by boat | Tent-only bush camps with toilets and mostly picnic tables · no campfires, generators, showers or dogs · no drinking water, so carry at least 5 litres per person per day · $7.75 per person per night | Book now |
| Reef View Hotel | 8.6 / 10 (1,005 reviews, Hotels.com) | Families and day-trippers who want a resort bed with ferries to Airlie Beach and the park | Hamilton Island · about 14.6km from the park boundary by listing, with ferries to Airlie Beach | Island hotel with pools and restaurants on a car-free island with its own airport | Check rates |
| InterContinental Hayman Great Barrier Reef | 8.6 / 10 (196 reviews, Hotels.com) | Divers and snorkellers wanting resort comfort at the northern edge of the island group | Hayman Island · about 19.8km from the park boundary by listing | Luxury island resort with a reef at the door and transfers from the mainland marinas | Check rates |
| Daydream Island Resort | 7.8 / 10 (954 reviews, Hotels.com) | Short resort stays inside the Whitsunday Passage, close to the park's southern islands | Daydream Island · about 16.7km from the park boundary by listing | Full-service island resort with a living reef lagoon and marina pick-ups for day tours | Check rates |
| BIG4 Whitsunday Islands Holiday Park | 4.5 / 5 (584 reviews, Tripadvisor) | Caravanners and families who want rainforest camping 5km from the Shute Harbour boat ramp | Flametree on Shute Harbour Road, on the edge of Conway National Park · 5km from Shute Harbour | Holiday park in rainforest with cabins, eco lodges, powered and unpowered sites, pool and camp kitchen | Check rates |
| Coral Sea Resort | 9.2 / 10 (1,001 reviews, Hotels.com) | Couples and pre- or post-charter nights within walking distance of the marinas | Airlie Beach waterfront · a walk from Coral Sea Marina and Port of Airlie | Waterfront resort with apartments and a pool, at the departure point for island tours | Check rates |
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What to do here
8 walks & sights
Hill Inlet lookouts
The signature walk in the park: a formed track climbing from Tongue Bay to two or three lookout platforms above the swirling sandbars where Hill Inlet meets Whitehaven Bay. Queensland Parks allows 40 minutes for the 1.4km return and grades it easy to moderate, and the track is open 24 hours, though almost everyone arrives by boat in daylight. A junction near the top branches back down to Tongue Bay or across to Lookout Beach at the mouth of the inlet. Hill Inlet is culturally significant to the Ngaro people, so stay on the track and treat the place accordingly.
Solway circuit
A one-way circuit that climbs from Whitehaven Beach to a natural rock platform looking over Solway Passage, the water between Whitsunday Island and its northern neighbours. Queensland Parks allows 40 minutes for the 1.2km at moderate grade and the first half is uphill, so take water even for this one. The Chance Bay track branches off the same route, which makes the two walks natural companions. From the platform you can see the boat traffic working the passage between the mainland and the outer islands.
Snorkelling the fringing reefs
Fringing coral rings most of the islands, and the popular snorkel stops sit on the northern side of Hook Island, including Mantaray Bay and Maureen's Cove. Day tours from Airlie Beach take in two snorkel sites and supply masks, snorkels, flotation devices and a stinger suit or wetsuit. Green turtles surface in the passages and the sea holds 22–27°C year-round. If you are travelling independently, bring your own gear and check wind and tide before you leave the boat.
Whitsunday Peak
The hardest short walk in the park: 5km return in 4 hours from Sawmill Beach on the western side of Whitsunday Island, steep and physically demanding from the first climb. Queensland Parks grades it difficult and tells walkers to carry at least 2 to 3 litres of water per person on a hot day. Access is by boat into Cid Harbour. Do not swim in the harbour afterwards — Queensland Parks warns of dangerous sharks there, with serious injury or death possible.
Camping on Whitsunday and Hook islands
Twenty-five camping areas are spread across the islands, from Whitehaven Beach, Dugong Beach, Joe's Beach, Nari's Beach, Cairn Beach and Chance Bay on Whitsunday Island to Crayfish Beach, Curlew Beach, Maureen's Cove and Steens Beach on Hook Island. Every listed site is tent-only with toilets, and all but Crayfish Beach have picnic tables; there are no campfires, generators, showers or dogs anywhere in the park. Permits must be booked and paid before arrival, with the tag displayed at your site. Camper numbers are limited, so book at least 6 weeks ahead for public and school holidays.
Dugong–Sawmill track
A flat linking walk between the Dugong Beach camping area and the Sawmill Beach day-use area at Cid Harbour, with the park allowing an hour for the 3km return. The Sea Trail walking page grades it easy to moderate while the journey page says easy. At high tide you must wade Sawmill Creek at the Sawmill Beach end, so time it for a lower tide or expect wet boots. It is the warm-up for Whitsunday Peak and the stroll out from camp.
Ngaro Cultural Site track, Nara Inlet
A steep stepped track climbing from inside Nara Inlet on Hook Island to a viewing platform at a cave with Ngaro artwork, one of the significant cultural sites in the group. The walk takes 20 minutes; Queensland Parks asks you to allow at least an hour at the site. Ngaro occupation of these islands goes back at least 9,000 years, and middens at Nara Inlet show the cave has been used for about 2,500 years. Do not touch or tamper with the art.
Whitsunday Cairn track
The roughest walk in the park: 4km return from Cairn Beach, the most northern beach on Whitsunday Island, with no defined track and only intermittent triangular markers to follow. Queensland Parks allows 4 hours and states it is for fit and experienced walkers only. Everything you need comes in on the boat, because there is nothing at either end. Check the park alerts page before you plan it — tracks here close from time to time for maintenance, fire and cyclone damage.
Whitsunday Islands National Park itineraries: 1, 2 or 3 days
3 plans
One day: Hill Inlet lookouts and Whitehaven Beach
- Morning. Take a day tour or your own boat from Coral Sea Marina or Port of Airlie at Airlie Beach, or from Shute Harbour, across the Whitsunday Passage to Tongue Bay on Whitsunday Island, 25km east of the mainland. Walk the Hill Inlet lookouts — 1.4km return, 40 minutes, easy to moderate — for the view over the swirling sandbars.
- Midday. Drop down to Whitehaven Beach and its 7km of silica sand for a swim and lunch. If you want another short walk before the heat builds, the Lookout Beach track runs 500m return in 20 minutes from the junction above the inlet.
- Afternoon. Walk the Solway circuit from Whitehaven Beach, a 1.2km circuit of 40 minutes at moderate grade up to a rock platform over Solway Passage, then take the boat back to Airlie Beach in the afternoon.
Three short walks — 1.4km, 500m and 1.2km — and no nights. Base at Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour. There is no park entry fee listed for the Whitsunday islands; a full-day tour with snorkelling and Hill Inlet starts around $249 and a Whitehaven Beach half-day trip from about $124. Fuel and supplies are in Proserpine and Airlie Beach, and there is no drinking water on the islands, so carry what you need. Marine stingers are in these waters, with the highest risk in the summer wet season.
Two days: camp on Whitehaven Beach
- Day 1. Arrange your boat passage before you book your camp — commercial transfers drop off and collect campers — and cross to Whitsunday Island. Set up at the Whitehaven Beach camping area, then walk the Hill Inlet lookouts, 1.4km return in 40 minutes at easy to moderate grade, plus the Lookout Beach track at 500m return.
- Day 2, morning. Walk the Solway circuit from Whitehaven Beach, 1.2km in 40 minutes at moderate grade, up to the rock platform over Solway Passage.
- Day 2, afternoon. Take the Chance Bay track, 3.6km return and 2.5 to 3 hours at moderate grade, then collect your boat and cross back to Airlie Beach.
One night at the Whitehaven Beach camping area on Whitsunday Island, with the walks named above — 1.4km, 500m, 1.2km and 3.6km — rather than added up. Camping is $7.75 per person per night or $31.00 per family per night, and you must book and pay before you arrive through the Queensland National Parks Booking Service, at least 6 weeks ahead for holidays. Carry at least 5 litres of water per person per day: there is no drinking water on the islands, campfires and generators are banned and only gas or fuel stoves are permitted. Marine stingers are in the water with the highest risk in the summer wet season.
Three days: Whitehaven, then Cid Harbour and Whitsunday Peak
- Day 1. As for the two-day plan: cross to Whitsunday Island, camp at the Whitehaven Beach camping area, and walk the Hill Inlet lookouts at 1.4km return and the Lookout Beach track at 500m return.
- Day 2, morning. Walk the Solway circuit, 1.2km in 40 minutes at moderate grade, and continue onto the Chance Bay track, 3.6km return and 2.5 to 3 hours at moderate grade, which branches off the same route.
- Day 2, afternoon. Move camp by boat around to Cid Harbour on the western side of Whitsunday Island and set up at the Dugong Beach camping area. Walk the Dugong–Sawmill track, 3km return in 1 hour between Dugong Beach and Sawmill Beach; at high tide you must wade Sawmill Creek at the Sawmill Beach end.
- Day 3. Start early on the Whitsunday Peak track from Sawmill Beach — 5km return, 4 hours, graded difficult and steep the whole way, with 2 to 3 litres of water per person on a hot day. Walk back down and take the boat out from Cid Harbour.
Two nights, both at island camping areas — Whitehaven Beach and Dugong Beach — with the walks named above. Camping is $7.75 per person per night or $31.00 per family per night, booked and paid before arrival through the Queensland National Parks Booking Service. Carry at least 5 litres of water per person per day and cook on gas or fuel stoves only. Do not swim in Cid Harbour: Queensland Parks warns of dangerous sharks there, with serious injury or death possible.
Experiences worth booking
Ocean Rafting: Whitehaven Beach, Snorkelling & Hill Inlet Lookout
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Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet Lookout Snorkeling Cruise
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Snorkel & Whitehaven Beach Eco Cruise, Lunch | From Airlie Beach
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2 Day/2 Night Prosail Whitsundays Sailing Adventure on Condor
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2-Night Whitsunday Islands Sailing Adventure on Trimaran Avatar
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Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet Day Trip: Chill and Grill
Check availability →Tours run by independent operators and booked on Viator. Booking links go to Viator, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are "from" figures in AUD, checked 2026-11-09.
Suggested gear for Whitsunday Islands National Park
18 items
- Water bottles or a hydration bladder Carry at least 2 litres per person on the walks.
- Water treatment tablets or a filter Treat creek and camping-area water before drinking.
- Sun hat, sunscreen (SPF 50+) and sunglasses
- Sturdy, broken-in walking shoes or boots
- Day pack (20–30 L)
- First aid kit, including blister care
- Insect repellent
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Lightweight rain jacket
- Personal locator beacon Mobile coverage is unreliable in remote parks.
- A stinger suit, or a full-length rash vest and leggings Marine stingers are in Whitsunday waters with the highest risk in the summer wet season, and tour operators supply stinger suits or wetsuits because covering up is the standard precaution here.
- Reef shoes or old sandshoes Landings are on sand, rock and low-tide flats, the seaweed strandline is slippery underfoot, and at high tide you must wade Sawmill Creek on the Dugong–Sawmill track.
- A gas or fuel stove with enough canisters Campfires and ash-producing barbecues are banned across the park, so every meal comes off a stove you carry in — and there is nowhere to buy more fuel on the islands.
- Water storage well beyond a single bottle There is no drinking water on the islands and Queensland Parks asks campers to allow at least 5 litres per person per day, more on walks like Whitsunday Peak.
- A marine VHF radio Mobile phones are unreliable on the islands and Queensland Parks rates marine VHF as very useful: emergency calls go on channel 16 and working traffic on 81.
- A weatherproof permit holder and printed tag Your permit tag must be displayed at your site, and if you cannot print it, the permit details have to go on paper in a clear weatherproof bag attached to your camping structure.
- Your own snorkel, mask and fins Tours supply gear, but campers heading out independently are expected to be self-sufficient, and the fringing coral is the reason most people come.
- A light fleece or jacket for winter crossings Nights through the April to September walking season drop to 16–22°C, and the wind on the Whitsunday Passage is cooler than the beach suggests.
How this compares
Whitsunday Islands National Park vs Conway National Park
Conway National Park is the mainland range directly behind Airlie Beach — rainforest, hoop pine and rocky lookouts you can drive to and walk without booking a boat or carrying water. It is the wet-weather and no-boat option for the same trip. Choose Conway for rainforest day walks straight from the car; choose Whitsunday Islands for silica sand, island camping and snorkelling on fringing reef.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed Shute Harbour Road runs through the park; 2WD access to trailheads and picnic areas
- Best for
- Rainforest day walkers · mainland bases · wet-weather days
Whitsunday Islands National Park vs Cape Hillsborough National Park
Cape Hillsborough, about 1.5 hours south of Airlie Beach, is where rainforest meets the ocean and kangaroos and wallabies come onto the beach at sunrise, with short coastal walks and road-based camping. It is the mainland coast park you can reach with a 2WD and a day pack. Choose Cape Hillsborough for sunrise wildlife and a road-trip stop; choose Whitsunday Islands for boat access, island camps and reef water.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed roads off the Bruce Highway; about 1.5 hours' drive from Airlie Beach
- Best for
- Wildlife watchers · road trippers · beach campers
Whitsunday Islands National Park vs Eungella National Park
Eungella National Park, about 2 hours inland behind Mackay, holds a long tract of subtropical rainforest with platypus at Broken River, waterfalls, creeks and a lookout over the Pioneer Valley. It is the cool, green alternative when the sea is blown out. Choose Eungella for rainforest, platypus and mountain air; choose Whitsunday Islands for beaches, sailing and island camping.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed roads through Mackay and the Pioneer Valley; about 2 hours' drive from Airlie Beach
- Best for
- Rainforest walkers · platypus spotters · families
Before you go
- Book camping before you arrive through the Queensland National Parks Booking Service: $7.75 per person per night or $31.00 per family per night, at least 6 weeks ahead for public and school holidays, on a 12-month booking horizon. Display the permit tag at your site, or write the permit number, camping area, dates, numbers, surname and vehicle registration on paper in a clear weatherproof bag attached to your camping structure
- Arrange your boat before you book your camp. Commercial transfers drop off and collect campers, but passages vary with vessel, tide and group size, and departures run from Coral Sea Marina and Port of Airlie at Airlie Beach and from Shute Harbour
- Carry in all your own water — at least 5 litres per person per day — plus food and fuel. Campfires and ash-producing barbecues are banned: gas or fuel stoves only, and treat any water you collect from tanks
- Never swim in Cid Harbour. Queensland Parks warns of dangerous sharks there, with serious injury or death possible
- Marine stingers are in Whitsunday waters, with the highest risk in the summer wet season, and crocodiles occur in the region: cover up or wear a stinger suit and follow local advice
- Cyclones are more likely from November to March and islands may be evacuated well before one reaches the coast; operators cancel trips in strong winds and refund or rebook. Check the Queensland Parks alerts page before every trip
- Mobile phones are unreliable on the islands. Carry a satellite phone or personal locator beacon, a marine VHF radio (emergency on channel 16, working channel 81) and take forecasts on 1300 360 426
- Fuel, supermarkets and ATMs are in Proserpine and Airlie Beach only, and nesting seabirds bring beach closures and boating restrictions on some islands between October and April — keep your distance and watch for nests
When to go
seasons & the hard months
April to September is the season Queensland Parks names for walking here: daytime temperatures of 21–26°C, nights of 16–22°C, and August and September the driest months of the year with about 25mm each. The sea holds 22–27°C all year, so swimming works in any month outside the stinger precautions, and winter brings humpback whales through the passage — regional and operator sources put that season anywhere from May to October. October to April is the bird season, when thousands of waders and seabirds come to nest and some beaches and anchorages close to protect them.
January to March is the hard stretch: the Hamilton Island records show about 230–300mm of rain in each of those months, marine stinger risk peaks, and cyclones are more likely from November to March. Islands may be evacuated well before a cyclone reaches the coast and boat operators cancel in strong wind. If you come in the wet, keep the plans short, book refundable tours and watch the forecast daily. The other pressure point is the Queensland summer school break from mid-December into early February, when camping and tour seats go first — book at least 6 weeks ahead.
Questions
6 answers
By boat only. The park lies 25km east of Airlie Beach, and commercial tours and transfers leave from Coral Sea Marina and Port of Airlie at Airlie Beach and from Shute Harbour, with private boats, hired vessels and bareboat charters the independent options. Public boat ramps are at Shute Harbour, Airlie Beach, Cannonvale, Dingo Beach, Conway Beach and Midge Point, and commercial transfers can drop off and collect campers if you arrange passage first.
$7.75 per person per night or $31.00 per family per night, where a family is one or two adults with children under 18 up to 8 people in total and children under 5 camp free. Book and pay before arrival through the Queensland National Parks Booking Service, display the permit tag at your site, and book at least 6 weeks ahead for public and school holidays.
Yes. Day tours run from Airlie Beach to both, usually with a snorkel stop, and full-day trips with snorkelling and Hill Inlet start around $249. On shore, the Hill Inlet lookouts are 1.4km return in 40 minutes at easy to moderate grade from Tongue Bay, and Whitehaven Beach itself runs 7km of silica sand along Whitsunday Island.
Not at Cid Harbour, where Queensland Parks warns of dangerous sharks with serious injury or death possible. Elsewhere, marine stingers are in the water with the highest risk in the summer wet season, and crocodiles occur in the region, so cover up or wear a stinger suit, swim near your boat and follow local advice.
Everything. There is no drinking water on the islands — allow at least 5 litres per person per day — and camping areas usually have only toilets and picnic tables. Campfires and ash-producing barbecues are banned, so bring a gas or fuel stove; no generators and no dogs are permitted in the park.
A 32km one-way, 3-day and 2-night Grade 4 walk on Whitsunday Island, starting on Whitehaven Beach and finishing above Hill Inlet, with guided, catered and self-sufficient options and no day-use access. The park's journey page lists it as open for bookings April to October, while an older park page has described it as closed while the track and campsites are built, so check the park alerts page before planning.
Nearby & next
Official information
Always check current alerts before you travel.