Whitehaven Beach accommodation: Can I stay at Australia’s most famous beach?
Want to stay at Whitehaven Beach in Queensland? Well, the only Whitehaven Beach accommodation option is camping. And this Whitehaven Beach camping is not exactly easy to access.
Whitehaven Beach accommodation isn’t as easy to come by as many visitors might be hoping. Visitors hoping to stay at the Queensland beach are not going to find a resort or hotel.
This Whitsunday Island beach is arguably the most famous beach in Australia. It features in numerous tourism marketing campaigns, and for very good reasons. The sand is gloriously white (although not as white as Lucky Bay near Esperance in Western Australia). And there are numerous sandbars streaking through the turquoise sea. It’s a striking, dazzling sight, and it’s no wonder that many Whitsundays cruises from Airlie Beach make Whitehaven Beach the centrepiece of their trip.
Whitehaven Beach accommodation
But can you stay at Whitehaven Beach? Is there any Whitehaven Beach accommodation? Well not in terms of hotels and resorts, no. Whitsunday Island is part of the Whitsunday Islands National Park. No developers are getting anywhere near it, and that’s a key part of the appeal. It feels like a remote white sand beach, surrounded by coral reef and rainforest.
There is, however, the opportunity to go camping at Whitehaven Beach. There are ten camp sites just behind the beach, and a larger group camping area. You can’t camp on the beach itself.
Whitehaven Beach camping facilities
The Whitehaven Beach camping facilities are very basic. There are pretty grim hybrid toilets and a shared picnic table and that’s about it. Generators are banned, as are open fires.
Then there’s the issue of getting to the Whitehaven Beach camping sites. The easiest way in is by boat, but there are no public mooring sites at Whitehaven Beach. You just have to drop anchor and work your way ashore from there. There is no Whitehaven Beach ferry service either.
It is possible to moor at Tongue Bay on the other end of Whitehaven Beach. But then you’ve got to walk 700 metres to North Whitehaven Beach, and round Hill Inlet to the southern end of Whitehaven Beach. Given this famous Whitsundays beach is more than 7km long, that’s implausible for all but the most determined.
For more detailed information on accessing this very basic Whitehaven Beach accommodation, visit the Queensland Government Parks and Forests Department website. Otherwise, plump for a half day Whitehaven Beach tour from Airlie Beach.
Accommodation options in Airlie Beach include the handily central Mantra Club Croc, the adults-only Airlie Beach Magnums and the apartment-style Martinique Whitsunday Resort.
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