11 of the best things to do in Airlie Beach

Chloe Cann Chloe Cann
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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.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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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.

Airlie Beach 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.

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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
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.

Conway National Park
Conway National Park is the perfect spot for a bit of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing).

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.

Cedar Creek Falls
Swim in the fresh emerald-green water under the stunning natural waterfall at Cedar Creek Falls.

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

Originally written by Chloe Cann with updates by Craig Tanlsey
Chloe Cann
Chloe Cann is an award-winning freelance travel and food writer, born in England, based in Melbourne and Roman by adoption. Since honing her skills at City St George's, University of London with a master's degree in journalism, she's been writing almost exclusively about travel for more than a decade, and has worked in-house at newspapers and travel magazines in London, Phnom Penh, Sydney and Melbourne. Through a mixture of work and pleasure, she's been fortunate enough to visit 80 countries to date, though there are many more that she is itching to reach. While the strength of a region's food scene tends to dictate the location of her next trip, she can be equally swayed by the promise of interesting landscapes and offbeat experiences. And with a small person now in tow, travel looks a little different these days, but it remains at the front of her mind.
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A gourmand’s guide to eating your way around Hamilton Island

(Credit: Nikki To)

    Eleanor Edström Eleanor Edström
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    From poolside bites and tasting flights to seafood plates and dry-aged steaks, a foodie adventure on Hamilton Island is worth every bite.

    Hamilton Island’s sun-lacquered shores have long magnetised travellers craving an escape from reality. But what’s less expected – and more interesting – is just how assuredly this Whitsundays idyll delivers on the culinary front. Dialling up the flavour as much as the barefoot allure, the Hamilton Island food scene offers world-class dining and drinking options, spanning slick fine-dining moments to just-caught seafood served within sight of the sea. Let’s dig in.

    Catseye Pool Club

    Catseye Pool Club
    Catseye Pool Club offers stunning beach views. (Image: Kara Rosenlund)

    Framing the electric blues of Catseye Beach from The Sundays hotel, Catseye Pool Club is Hamilton Island’s latest culinary prodigy. Shown to our table, we thread through rattan chairs, Zellige tiles and tumbling greenery that opens up to Coral Sea shimmer.

    The poolside restaurant is the brainchild of Sydney-based chef duo Josh and Julie Niland, who have brought their relaxed yet elevated dining ethos north. The menu – designed to bring people together – is made for sharing, each hero ingredient orbited by a palette of sides to mix, match and layer as you please.

    My thyme cocktail – woody with scotch, lifted by lime leaf – pairs perfectly with the charcoal grilled prawns entree, which is served with tumeric and lemongrass marinade, macadamia satay sauce and a thai-leaning sour green mango salad. Each forkful lands differently, but all are a delight. Then comes the coral trout. True to Josh Niland’s ‘scale-to-tail’ philosophy, the fish is presented whole in a theatrical crescent, a tiny fork stuck into its cheek in a nod to Niland’s declared prize cut. Ribbons of zucchini resembling gauzy curtains bring brightness and snap, while kasundi lends depth and warmth. It’s tongue-tantalising, special occasion dining with humanity.

    Sails Restaurant

    Sails Restaurant hamilton island
    Settle into casual poolside dining. (Credit: Nikki To)

    A more casual poolside dining scene awaits at nearby Sails Restaurant, where Eastern Mediterranean flavours are dished up with an island twist. Chermoula chicken skewers and barramundi souvlaki lie on the more filling side of the menu, while the sumac squid and stone-bread flatbread with za’atar – arriving alongside pomegranate molasses, beetroot hummus and crushed macadamias – are perfect light bites after a dip in the pool. And don’t miss the garlic lemon scallops.

    The setting is equally part of the draw. Sunlight floods the high-ceilinged dining room, while outdoor tables look out across the glittering expanse of Catseye Beach. Holidaymakers in oversized sunglasses sip spritzes beneath umbrellas, the gentle clink of plates mixing with splashes from the adjacent pool. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger long after lunch.

    Bommie

    cuttlefish dish at Bommie restaurant Hamilton Island Yacht Club
    Head to the Hamilton Island Yacht Club for a taste of Bommie. (Credit: Nikki To)

    Tucked into a sleek curved wing of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Bommie delivers experiential fine dining with a sense of occasion. Led by award-winning Executive Chef Ryan Locke, the seasonal menu champions local and native Australian ingredients whipped up into a modern display of creative precision.

    Inside the dim-lit dining room, guests can choose between the Tasting Menu or Chef’s Signature Degustation. Sourdough with pine oil sets the tone for the six-course tasting menu, beautifully presented in a bed of pine needles alongside smoked paperbark butter. I love how the squid ink choux pastry is served with flavour-popping native finger lime, which our waiter encourages us to eat caviar-style. Standout moments continue with the wattle-seed-crusted venison elevated by red fruit and pickled beetroot swirls; the meat is perfectly pink in the middle and an homage to the island’s history as a deer farm.

    Pebble Beach

    qualia Resort Pebble Beach
    qualia Resort guests can dine at Pebble Beach. (Credit: Lean Timms)

    Exclusive to qualia Resort guests for lunch and dinner, Pebble Beach is Hamilton Island’s most serene expression of seasonal island dining. Ocean-facing chairs dot a timber deck that spills straight onto the resort’s private beach, while crystalline turquoise waters stretch to meet distant islands – a scene far prettier than any postcard could capture.

    The recently refreshed menu doubles down on seasonality and bright, layered flavours. While the more substantial T-bone steak with hazelnut honey carrots tempts, we go lighter: Coffin Bay oysters with Champagne foam and keffir lime dust kick us off splendidly, followed by Byron Bay burrata served with balsamic and caramelised figs. The fennel and orange salad topped with succulent grilled chicken is utterly delectable, but it’s the zingy, oh-so-fresh soft shell fish tacos that I can’t stop thinking about. It all goes down a treat with a glass of delicate Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne.

    Beach Club Restaurant

    Beach Club Restaurant hamilton island
    Book in advance for Beach Club Restaurant. (Credit: Nikki To)

    A lunch or dinner table at Beach Club Restaurant is best booked in advance – and it’s easy to see why. Looking out over the hotel’s palm-fringed infinity pool, the restaurant spotlights elegant contemporary Australian cuisine with a stellar (also Aussie-leaning) wine list to match.

    I am completely enamoured by the grilled Queensland prawns, which are brought to life with a smoked compound, local fried curry leaves and lime. Digging into the butter-soft lamb rump served atop pea ragout and parsley Paris mash feels like a warm, nostalgic hug. And dessert – vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with hot salted honey and apple gel – ends the night on a high note.

    Expect warm and discreet service; our waiter Marco tells us that the tiny decorative starfish on our table are there to help the staff remember whether we prefer sparkling or still water, so they don’t need to bother us by asking multiple times.

    Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher

    hamilton island Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher
    Join this immersive wine experience. (Credit Eleanor Edström)

    There’s more to Hamilton Island’s foodie scene than restaurant reservations alone. For wine-curious travellers seeking something a little more immersive, Beach Club has recently introduced Talk & Taste – a tutored tasting hosted by Bommie Assistant Manager and wine enthusiast Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher. Held twice weekly for a maximum of eight guests, the experience explores Australian wine culture through four thoughtfully selected drops paired with native-inspired bites.

    We opt for the white wine and seafood option. Alongside pours from Eden Valley and Launceston, a nibbling platter arrives featuring sashimi, salmon roe, Mooloolaba prawn ceviche and palate-cleansing ginger. The seafood is pristine and pared back, allowing the wines to take centre stage.

    The real highlight, however, is discovering just how nuanced winemaking can be. Courtenay speaks of viticulture as both art and science: harvest grapes a week too late and ripeness tips into ruin; plant the same varietal on different elevations and the sun, slope and water flow will shape entirely different expressions. Pinot noir, she explains, with its delicate skin and high water content, yields lighter fruit-forward wines, while thicker-skinned shiraz delivers depth and structure. I leave feeling fascinated and inspired by Courtenay’s evident passion.

    coca chu

    table spread at CocaChu
    Get a taste of Southeast Asian flavours. (Credit: Nikki To)

    Sweet and hot. Sour and salty. Dining at ever-popular coca chu is a sensation-swirling experience that’s not to be missed if you’re a sucker for punchy Southeast Asian flavours. Located at the Main Pool end of Catseye Beach, this lively hangout is all swaying lanterns, driftwood, high beamed ceilings and giant open windows that let in the balmy ocean breeze.

    Drawing from hawker traditions, the grilled betel leaf is a neat, vibrant mouthful of chilli fried cashews and spiced beef. The tofu surprises – soft beneath a tumble of dill, mint and coriander, and glossed in moreish peanut sauce. The massaman curry is pure comfort: creamy, fragrant, fall-apart meat. It’s generous and expressive cooking that I, for one, cannot get enough of.

    Marina Cafe

    hamilton island MArina Cafe
    Take in harbour views and comfort food.

    Sometimes, all you crave on holidays is a bacon and egg roll done properly and a creamy fruit smoothie. Boasting harbour views, an easygoing atmosphere and clean modern interiors, Marina Cafe is a popular local haunt for a reason. The casual menu lures families and couples alike with its all-day brekky, seasonal salads and sandwiches – from a roasted pumpkin bowl to prosciutto and rocket on herby focaccia.

    The acai bowl, topped with toasted nuts and berries, is a refreshing start to my day. Whether you sit in or takeaway, it’s a good-vibes-guaranteed place to refuel before or after your Whitsundays adventures.

    Discover your foodie getaway now at hamiltonisland.com.au.