Australian Traveller was among the first to join the Ngaro Track Walk in Comfort, a 32-kilometre, three-day island walk that connects Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet and rainforest trails on Whitsunday Island.
Australia’s multi-day hiking scene is going gangbusters, with trails opening everywhere from Uluru to the Coffs Coast. The latest is the Ngaro Track, a 32-kilometre trek across Queensland’s idyllic Whitsunday Island opened in May 2026. Self-sufficient hikers can tackle this three-day route independently, but I’m here to vouch for the Ngaro Track Walk in Comfort, a supported guided hike with World Expeditions, the track’s exclusive commercial operator.
The track from above. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
Taking walkers deep into the largest island in the Whitsundays, the Ngaro Track offers a chance to slow down and connect with nature and the stories of the island’s Ngaro Traditional Custodians. The Ngaro Track Walk in Comfort allows walkers to carry a lighter pack so you can focus on enjoying the mesmerising scenery and soaking up the knowledge of your expert guides.
What to expect on the Ngaro Track
The hike will take you from beach to rainforest. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
Bowarri Yamba (Moon Camp) camping site along the Ngaro Track. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
Wake up to a view. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
Watch the sun rise over the ocean. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
Uphill climbs are rewarded with spectacular views over the Whitsundays. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
End the day back at Dhula Yamba (Tree Camp). (Credit: Matt Horspool)
Each day on the Ngaro Track, open April to October, involves hiking a newly built trail arcing across the south-eastern corner of the island national park. Fifteen new walkers are permitted on the track daily, but guided walks (including the Ngaro Track Full Pack Guided Hike) have exclusive access, meaning your group will have the trail and camps to yourselves.
Starting near the southern tip of Whitehaven Beach – voted Australia’s best beach in the Australian Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards 2025 – the Ngaro Track Walk in Comfort kicks off with a climb to a stunning lookout then continues through dry rainforest to the elevated Bowarri Yamba (Moon Camp), our group’s favourite. Two camp hosts hike ahead to set up tents with comfy stretcher beds and prepare a hearty dinner so you can relax and watch the moon rise.
Campsites have been thoughtfully built into the landscapes. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
Beginning with a cooked breakfast, day two follows the contours of the coast, weaving through groves of hoop pines and grass trees – and past the odd goanna – before ascending to the lichen-encrusted boulders of Whitsunday Craig (353m) for a picnic lunch with stellar views. There are more viewpoints to enjoy as the track continues down to Dhula Yamba (Tree Camp) tucked in a solitaire palm forest fringing Torres Herald Bay, where you can swim if you opt to carry a supplied stinger suit (a year-round requirement for swimming on guided walks).
You’ll get a bird’s-eye view of it all. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
The third and final day is the longest. Taking you from one side of the island to the other, the undulating track includes the Whitsundays’ only mangrove boardwalk and crosses several creeks, though they weren’t running during our walk. We took a short detour to scoff our falafel salad lunch wraps on Murmuru Bari (Round Rock) with a unique view of the dreamy blues of Hill Inlet before pushing on to the inlet’s silica sands. I couldn’t resist diving into the shimmering aquamarine water before our 1.5-hour boat ride back to the mainland.
Both of the track’s campsites are anchored by an architecturally designed hardwood communal cooking and dining area that blends into the landscape. Camping platforms are comfortably spaced and each camp has a water tank and twin composting toilets, but no showers. Mobile reception on the track is limited, which I (mostly) embraced as a digital detox. Hiking through lush landscapes and learning some of the stories connected to this wild and beautiful island offered a much more meaningful connection.
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
AI Prompt
Is the Ngaro track hike ethical?
On the walk, learn about the Ngaro People’s enduring custodianship of the seascape. (Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland)
The Ngaro Track was co-designed with the island’s Traditional Ngaro Custodians to ensure cultural heritage is safeguarded and stories are shared respectfully. Even the name is significant, with ‘track’ signifying the Ngaro Dreaming tracks that follow Ngaro Songlines. The track has also played a role in reviving the Ngaro language. Working together, Ngaro families chose names for several special places on the route that hadn’t been officially named before.
The track is also dotted with hardwood posts carved with art and stories supplied by Ngaro families, revealing their continuing connection to this island landscape. Hikers can help to protect this storied Country by staying on the marked path, not touching or removing natural objects or cultural artefacts, leaving no trace and walking with respect at all times.
Travel Details
Only 15 people are allowed to hike the trail per day. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
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Tour cost
The Ngaro Track Walk in Comfort starts from AUD$2195 pp/twin share, including meals and transfers. You can book online via World Expeditions.
Itinerary
Day 1: Pick-up Airlie Beach, boat from Shute Harbour to Whitsunday Island, then hike from Whitehaven Beach to Bowarri Yamba/Moon Camp (8.3 kilometres).
Day 2: A hill climb and views galore en route to Dhula Yamba/Tree Camp (10.8 kilometres).
Day 3: A cross-island trek to Tongue Point, culminating at Hill Inlet (12.8 kilometres). Boat back to Shute Harbour/Airlie Beach.
How difficult is the Ngaro Track?
The hike ranges from Grades 3, 4 and 5 across different sections. (Credit: Matt Horspool)
This moderate walk is graded between Grades 3, 4 and 5 across different sections. Walkers should expect undulating and at times hilly terrain, limited signage and variable footing as the track winds through a diversity of ecosystems.
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Sarah Reid is a multi-award-winning freelance travel writer, author and positive-impact travel advocate. When she’s not out exploring or writing about her adventures (read all about them at sarahreid.com.au), you’ll find her at the beach in her Byron Bay hometown or savouring a glass of Aussie vino in the sun.
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 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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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.
