Ticket Hall

Experience the best of Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach is a small seaside town on the Queensland coast and the mainland base for the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef.

Read moreShow less

The town sits on a sheltered bay of the Coral Sea in central Queensland, with a saltwater lagoon on the foreshore, a marina, and a main street of cafés and dive shops. Just offshore lie the Whitsunday Islands, a scatter of more than seventy forested islands set in calm turquoise water, and sailing boats of every size leave its harbours to cruise among them.

The best-known sight is Whitehaven Beach, seven kilometres of pale silica sand on Whitsunday Island, with the swirling sand and water of Hill Inlet at its northern end. Further out lies the Great Barrier Reef, where snorkellers and divers swim over living coral. On the mainland, Conway National Park has rainforest walks and the cascades of Cedar Creek Falls, and Shute Harbour, a short drive east, is where many island trips begin.

Tables near the marina serve barramundi, prawns and mud crab, and the mood is easygoing, with sailors and backpackers sharing waterfront bars. Winter is dry and sunny, with humpback whales passing along the coast, while the summer months are hot, humid and wet.

  • Free cancellation on 80% of experiences
  • 4.7 across the top 24

Top experiences in Airlie Beach

Special offers in Airlie Beach

See all

Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.

Day trips from Airlie Beach

20

Cruises and boat trips in Airlie Beach

23

Guided tours in Airlie Beach

32

Outdoor and adventure activities in Airlie Beach

23

Nature and wildlife tours in Airlie Beach

11

Shore excursions from Airlie Beach

13

Signature experiences in Airlie Beach

Go beyond Airlie Beach

  1. The Whitsundays & Hamilton Island · 26 km

    Whitehaven Beach

    8 hr4.815k reviewsfrom $88
  2. The Whitsundays & Hamilton Island · 26 km

    Hill Inlet

    8 hr4.811k reviewsfrom $167
  3. Townsville · 228 km

    The Strand

    1 hr, 30 min4.634 reviewsfrom $82
  4. Mission Beach · 383 km

    Paronella Park

    10 hr4.81k reviewsfrom $44
  5. Cairns & the Tropical North · 484 km

    Great Barrier Reef

    8 hr, 30 min4.717k reviewsfrom $77
  6. Cairns & the Tropical North · 484 km

    Barron Gorge National Park

    7 hr4.65k reviewsfrom $92
  7. Palm Cove · 507 km

    Hartley's Crocodile Adventures

    6 hr4.5422 reviewsfrom $85
  8. Port Douglas · 543 km

    Mossman Gorge

    8–10 hr4.89k reviewsfrom $106
  9. Port Douglas · 543 km

    Daintree Rainforest

    9 hr4.97k reviewsfrom $32
  10. Agnes Water · 547 km

    Eurimbula National Park

    1 hr4.9313 reviewsfrom $32
  11. Fraser Island · 718 km

    Lake McKenzie

    2 days4.97k reviewsfrom $198
  12. Fraser Island · 718 km

    Eli Creek

    2 days4.97k reviewsfrom $198

Why book here

  • Compare before you buy

    Every ticket, tour and pass we carry for a city, side by side on one page.

  • Free cancellation on most experiences

    Where the operator offers it, the card says so before you click.

  • Real reviews, real photos

    Ratings and reviews are collected from travellers by our booking partner and Tripadvisor; nobody pays for placement.

  • Secure checkout on our partner’s site

    Card details are entered on our booking partner’s site, never on ours.

Three steps to add it

Plan with AIYour trip, day by day