Whitehaven Beach Guide

Here’s why you will simply love Whitehaven Beach!

Whitehaven Beach has been voted No. 1

Whitehaven Beach is located on Whitsunday Island, which is the largest of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays and close to the great barrier reef. In 2017 it was rated the No 1 beach by the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, in the south Pacific.

Whitehaven Beach is protected!

Being protected by the Whitsundays Islands National Park, its the top ecologically conserved beach in the world. Boasting a pure and pristine environment while having the whitest silica sands you have ever seen. Furthermore Whitehaven displays the most beautiful turquoise waters lapping up against its shores.

Make sure you don’t leave any rubbish on the beach and clean up after yourself!

The silica sands of Whitehaven Beach

Whitehaven’s Beach consists of 98% silica which is well rounded sand and composed of almost pure quartz grains. The sand found here is so pure that it remains somewhat of a mystery to the scientific community. Quartz or silicon dioxide (SiO2) is the most common mineral found on the Earths surface. Quartz is found in rocks like granite, gnesiss and sandstone. Therefore because Whitehaven is nearly entirely made from it, the beach has nearly a luminescent look and feel, while boasting a natural display of outstanding beauty.

Whitehaven’s sand might have helped humanity explore our universe!

There is a well known claim that the sand of Whitehaven is so pure and refined that NASA in fact used the sand to create the glass for the Hubble Telescope back in the 1970’s. Paul Duffield, of London’s independent newspaper, actually contacted NASA to try and confirm or disprove this claim. However after many people on the Hubble project were contacted and due to the time passed since Hubble was built, NASA had difficulty confirming or denying whether this is true. That withstanding they followed with that it could be possible, due to the unique nature of the quartz crystals of Whitehaven Beach. Well that’s enough for us for it to be true, so just go with it.

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Best time to go?

Whitehaven Beach is open for your pleasure all year round. With our weather here in the Whitsundays, there’s no time like the present to see one of natures truly spectacular wonders of the world.

Can I take the sand from Whitehaven Beach home?

Absolutely not! The beach is protected and there is an on the spot fine of $10,000 if you get caught doing this. Please respect our natural wonder and keep this beach as pristine as it is.

Oprah Winfrey loved Whitehaven

The queen of daytime TV visited Whitehaven in 2010 after flying into Hamilton Island on her private jet. Oprah was treated to a barbecue cooked up by celebrity chef Curtis Stone right on the beach. Here’s what she said about our magical beach:

“I will be telling everybody that it is better than anything in a book or a magazine”

“It is a really long trip but it is worth it”

“The people here are really friendly”

“Oh my God, it is so beautiful”

What should you bring to Whitehaven Beach?

If you are sailing there on your own boat then your options are pretty limitless but we thought we would give you the absolute necessities: