Whitsunday Island is the largest in the Cumberland Group with an area of 10 930 ha. It is part of the national park and uninhabited. The island is covered in dense vegetation, much of it above 200 m, with peaks reaching 390 m. The island shore is predominantly rocky and indented with several well-protected bays and inlets. Its eastern shore is more exposed and the south-eastern side houses Whitehaven Beach, one of Australia’s most famous and popular beaches. The beach (WHIT1) is 6 km long and faces the north-east, as it curves gently from Hill Inlet at the north end to a 100 m high, rocky point at the south end. The southern headland affords some shelter from the south-easterlies and it is here that the tourists are daily discharged onto the sand. There are usually a few yachts at anchor off the end of the beach. Whitehaven Beach (WHIT1) is totally natural with no facilities - they are all back on the boats. For the most part it is backed by low, densely vegetated sand dunes, with a few sand blows toward Hill Inlet. The sand is crystal white and very uniform in size. The high tide beach averages about 50 m in width, with a moderate slope down to a narrow low tide bar, with seagrass meadows further out in deeper water. Haslewood Island protects the beach from easterly waves, so waves are usually low except during strong northerly winds. read more

Beach Length: 5.8km