11 Of The Best Things To Do In Airlie Beach

From the back of a jet ski to the seat of a mountain bike or aboard a catamaran, there are countless ways to explore Airlie Beach

It’s one of North Queensland’s most picturesque… and interesting… coastal towns – full of salty characters who live for the sea – yet Airlie Beach still manages to fly under a lot of our travel radars. But there are so many things to do in a region which epitomises all the very best elements of coastal North Queensland – from its mostly uninhabited offshore islands (the Whitsundays) to bars with Coral Sea views and sea dog characters. We show the best things to do in Airlie Beach.

1. See Airline Beach from a different perspective (upside down!)

For a completely different way to see Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands, get inside a Soviet-era Russian Yak fighter pilot plane for aerial acrobatics right out over the town and the islands at speeds up to 300 kilometres with CQ Adventure Flights .

CQ Adventure flights — Experience an adrenaline rush. (Image: Marty Stringer)

Seeing the expansive ocean and islands while you’re upside down gives you a whole different perspective. There are three packages you can book – with one offering you the chance to fly right out over Whitehaven Beach, flying low over islands on the way out. It’s a great way to see everything from above while feeling like you’re locked in combat.

2. Meet the locals at the weekend markets

You won’t find a better place to get to meet the locals of Airlie Beach than the Airlie Beach Markets on Saturday mornings between 7am and 1pm. Held right beside the beach on the grassy foreshore, you won’t find a market anywhere in Australia with as spectacular a sea view. Look out on dozens of yachts and the northern islands of the Whitsundays as you browse stands of fresh produce, handmade jewellery and clothes, tasty food and fresh coffee. There’s also plenty for kids with camel and train rides.

3. Have a drink in a bar that epitomises North Queensland

There’s a bar with a view around every corner in Airlie Beach – and you can bet there’s a happy hour and a table full of salty characters ready to tell you a tale or two at every one of them. No coastal town in Australia can beat the collection of bars with sea views – especially at sunset.

Drop in for a drink overlooking the Coral Sea Marina and out to the northern Whitsunday Islands at Sorrento Restaurant & Bar.

Northies beach Bar & Grill — Relax with drinks and a meal at Northerlies Beach Bar and Grill. (Image: Red Cat Adventures)

Opt for a table beside the pool overlooking Airlie Beach and the islands up high at Anchor Bar . Or relax in a hammock or a seat at a picnic table under coconut trees on a secret beach north of town at Northerlies Beach Bar & Grill .

4. Enjoy a luxurious adults-only yacht tour

There are no children allowed aboard on these five-star sailing journeys – to allow for maximum relaxation (but there’s plenty of Champagne). Join a day tour on a 63-year-old classic sailing boat, Lady Enid , with a maximum of just 24 guests, as you sail from Airlie Beach to the Whitsunday Islands.

Lady Enid sailing — Step aboard a day tour on a 63-year-old classic sailing boat.

Choose between two-day tours which take you snorkelling, sailing and enjoying seafood lunches at two of the region’s best destinations – Whitehaven Beach or hidden gem, Langford Island. Or opt for a sunset sail in the bay just beyond Airlie Beach.

5. Airlie Beach Lagoon

The name ‘Airlie Beach’ is perhaps a bit misleading. Really there’s only one beach (Boathaven) in town, and even that’s man-made. But if you’re craving some time in the water, all is not lost: enter Airlie Beach Lagoon.

Surrounded by landscaped, palm-tree-dotted grassy shores, and featuring a sandy beach area at one end, you could easily while away a warm summer’s day at this scenic saltwater lagoon, finishing up with a beach barbie using one of the municipal barbecues scattered around the place. It’s free to visit, and those travelling with littlies can safely paddle in the children’s pool. The foreshore is also home to a super slick state-of-the-art playground, which opened in 2019, and lies just a few minutes’ walk from the lagoon.

If you’re craving some time in the water, enter Airlie Beach Lagoon.

6. Bicentennial Walkway

Fill your lungs with salty sea air, take in the beautiful shoreline views, and work up an appetite with a stroll along the Bicentennial Walkway. Roughly four kilometres long, this walk from Airlie Beach Lagoon to Cannonvale Beach takes around 45 minutes to complete.

Reward yourself with a velvety flat white or a decadent sit-down breakfast when you arrive at Cannonvale Beach: Fat Frog Beach Cafe is a local favourite that looks squarely onto the waterfront.

7. Skydiving over Airlie Beach

If there were ever a scenic spot to select for a skydiving drop zone then Airlie Beach, and the wider Great Barrier Reef, might just be it. Soar up to 15,000 feet above the Whitsunday Region before jumping out of a tiny plane and freefalling at more than 220 kilometres an hour before floating down over the clouds and drinking in the panorama of crumpled green hinterland, pure white shores, and aquamarine waters as the breeze ripples past your face.

Skydiving airlie beach — Is there a more scenic spot to select for a skydiving drop zone.

8. Sunset Cruise

Looking for a serene end to a jam-packed day and a different perspective of Airlie Beach? Step aboard one of Sundowner Cruises ’ purpose-built catamarans and enjoy a relaxing sunset cruise, complete with a glass of sparkling and a few nibbles. The company also offers two-hour afternoon cruises twice weekly.

sunset cruise airlie beach — Enjoy a relaxing sunset cruise.

9. Jet ski tours

If frolicking around on the water in a tropical paradise constitutes your dream day, then book in for a jet ski tour. Promising adrenaline and scenic vistas in equal measure, Whitsunday Jetski Tours offer three different sea safaris that last from 90 minutes up to four hours. You might spy sea turtles, dugongs, seabirds and humpback whales while scooting around in the World Heritage-listed marine park that is the Great Barrier Reef.

There are, truly, countless other ways to take to the waters of the Great Barrier Reef from Airlie Beach. So if jet-skiing doesn’t appeal then visit the Tourism Whitsundays website , which lists all of the different snorkelling, diving, and sailing trips that leave from the coastal town. You can even admire the marine park from the skies, with a scenic flight over Heart Reef and Whitehaven Beach.

Whitsunday Jetski Tours offer three different sea safaris.

10. Conway National Park

A sprawling tract of lowland tropical rainforest that’s home to hoop pines, mangroves, and paperbark and pandanus woodlands, Conway National Park is the perfect spot for practising a bit of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing). Enjoy one of the park’s numerous walks, such as the steep 7.5-kilometre-long ascent to the Honeyeater Lookout, which affords sweeping views over the coastline; take to two wheels and hurtle around on dirt ribbons below the forest canopy on one of Conway National Park’s mountain biking trails, or jump on a segway and take a motorised tour of this verdant pocket.

11. Cedar Creek Falls

Less than a 30-minute drive from Airlie Beach, these falls cascade over a rock face before landing into a sizable milky green waterhole, enveloped by trees, that’s perfect for a cooling dip in the heat of summer. If possible, time your visit to coincide with recent rainfall, so that the falls are in full flow and the pool at its base is full. Best of all, there are no crocs to worry about and it’s located just a short walk from the car park.

Now discover the best tours in Airlie Beach to go on.

Originally written by Chloe Cann with updates by Craig Tanlsey

Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.

While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.

Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.

Getting there

car driving along Capricorn Way in queensland — Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)

You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.

Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.

Best accommodation in Clermont

Theresa CreekDam in clermont — Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.

Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.

To stay closer to town, opt for a central hotel to base yourself between exploring and fossicking, like Smart Stayzzz Inn and Clermont Country Motor Inn .

Things to do in Clermont

three people on a tour with Golden Prospecting — Join a tour with Golden Prospecting.

One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters , Four Mile , Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings . To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting . They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.

Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum . Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.

The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.

Bush Heli Services flying over clermont queensland — See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.

Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services . Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.

Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs . The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.

Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont

meal at Commercial Hotel — Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.

Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.

Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.

For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.

Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.

Discover more of The Mackay Isaac region, and start planning your trip at mackayisaac.com.

11 of the best things to do in Airlie Beach