Whitehaven’s wonder The whitest sand in the world, electric-blue water and more
THE third most photographed place in Australia, the second best beach in the world, the purest sand on Earth. Prestigious accolades roll off the tongue when you mention Queensland’s sublime Whitehaven Beach.
You’ve seen it on postcards, in magazines and Instagram feeds. But you haven’t really seen it unless you’ve visited, taken a picture and captured it for your own social media audience. It’s no wonder people flock here like seagulls to hot chips.
Sand is king at Whitehaven, and the reason it’s so blinding is it’s made of almost 98 per cent silica – a mysterious geographical phenomenon scientists can’t explain.
None of the neighbouring beaches are anywhere near as glorious; most of them are made of broken coral. In fact, the closest contender for white sand is Fraser Island, whose silica content reaches only 60 per cent.
An advantage of Whitehaven’s whiteness is that the sand is so bright it reflects the sun and feels cool to walk on in the heat of the day. If you dig your toes in far enough it’s actually cold. A disadvantage is that it’s too cold for turtles to live and breed here.
And for the final factoid on sand: it’s illegal to remove it from Whitehaven Beach and there is a $10,000 fine for anyone who does. They say if one person took a bottle of sand every day, in three years there’d be no beach left.
The most common way to access this incredible place is a daytrip via boat. Cruises leave daily from Airlie Beach, a tourist strip with little in the way of local vibes, but a high population of salty dogs.
You’ll arrive into Tongue Bay, from where you’ll walk up to lookouts to do battle with other tourists vying for a view of Betty Beach below.
Betty is where you’ll swim in dazzling warm azure water. Depending on the time of year, you might be clad in a full-body stinger suit. Despite how unflattering you think they are for your beach pics, a stinger suit will allow you to swim in places where wearing sunscreen in the water is discouraged. From the beach, you’ll be able to see over to Elk Island. Elk is rumoured to have the highest rate of death adders per square kilometre (which might be two, because it’s a really small island – still scary though).
The best way to experience Whitehaven is to camp on Whitsunday Island.
A ferry will drop you at the south end with all your gear and enough water for the duration of your stay. There are several camp sites available. All are highly sought after and allow walking between beaches, with exclusive access to Whitehaven outside of peak tourist times. Permits are essential.
Every day the tides around the Whitsundays change, and every day the sand moves. This means that every day the photos taken here will show slightly different swirls of blues, greens and whites.