Top 13 Things For Families To Do On Hamilton Island

There’s more to Hamilton Island than resort pools and swanky restaurants. For the ultimate family holiday, check out these top activities for young and old.

All yours – sailing the Whitsundays around Hamilton Island (photo: Elise Hassey).

Go sailing

The Whitsundays are renowned Australia-wide for being the perfect place to learn to sail, and plenty of people do, thanks to numerous bare-boating charter options .

Catamaran Catseye Beach, Hamilton Island — One of the great activities on Hamilton Island is catamaran sailing in the protected waters around Catseye Beach

However, if you’re looking for a sailing experience while keeping your feet planted on solid ground (that is, Hamilton) at night, then consider hiring a mini catamaran. Kids and adults can try their hand at sailing these two-hulled catamarans around the safe waters of Catseye Bay.

If that sounds too daunting, sign up for a private or group lesson. Check in with Hamilton Island Beach Sports on Catseye Beach to find out when the wind and tides are suitable, and ask your hotel staff if it includes complimentary hire.

Hire a dinghy

If hiring a catamaran isn’t for you, don’t worry. You don’t have to hoist a sail and learn the ropes to enjoy a day on the water in the Whitsundays. Charter a dinghy from Hamilton Island Tour Desk and take the family on a half- or full-day sightseeing, swimming or fishing excursion.

Pack a picnic and go ashore at a hidden cove for a lunch to remember, or jump overboard for family snorkelling fun.

If you want to go fishing, you can pick up the basics at Hamilton Island Marina. Parents take note: no boating experience is required.

Learn how to fish

If you’re keen to go fishing but don’t know your squid jigs from your spinnerbaits, sign up for a tour. Renegade Fishing Charters runs half- and full-day excursions from Hamilton Island around the Whitsundays, with all gear included.

You can join a shared charter or, if you’re travelling with extended family or friends, book a private charter (children must be aged 6–14 years). Expect to reel in coral trout, snapper and cod, among other species. Once you return to the marina you can organise to have a Hamilton Island chef cook your catch for dinner. Not bad for a hard day at sea.

Day-trip to Whitehaven Beach

It’s the star attraction of the Whitsundays and the subject of thousands of Instagram snaps, but what we love about Whitehaven Beach is how kid-friendly it is. The aqua water meanders away from the white-sand shore, creating a shallow and safe play area for babies and small children.

To get there from Hamilton, you can join a Cruise Whitsundays’ tour , which calls into the island after departing Airlie Beach, the main town servicing the region.

Or, you can join Explore’s Sail & Snorkel Whitehaven and Chalkies Beach full-day excursion (minimum age is five). Running daily (from April) between 8.30am and 4pm, you’ll get to cruise around the Whitsundays, swim at Whitehaven, enjoy an on-board buffet lunch and snorkel at Chalkies (keep your eyes peeled for turtles). Snorkelling gear, stinger suits and life vests are provided.

Snorkelling Great Barrier Reef, Hamilton Island — A trip to Hamilton Island is not complete without a trip to snorkel or dive the Great Barrier Reef

Reef snorkelling and diving

If snorkelling at Chalkies whets your appetite for more underwater adventure, Explore also offers a half-day Snorkel & Dive Whitsunday Islands tour . Departing from Hamilton Island, you’ll be taken to the best snorkel sites to spend two hours swimming around the region’s coral reefs.

The tours operate frequently, however certified diving is only available on Mondays and Fridays. The minimum age for snorkelling is five, while divers need to be 14 years or older.

Make time for ice-cream

Put the paleo bars away for an afternoon and shout the kids, and yourself, a treat from the Ice Cream Parlour down at Marina Village. Go all out and order a sundae or double chocolate-coated waffle cone.

If you prefer gelato, there are 12 flavours to pick from at Pizzeria and Gelato Bar across the way. While you’re there, why not grab a slab of pepperoni pizza for dinner, too?

Pool, Reef View Hotel, Hamilton Island — The 35m pool at the Reef View Hotel, Hamilton Island, has plenty of space for families

Swim in the pools or at the beach

There are plenty of pools to enjoy on Hamilton Island, including the popular 35-metre pool at Reef View Hotel .

However, if you’re craving a little sand and salt, you’ll want to head to Catseye Beach.

Catseye Beach Hamilton island — The view of Catseye Beach from the Reef View Hotel, Hamilton Island

Go for a swim or hire a stand-up paddleboard, catamaran, windsurfer or kayak from Hamilton Island Beach Sports. You can also pick up snorkelling gear here, or join a guided snorkelling tour.

Race around the island on a quad bike or go kart

Who knew quad biking or go karting was a thing on Hamilton Island?

For a tropical adventure that’s bound to get your little ones’ hearts racing, make time for a session or two of Quads for Kids. Children aged between six and 14 can zoom around a quad-bike circuit for 15 minutes.

They’ll get a safety briefing beforehand and be guided by experienced instructors, so there’s no need to worry. The tour times change depending on the season, so ask your hotel information desk when checking in. Riders will need long pants and closed shoes, so don’t forget to pack them.

If they’re smiling from ear to ear after that experience, take the kids along to the go-kart track and ride with them.

The quad biking and go-karting are located at Palm Valley Activities and there are age and height restrictions, so call ahead.

Hit the water on a jet ski

Keep the adrenaline pumping on a jet-ski tour around the Whitsundays.

This is a great family activity, as Mum or Dad can be the main rider, with a child above the age of 12 as a passenger. An instructor will show you the ropes before taking you to some of Hamilton Island’s secret spots and to outer channels.

Aside from the fun factor, the tour is a great way to learn about the aquatic environment and you may be lucky enough to spot turtles and whales. The hour-long tours run daily (weather dependent) and depart from the marina.

Go for a spin in a jet boat

Teenagers will love thrashing around the waters off Hamilton on a jet-boat.

The HI Watersports Jetryder Tour is 30 minutes of high-speed action during which you’re bound to get soaked.

Mini wild ones will have to wait until they’re older for this tour, with children needing to be at least 1.2 metres tall. There is also a maximum age restriction of 65 years.

The tours run regularly from Marina Village and life jackets are provided.

Strike out at bowling

If you’re visiting during the tropical summer (January to March) and get caught in a downpour, or you’re craving time out of the sun, head along to Island Bowling . Open from 1.30pm until 9pm daily, you can test out your skills at nine-pin bowling (yes nine, not 10) at Hamilton Island Resort Centre, next to Beach Club hotel.

Turn up the fun factor by playing at night when the lanes, pins and balls glow in the dark. Ask for the bumpers and ramps if you have young children.

Putt putt with glowing balls

For outdoor fun that doesn’t involve swimmers and sand, enjoy a round of mini golf near the Sports Club.

If you loved night-time bowling then you’ll want to try glow-in-the-dark putt putt, too. It’s on between 6pm–8pm, while daytime hours tee off at 6am.

Meet a koala

Create long-lasting moments for your kids by signing them up for a cuddly koala photo op at WILD LIFE Hamilton Island .

Situated not far from the major resorts, this island animal park is open daily and also includes a breakfast with koalas. If you prefer your animal meet-and-greets not so cute and fluffy, put your hand up for a dingo, snake or bird photo encounter instead.

The park is also home to kangaroos and a crocodile, and you can learn about them on guided tours.

Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

Exploring K’gari

ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island — Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island — Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

Unwind at sunset

two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort — Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

Indulge and disconnect

woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa — Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

Getting there

kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island — The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.

The 13 best things to do for families on Hamilton Island