The best Hamilton Island hikes and walking trails

Carla GrossettiBy Carla Grossetti
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Explore the natural beauty of this iconic island on foot.

What better way to see the delights of Hamilton Island than on one of its many walking trails, which include popular new routes that zigzag across the island from Hideaway Bay in the north to Escape Beach in the south. The walks were created as part of an annual event on the island, they have proved so popular that they are now a permanent activity.

Visiting Hamilton Island? Here are the best hiking and walking trails that offer wide-open views of the beach, bush and nature.

Passage Peak

Distance: 2.7 kilometres

Grade 3: Challenging with many steps

Lace up your boots and set off before sunrise to climb to the top of Passage Peak, where a new viewing platform has been built at the high point of the walk to cater for those who want to see the break of day. The upgraded track is part of the Hamilton Island Icons Trail where, after pottering along the seaside path at the start of the Scenic Trail Entrance, walkers must carve off toward the northeast of the island to tackle the trail to Passage Peak. Download the Island app  and receive commentary along the way to The View from the lookout, which is the No.1 icon on the Icons Trail and the highest point on Hamilton Island.

Passage Peak walk Hamilton Island
Sunset views from the Passage Peak walk. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Saddle Junction

Distance: 1.8 kilometres

Grade 3: Moderate walk

Enjoy a slow 30-minute amble up to Saddle Junction to get the heart racing before breakfast. The junction is where the Passage Peak, South East Head, Escape Beach, Middle Head and Coral Cove trails intersect, and if you walk for about 100 metres and hang a left, you will join the Flat Top Hill trail which leads to a viewing area that looks out over the watery world of the Whitsundays. Keep your eyes peeled for the Proserpine rock wallaby, which is native to the Whitsundays mainland and islands. BYO binoculars to look for whales and dolphins.

Keep your eyes peeled for the Proserpine rock wallaby. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Southeast Head Trail

Distance: 4.4 kilometres

Grade 3: Moderate walk

The Icons Trail has opened up a side of the island that wasn’t previously accessible to visitors, making it a draw for travellers who want to work wellness into their holiday plans. Linger a bit longer at Southeast Head to take photographs at the Insta-friendly icon dubbed The Chair, which looks like it’s been left there after a giant’s dinner party. Want to burn off a few more calories? Include a walk to Passage Peak.

GIant chair Hamilton Island
Stop for a photo on The Chair.

Escape Beach Trail Walk

Distance: 12.4 kilometres

Grade 3: Moderate walk

The Whitsunday Islands formed after the last glacial period (30,000 to 50,000 years ago) when the sea level rose, leaving the higher coastal peaks as islands. Admire the landscape as you loop along from the Scenic Trail Entrance through Saddle Junction and onto Escape Beach. Pack a picnic and enjoy on the beach, which is protected by huge rocky outcrops. Snap a selfie in the Giant Hammock (icon No. 3) as gentle waves kiss the sand.

Escape Beach
Enjoy a refreshing dip at Escape Beach. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Coral Cove

Distance: 3.1 kilometres

Grade 3: Moderate

Start at the Scenic Trail Entrance and head to Saddle Junction before meandering through a forested section and completing the circuit to Coral Cove, where you will find a biscuit-hued beach featuring a Giant Swing (Icon No. 4) and more stirring scenery. On a clear day, the beach boasts views of Lindeman Island, which rears up out of the ocean. Stay, sway and play all day as it’s likely you will have this stretch of sand to yourself.

 

Giant Swing Hamilton Island
This biscuit-hued beach features a Giant Swing.

Flat Top Hill Lookout

Distance: 1.2 kilometres

Grade 3: Moderate

Like the eighties haircut of the same name, Flat Top Hill levels out at the very top of the trail, which starts from the Resort Trail entrance outside the Reef View Hotel . Look out for sea birds when you reach the lookout at Flat Top Hill, where you will see a series of lovely beaches and bays to the island’s north and south. Download the map  of the walking trails to help you find the Resort Lookout Trail entrance. Head to One-Tree Hill for a cocktail  to take selfies of your silhouettes and the sun setting over Daydream Island and the mainland beyond.

 

Flat Top Hill Hamilton Island
Views from Flat Top Hill.

Resort Lookout

Distance: 1.7 kilometres

Grade 3: Moderate

The view from the Resort Lookout is spectacular whatever the weather. When it’s blue-on-blue, it’s hard to tell where the sea ends and the sky begins. But even if the sky is bruised, black and blue, and heavy with storm clouds, you should don your wet weather gear and soldier on as the views from the second-highest point on Hamilton Island are spectacular. Follow the path through the Whitsunday bushland to the Resort Lookout which is one of the more well-trodden walks in the Whitsundays. The lookout drops off to sheer cliffs and allows an excellent panoramic view of Hamilton Island and a great vantage point for sightings of sea birds and marine life.

Rest your head at one of the top Hamilton Island accommodations.

 

Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti avoided accruing a HECS debt by accepting a cadetship with News Corp. at the age of 18. After completing her cadetship at The Cairns Post Carla moved south to accept a position at The Canberra Times before heading off on a jaunt around Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America. During her career as a journalist, Carla has successfully combined her two loves – of writing and travel – and has more than two decades experience switch-footing between digital and print media. Carla’s CV also includes stints at delicious., The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian, where she specialises in food and travel. Carla also based herself in the UK where she worked at Conde Nast Traveller, and The Sunday Times’ Travel section before accepting a fulltime role as part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK. Carla and has been freelancing for Australian Traveller for more than a decade, where she works as both a writer and a sub editor.
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What it’s really like to stay on the world’s largest sand island

    Kassia ByrnesBy Kassia Byrnes
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    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.