Whitehaven Beach is the reason a lot of people come to the Whitsundays. Seeing it from your own yacht, without the day-tripper crowds, is a different experience altogether. Here is how a Whitehaven day usually works on IMPULSIVE.
At a glance
- Whitehaven runs for about seven kilometres, with sand that is almost pure silica.
- The Hill Inlet swirls show best around low tide, so the Captain plans the day around the tides.
- A typical day: Tongue Bay and the lookout in the morning, Whitehaven for lunch and the afternoon.
- Bring good shoes, a hat and reef-safe sunscreen.
The beach
Whitehaven runs for about seven kilometres along the east coast of Whitsunday Island. The sand is almost pure silica, so fine and white that it stays cool underfoot even in the middle of summer. The beach is inside the Whitsunday Islands National Park, so there are no buildings, just sand, water and bush.
Hill Inlet
At the northern end of Whitehaven is Hill Inlet, where the tide moves sand and water through the inlet into the swirling pattern you see in photos. The best view is from the Hill Inlet lookout, reached by a short walk up from Tongue Bay.
Timing it right
The swirls show best around low tide, so the Captain will plan the day around the tide times. A common plan is to anchor in Tongue Bay in the morning, walk up to the lookout, then move the yacht down to Whitehaven for lunch and the afternoon on the beach.
What to bring
Comfortable shoes for the lookout walk, a hat and reef-safe sunscreen.
The sand is almost pure silica, so fine and white that it stays cool underfoot even in the middle of summer.
Making a day of it
Whitehaven works as a full day charter from Hamilton Island, or as a highlight of a longer trip. On a week-long charter you can come back more than once and try different ends of the beach.
See our Whitsundays charter page, day charters and sample itineraries.
