Whitehaven Beach is one of the most unspoiled beaches in the world. Located on Whitsunday Island, Whitehaven Beach stretches across 7km.
Turquoise blue waters. Perfectly white sand. Whitehaven is what postcards are made of.
It’s pristine. It’s magical. It’s…well insta-worthy that’s for sure.
And its beauty hasn’t gone unnoticed having won numerous awards over the years, marking Whitehaven Beach as one of the top beaches in the world.
Table of Contents
Exploring the Beautiful Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays
Getting to Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven Beach is part of the Whitsunday Islands, which can be accessed easily by boat, seaplane and helicopter. We spent 2 nights sailing Whitsundays on the Whitsunday Blue catamaran. On day 2, we visiting Whitehaven Beach and were able to spend a couple of hours at this slice of paradise. So sailing Whitsundays is a great option to visit Whitehaven Beach, plus explore the beautiful Whitsundays.
Alternatively, if you are looking for other options to visit, there are a number of Whitehaven Beach tours that you can book from either Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island which will take you to Whitehaven Beach for the day. The price point starts from approximately A$110 (U$81 | RM330) per person for a full day tour.
Getting to Whitehaven Beach, you first made your way to Tongue Bay which is about 27km boat ride from Airlie Beach. From Tongue Bay it is a short walk up over a small hill to the beach. From there, it is possible to also hike up to the Hill Inlet, which offers the perfect lookout over Whitehaven Beach and the Whitsundays.
What makes Whitehaven Beach so special anyway?
Whitehaven Beach is oh-so-picture perfect with is gorgeous turquoise blue waters and beautiful natural surrounds. But what makes this part of the world so special is its pristine bright white sand.
The reason for its bright white colour is due to the fact that the sand is made up of 98% pure silica. While silica in general is a major component of sand generally, the sand in beaches around the world doesn’t contain the high levels of silica that Whitehaven Beach does.
The sand here is extremely fine, and best of all it does not retain heat which means you can comfortably walk barefoot around Whitehaven Beach even on a hot day.
But do take care when visiting – because of the very fine white sand, it can easily damage electronics including your phone and camera. So I highly recommend bringing a zip lock bag with you to seal your electronics in if you need to put any of your stuff down.
Also, another fascinating this about Whitehaven Beach are the gorgeous swirling patterns in the sand, which can be seen at low tide. From the Hill Inlet, you can catch these beautiful swirling patterns.
The Nature
While the main attraction is its white sandy beach and clear blue waters, there is beautiful nature to explore here.
In part of the water on the beach, you can see stingrays and even blacktip reef sharks and baby lemon sharks which find sanctuary in the waters closest to the mangroves. The sharks use the calm and shallow waters closer to shore as a nursery.
I know I know, the word shark probably brought about scary images of Jaws in your mind… but truly this is not the case. Reef sharks are actually amongst the smallest of shark species and are native to the Whitsundays. They usually mind their own business, and only pose danger if actually provoked by humans. So please don’t go chasing them or trying to pull on their tails. Leave them be and observe them from a distance.
The Verdict
An absolute gem of the Whitsundays…and even the whole of Australia.
Whitehaven Beach is a must-visit. I recommend looking for a tour which allows you to spend at least a couple of hours at the beach.
Loved this post? Pin it, it’s more fun!
No compensation was received for this review, this trip was independently paid for. All opinions remains my own and I only promote products/services that I love.
This article contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase items through these links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog by using these link. These commissions help reduce the costs of running this site. I only recommend products & services that I personally love and use myself.
I'm Soraya, travel & food blogger and sunshine chaser at Hello Raya. You know that travel bug? I have been well and truly nipped, infinite times.This is my online nook to share my lifelong experiences of travel & food in hopes to inspire you to explore our beautiful world. 8 Comments on Exploring Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Pretty cool piece of trivia to learn about the silica levels in the sand. I had no idea that’s what made it so bright white! I wouldn’t mind seeing all the rays ever, but I’m terrified of sharks, even the smaller ones! Good thing the water is clear enough to see them and steer clear!
My sister went to the Whitsundays many many years ago and told me it was one of the most beautiful places. I can see from your photos of Whitehaven Beach that she wasn’t exaggerating! Those turquoise waters are amazing!
What a beautiful beach! And the water is so blue! Sounds like a place worth adding to my Australia stops.
Love your photos, seems like you found a perfect place of paradise! These white beaches and the turquoise water… exactly where I would like to be right now. But what amazes me the most is that it seems totally not overcrowded there. This often makes the difference, that you might have such beautiful spots, but its full of people, which I don’t see at all here on your beautiful photos. Must be amazing to see these sharks, such as Reef sharks with own eyes in their natural habit.
7 kilometer long stretch of a beach sounds awesome. Whitehaven Beach is beautiful as I can see in your pictures. I love the white sandy beaches. Sting rays – aren’t they harmful? The water is so clear I would love snorkeling here.
Whitehaven Beach looks and sounds like pure magic. The sands look so pristine and fine, so blemishless. The aquamarine waters complete the picture to perfection. I can also see that the beach seems to be so empty and secluded. It is paradise indeed.
The white sand beaches in contrast to the blue water is just so stunning. Love the clarity of the water too. I would just want to play around here and have some peaceful time. Lovely pictures.
98% silica sounds interesting. I had heard about Whitehaven beach but dint know it was so lovely and had won numerous awards. No doubt, it looks pristine and picture perfect. Thanks for sharing.