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If you’re planning to visit Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays then you’ve come to the right place. This travel guide gets into detail about all the best things to do in Airlie Beach. From day trips, local activities, the best bars & restaurants, plus some awesome adventure activities.
Also, at the bottom, I’ll link to some great budget accommodation in Airlie Beach.
Airlie Beach is known as the “heart of the reef” and is the perfect place to start exploring the Whitsundays. But don’t just pass through, Airlie may be small but it’s a lot of fun, the nightlife is awesome and during the day there are plenty of places to relax if you’re not doing a day trip.
Where is Airlie Beach?
Airlie Beach is a coastal town in Queensland on mainland Australia and has a population of around 1,200 people. It’s a small town but perfectly located in the heart of the Whitsundays region.
The closest airport to Airlie Beach is Proserpine (PPP) and it’s 26km inland from the main part of town. I flew in from Brisbane with Jetstar and they have flights from Brisbane to Proserpine 7 days a week. If you aren’t hiring a car from the airport the best option to get into town is to book a shuttle bus. These are very cheap options and will drop you off directly at your accommodation. The buses obviously stop a lot along the way as they drop off passengers, so the length of the trip will depend on how many people are on board.
The two best shuttle bus companies in Airlie Beach are;
Also, you can get a taxi from the airport which can cost around $100 one-way. And note there isn’t any Uber in Airlie Beach.
Best Things to do in Airlie Beach
Bars & Clubs
Airlie is very popular with backpackers and I can see why the nightlife here is awesome. And, it’s even a great place for day drinking, so many venues to grab a cocktail in the sun with ocean views.
Recommended Bars & Clubs in Airlie Beach;
Airlie Beach Hotel; was always busy & also has a sports bar, pokies & restaurant.
KC’s Bar & Grill; regularly has live music.
Mama Africa Bar & Night Club; this club has an entry fee of $10 and is better if you arrive late.
Boom Night Club; also arrive late here.
Magnums Bar; regular live music, and the restaurant & pool tables were always busy.
20 Degrees South Bar & Restaurant; this bar is at the Whitsundays Sailing Club.
Airlie Beach Food
I wouldn’t rave about the food in Airlie, there wasn’t a meal I had that really blew me away, but I did have a few good meals at the restaurants below.
Breakfast;
Treehouse
The Deck
Sidewalk cafe
Le Shack
Lunch/Dinner;
Joa Sushi
Mika Airlie BBQ & Bar
The Red Plate (Korean restaurant)
d’Viet House (Vietnamese restaurant)
And, all the places I just listed are very central. So if you’re staying in town you’ll be able to walk everywhere.
Airlie Beach Hikes
There are a number of hikes that can be done around Airlie Beach and many offer incredible views of the Whitsunday Islands. But if you don’t have a car and want a hike that starts close to Shute Harbour Rd, then your best option is Honeyeater Lookout Trail. This trail starts at 15 Kara Cres and is only about a 10-minute walk from the main strip. The trail is 5km return and I read most of the track is uphill.
Unfortunately, my friend and I walked to Kara Cres to start the hike and were met with signs advising the trail is currently closed! So that was disappointing, but will definitely be trying again next time I’m in Airlie Beach.
Airlie Beach Markets
If you’re in Airlie Beach on the weekend definitely check out the beachfront markets.
The Airlie Beach Markets are on every Saturday morning, 7 am to 1 pm. It’s a great chance to support locals, and there is so much delicious fresh produce and cooked food. And, my favorite stall was One Moon.
Airlie Beach Lagoon
The Airlie Beach Lagoon is a man-made lagoon on the beachfront of Airlie and is free entry.
This is a great option for swimming because from October to May in North Queensland it’s the stinger seasons and deadly jellyfish-like Box and Irukandji are found in the ocean. So at least the lagoon is available for swimming year-round. Plus, the Airlie Beach Lagoon is patrolled by lifeguards.
Sunset Cruise
Sunset Cruises are a fun way to start your night, especially if you’re traveling with a group or up for meeting new people. Airlie Beach sunsets are so beautiful and depending on the season it’s possible to see Turtles, Dolphins, or Whales.
These cruises can be booked for under $100 and I’ll link below two cruise options;
Airlie Beach: 2-Hour Sunset Cruise with Drinks
Airlie Beach: 2-Hour Sunset Cruise with Sparkling Wine
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea Resort is one of the most beautiful hotels in Airlie and in such an awesome location. And, you don’t have to stay there to enjoy the facilities, my friends and I visited the bar for a drink and the ocean views are stunning.
I highly recommend getting a Bloody Mary, it was one of the best I’ve ever had.
Also, The Coral Sea has a limited number of Pool Club Passes available every day, so everyone visiting would be charged a minimum spend of $40 to use at the bar & restaurant. Then you’ll be able to use the pool and all the surrounding outdoor furniture.
The pool area was beautiful and the perfect place to soak up the Whitsunday sunshine.
The Best Day Trips From Airlie Beach
Ocean Rafting Tour
I don’t think anyone should come to Airlie Beach without having a day out on a boat to explore the Whitsunday Islands. And, even though I’m someone who regularly gets seasick, this day trip was still a must!
There are a number of tour operators in Airlie Beach who run similar trips to Ocean Rafting, so you can shop around to see what works best for you. But, I’m 99% sure that Ocean Rafting tours are one of the best things to do in Airlie Beach. And, 2,726 ‘excellent‘ reviews on Trip Advisor agree with me.
Ocean Rafting has 2 different day-trip options, Northern Exposure & Southern Lights. The north offers an additional snorkeling stop & the South gives you more time on Whitehaven Beach. We did the Southern Lights and as the water in August is still pretty cold we didn’t want to snorkel twice. Also, the crew on the boat said they would recommend doing the Northern Exposure in the summer months as well.
Ocean Rafting departs from Coral Sea Marina but they have a shuttle bus that’ll pick you up from your accommodation.
Our day started at 9 am and we arrived back around 5 pm.
Hill Inlet & Whitehaven Beach
The highlights of the day included a visit to Hill Inlet, you’ll walk through the National Park to the lookouts and be able to get the famous photo with the swirling sands behind you. Then we got back on the boat & taken to Whitehaven Beach for lunch (they can provide you lunch for an additional $16, that’s what we did and it was all really delicious). The group then spent around two hours on the beach, which at the time didn’t feel like long enough. Although, I could have sat there all day!
Whitehaven Beach is as amazing as they say and the white silica sand felt like silk under my feet.
Then everyone jumped back on the boat for our last stop and was taken to a quiet snorkeling area. The coral on the Great Barrier Reef is so beautiful and even with the low visibility we had, everything was still so bright and colorful.
OK so, being a raft meant the ride was pretty fast & bumpy, which my stomach didn’t enjoy at first. But then on the way back to Airlie, we were all having a lot of fun. The music was pumping & being thrown around gave us a good rush, plus, plenty of laughs. Also, we even saw a few Humpback Whales breaching out ahead.
Whichever tour you decide to book just make sure it includes a stop at Hill Inlet & Whitehaven Beach, these locations are absolutely amazing and it’s obvious why they have become so iconic. Also, Whitehaven Beach has recently been voted the best beach in the world for 2021.
Skydive Airlie Beach with SkyDive Australia
I personally think this is one of the very best things to do in Airlie Beach. Nothing gives you a rush like free-falling from 15,000ft.
Sky Dive Australia departs from Whitsundays Airport & they have a shuttle bus that will pick you up from your accommodation.
And, if you would like to read more about my experience skydiving, I wrote a whole article on this so just click here.
Scenic Fights Airlie Beach
A scenic flight over the Whitsundays would be one of the best ways to explore the reef & will give you a very unique viewpoint.
These tours aren’t cheap, generally, they cost upwards of $200 just for the flight, and well over $300 if you book it as part of a day tour. But I think seeing the Great Barrier Reef from above would be such a unique and memorable experience. And, make sure you’re flight goes over the beautiful Heart Reef.
Ocean Rafting does have a Fly & Raft tour, if you book these trips together you can get discounts.
Drive from Airlie Beach to Bowen
Whenever I travel to a new place, I love to hire a car so I can get out & explore. From Airlie, the best road trip is to Bowen.
Bowen is a regional town filled with stunning beaches. To get there you’ll travel along the Bruce Highway & it’ll take about 1 hour.
When arriving at Bowen your first stop will be on your left & you can’t miss it. It’s the Big Mango!
The Big Mango is located next to the visitors center, we went in to ask for any local suggestions on things we should do while in town. Plus, you can also buy plenty of mango-related products including Mango Sorbet.
Then we went to the Bowen Jetty (at the beginning of the jetty you’ll see the ‘Little Big Mango’), the guy at the visitors center recommend this to us as it’s a great place to spot Sea Turtles. And, he was right, we saw 4 Turtles swimming very close to the jetty.
Bowen is a popular place to visit because it’s one of the few places in the area where you can access snorkeling spots straight from the beach. So plan the rest of your day depending on the weather and tides.
My favorite beaches in Bowen were Horseshoe Bay, Murray Bay, & Rose Bay. We spent the most amount of time at Horseshoe Bay, mainly because behind the beach was a cafe with live music. And, the beginning of the Mother Beddock Circuit Track, which is 4.5 km & has some stunning views of the Whitsundays.
Then on the way back to Airlie Beach, we turned off the highway to stop at Hydeaway Bay. It’s actually about 30 minutes out of the way but it’s worth stopping, the bay was so beautiful. And, the perfect place to watch the sunset.
Airlie Beach Accommodation
There’s such a big variety of accommodation options in Airlie Beach, to fit every budget. I personally chose to book budget accommodation because I think the location is more important. And, if your hotel doesn’t have a pool you always have the Airlie Beach Lagoon to swim in.
I stayed at Magnums, which is a backpacker’s right in the heart of town, literally the best location. There are dorm rooms available at Magnums but I booked a Queen Cabin with En-Suit and it was perfect as it was located at the back of the property so very quiet. My cabin had everything I needed and was surrounded by tropical trees, giving me real Bali vibes.
A lot of the more expensive hotels in Airlie Beach have incredible views of the Whitsunday but Airlie is very hilly! So, if your accommodation has this awesome view, just remember that to get to the main street you will be walking up and down a steep hill.
The Best Airlie Beach Budget Accommodation
Honestly, I can’t wait to go back to Airlie Beach, it’s such a fun holiday. I really hope you have enjoyed my list of the best things to do in Airlie Beach.
Airlie is generally known as one of the most popular places in Australia for International backpackers, and I can definitely see why. Although during covid Airlie Beach is getting a lot of local tourists and while I was there in August 2021 I found a real mix of travelers.
Airlie Beach is the perfect place to visit with a big group of friends, so share this article with your travel squad and start planning your Whitsunday getaway.
Thanks for reading,
Happy Travels
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Elyse is the author & content creator behind A World To Live. After traveling to over 40 countries, she has a passion for discovering new places. Elyse is a money-conscious traveller who loves writing independent travel guides to help her readers get the most out of their travels.
We would definitely plan to visit Airlee Beach when we next get to Queensland. The beach hikes and beach markets would be big draws for us. A sunset cruise would be the perfect way to end a day.
The overall visual look of your outdoor photos are very pleasing! I’m honestly not a big beach person, but I love the trail options and the market. I’d have to do a day trip to do ocean rafting, too.
Thank you so much for your comment MacKenzie, yeah there is definitely more to do than just beaches 🙂
I’ve had the Whitsundays on my bucket list for a while. This is super helpful for actually recommending a location in the Whitsundays to start, and appreciate that it’s not all just boat tour options. I like hiking as well. Will definitely check out Hill Inlet for that photo too!
That’s awesome. Yeah there is a nice variety of activities I think 🙂
Thanks for the heads up on Airlie Beach. I want to sail the Whitsundays and this is the perfect jumping-off point. The beaches look fabulous.
I love the tip of the $40 pool pass at the Coral Reef. The pictures are stunning.
The lagoon and ocean rafting seem like the perfect way to spend the day! I really enjoyed reading about your dining and accommodation recommendations. Definitely adding this to my list!
Thanks so much Chelsea
I didn’t get quite as high up as Queensland on my Australia trip but I wish I had. Whitehaven beach is incredible – it seems to appear on a lot of Australia’s advertising. I would love some of the walks and the sunset cruise, now just to book a return ticket!!
That’s a shame Angela, but there is certainly so much to do in Australia. Tropical North Queensland could be a whole trip on it’s own lol
Queensland is so so so beautiful! I’d love to have the time to visit it this year. Hopefully travel becomes easier in 2022.
That’s awesome Amy, Yeah I definitely think travel will become easier this year. And, our borders are opening at the end of this month 🤗
Awesome blog and so much information! It sounds like a super cool place to visit with so much to see and do!
Airlie Beach looks so beautiful! I love the big mango, too, haha. That’s so cool! Thanks for sharing!
Airlie Beach looks like a beautiful place to visit, with so much to do. I’m always up for local markets, and the Ocean Rafting trips sound just like my cup of tea.
The sunset cruise sounds especially memorable…would love to visit someday
I love that the lagoon is open all year round, especially since you can’t go in the ocean due to jellyfish during certain periods of the year. Also would love to go ocean rafting!
Hill Inlet sounds exactly my speed! For me, skydiving on the other hand is best watched from the ground! 🙂 Thanks for all the great tips.
I’m honestly having my mind blown by those pictures! That is an absolutely amazing looking beach. I am so jealous! Haha. I hadn’t really seen pictures of beaches like this in Australia before. I would love to come hike in the area someday and take it all in.
So many beautiful things to see! I would definitely stop at the Big Mango!
Wow, this whole trip looks gorgeous especially Horseshoe Bay in Bowen. I would love to visit one day, and see all the sites and take a sunset cruise in the evening. I did that in Key West and it was SOOO worth it. I’m sure the experience would be even better in Airlie Beach.
Wow! Airlie beach looks beautiful!! I’m interested in the rafting tour. I also get sea sick depending on the waves/size of the boat – the smaller the boat the less sick I get usually haha Great post!
It looks an incredible trip and I especially love a good sunset cruise to start the evening!