I found heaven on Earth at Whitehaven Beach, Queensland

For my birthday I was lucky enough to go to Hamilton Island for 3 days. It has always been my dream to explore the Whitsundays so I was beside myself when everything was booked and the countdown was on. Of course I was too disorganised and undecided about what I wanted to do while we were at Hamilton Island so I didn’t book anything before we arrived and Im not one for sitting still. I have to see and do everything when I am in a new place so as soon as we arrived I headed to the tour desk and booked a Half Day Cruise to Whitehaven Beach, Queensland because there is no way you can visit the Whitsundays without visiting this pristinely beautiful place.

I recommend you book before you get there. We were very lucky that it was the tail end of Winter and there were still a couple of spots left.

I excitedly woke up the next morning packed my bag and jumped in the golf cart to scoot down the hill to the marina. If you ever stay on Hamilton Island then you have to hire a golf cart to get around the island. They are hell expensive but so much fun! Once at the marina we boarded the boat and off we sailed into the Whitsunday passage. It was a stunning day and it was so lovely cruising through all of the islands.

It was only about a 30 minute boat ride before we reached Whitehaven Beach. As soon as you arrive it’s easy to see why it is the most photographed beach in Australia and has been named the South Pacific’s Best Beach by the 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards. The crystal clear water and pristine silica sand is exquisite. Whitehaven Beach is known for its white sands. The sand consists of 98% pure silica which gives it a bright white colour. Local rocks do not contain silica so it has been suggested that the sands were brought to the beach via prevailing sea currents over millions of years. Unlike regular sand, the sand on Whitehaven Beach does not retain heat making it comfortable to walk barefoot on a hot day. The sand is also really fine and great for cleaning jewellery (random fact! haha)

I was basically drooling as I was waiting to get off the beach. Places like this make me weak at the knees. If I could marry blue water and white sand I would! We had two hours to enjoy the beach before we had to get back on the boat and head back to Hamilton Island.

Most people went set of for the walk to the end of the beach which is 7km long, a few people including  myself went for a swim and the rest played beach volleyball. It was the last day of Winter so the water was still a bit fresh but you cant come to Whitehaven Beach and not go for a swim.

The clarity wasn’t the best due to their being king tides while we were there not that I really noticed. It still looked absolutely stunning to me. After having a swim in the crystal clear slightly cold water it was time to lie in the sun a warm up again and just take in the amazing beauty of this place.

It didn’t take long to warm up again from lying in the sun so it was time for another swim and bit of a walk up the beach and then back on the boat. It was perfect timing because there was a big storm brewing just as we started to leave. 2 hours was plenty of time to enjoy this amazing place. Even though it doesn’t sound like long, there is not a lot do other than swim, walk, play volleyball or relax. I was starving from all the swimming so I was happy to get back to Hamilton Island so that I could eat! You do get a drink and a muffin on the boat on the way back.

Once we got back into the Whitsunday passage the water was so calm that you could see reflections in it. The guy that was driving the boat told us that it was called “glassing out” and only happens very rarely. It was way cool.

This was my favourite boat that was moored in the marina back at Hamilton Island called Hey Jude. If you own this boat, I am happy to come and take photos of it for free if you take me for a ride in it!!

Once back on land I jumped back in my golf cart and scooted back up the hill to the Reef View Hotel for some lunch. This was one of the best days that I have ever had and I will always remember it. I highly recommend the half day cruise to Whitehaven Beach if you are in the Whitsundays. Its definitely a bucket list destination that you need to tick off!

Have you been to Whitehaven Beach? If you so, what was your experience like? I would love to know so leave a comment below!