Whitsunday Islands National Park Whitsundays

Enjoy views of this famous beach from your camp site at Whitehaven Beach camping area. Photo credit: © Mitchell Burns Imagery

Ngaro track under construction

The Ngaro track will provide a new and exciting opportunity to hike in the Whitsundays. For safety reasons, the Ngaro track is closed to the public while the track and campsites are being constructed. Photo credit: Nah Turnbull © Queensland Government

The iconic Hill Inlet is not to be missed on a visit to Whitsunday Islands National Park. Photo credit: © Tourism and Events Queensland

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island

Stay a little longer to explore the pure-white silica white sands and turquoise waters of iconic Whitehaven Beach at your own pace.

Accessible by

  • Boat

Camping area facilities

  • Picnic tables (some sheltered)
  • Toilets (non-flush)
  • Tent camping
  • Walking
  • Snorkelling and diving
  • Canoeing and kayaking
  • Boating

Always check

This popular camping area is the perfect base camp for exploring world-renowned Whitehaven Beach.

Enjoy bush camping by the beach, or book the large group camping area, perfect for entertaining a bigger group. Keep your eyes open for lace monitors scrabbling across the camping area, and tiny skinks scurrying through the forest leaf litter.

Walk along the 7km-stretch of swirling white sands, or explore inland on the nearby Solway circuit track and Chance Bay track.

Grab your canoe or kayak and venture on the Whitsunday Ngaro sea trail off Whitehaven Beach, which takes you on a boating, paddling and walking adventure among several of the islands.

Whitsunday Islands National Park is part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, famed for its superlative natural beauty, outstanding examples of reef ecosystem development, evolutionary history and amazing diversity.

Getting there and getting around

Whitehaven Beach camping area is on Whitsunday Island in Whitsunday Islands National Park, located offshore from the Queensland central coast, 25km east of Airlie Beach.

  • This camping area is on Whitehaven Beach, on the south-east side of Whitsunday Island, approximately 21.6nm (40km) from Shute Harbour (travelling in an anti-clockwise direction).
  • Anchor at Whitehaven Beach. Access to this site is possible at all tides.
  • No public moorings are available at Whitehaven Beach. The closest public moorings can be found at Tongue Bay or Chalkies Beach.
  • For tourism information for all regions in Queensland, see Queensland.com, and for friendly advice on how to get there, where to stay and what to do, find your closest accredited visitor information centre.

Getting to the Whitsundays

  • Travel on the Bruce Highway to Proserpine, 125km north of Mackay.
  • From Proserpine, drive 25km east along Shute Harbour Road to Airlie Beach, and continue a further 10km to Shute Harbour. Book your tour or charter boat or launch your vessel from here.
  • All roads to the boat launch sites are suitable for conventional 2WDs.

The islands' national park is easily accessible by commercial tours and transfers, charter boat and private vessel from the coastal towns of Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour. Hamilton Island (20km south-east of Shute Harbour) is also accessible by aircraft.

Commercial tours

  • Commercial operators offer day trips, camping tours and boat, camper and kayak transfers departing from Abell Point Marina at Airlie Beach and from Shute Harbour.

Charter boat

  • Bare boats or private charters are available from Airlie Beach, Shute Harbour and Hamilton Island.

Private vessel

  • There are public boat ramps at Port of Airlie and Abell Point Marina in Airlie Beach, Shute Harbour, Cannonvale (4km east of Airlie Beach), Dingo Beach (50km north-west of Airlie Beach), Conway Beach (38km south of Airlie Beach) and Midge Point (60km south of Airlie Beach).
  • Always take the weather and tidal influences into account when boating in the Whitsundays.

Aircraft

  • Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach have airstrips and commercial operators offer sightseeing tours.

Before you visit

Opening hours

Whitehaven Beach camping area is open 24 hours a day. Check-in to your camp after 2pm and check-out by 11am on the day of departure.

Check park alerts for the latest information on access, closures and conditions.

Whitehaven camp.

Whitehaven Beach camp. Photo: © J Heitman.

Photo credit: Queensland Government

Camping area features: The dazzling white, pure silica sands of Whitehaven Beach are one of the best known Whitsunday drawcards. Camp sites are nestled behind the beach among lowland vine forest and eucalypt woodland.

Location: South-east Whitsunday Island; approximately 30km east of Shute Harbour.

Access: The camping area can be reached by boat (only) at all tides.

Number of sites: 10 defined sites including a large group camping area. Maximum of 36 people.

Camp sites are suitable for: walk-in camping.

Camp site surface: Sand and dirt.

Facilities: Hybrid toilets, sheltered picnic table (communal).

Open fires: Prohibited.

Generators: Not permitted.

Essentials to bring: Drinking water, rubbish bags, insect repellent. Read more about before you visit.

Bookings: book online or learn about our camping booking options. Advance bookings recommended for holiday periods.

Mobile phone coverage: Not available.

Visiting safely

For more safety information see Visiting Whitsunday Islands safely and camp with care.