Travel Guide for Hamilton Island: Explore Whitsundays & Great Barrier Reef

Use Our Hamilton Island Guide To Plan Your Trip

When planning our trip to Australia, there was a place that we had seen in pictures and decided that we must visit. After researching, we found that the area with the gorgeous blue water and pure white sand was called Whitsundays. With surroundings this gorgeous, it was immediately put on the list of places to visit on our month-long trip.

The Whitsunday Islands are made up of seventy-four islands and only eight of them have any kind of population. The largest island with people on it is Hamilton Island. But it is not overly large at only five square kms.

We loved staying in this beautiful spot in the middle of what felt like paradise. It offers a perfect combination of relaxation and beautiful sightseeing, and we highly recommend visiting. To help plan your trip to this amazing place, we have created this Hamilton Island Travel Guide for everything you need to know.

Best Things About Hamilton Island

Where Is Hamilton Island? 

Hamilton Island is located off the east coast of Queensland, Australia. It is the largest inhabited island of the Whitsundays. 

How To Get To Hamilton Island

Depending on where you are before your visit to the Whitsundays, may determine how you travel there. But there are a few options.

Take A Flight

The easiest way to reach Hamilton Island is to take a flight directly to the island. We flew from Sydney into the Hamilton Island Airport (airport code HTI), and it was a quick flight in less than 2 1/2 hours. Other locations to fly direct from include Brisbane and Melbourne. 

There are a few airlines operating on the island, including Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin. Our Virgin flight was delayed departing from Sydney, and unfortunately, due to the airline’s extreme weight limitation on carry-on luggage, we had to check our bags.

This was unfortunate because we ended up waiting for 45 minutes for the luggage to come out when we arrived. Not sure if this is a regular occurrence or just on the day we were travelling.

Hamilton Island Ferry

Another option is to take the Hamilton Island Ferry that travels to Airlie Beach. You can either drive to Airlie Beach or if coming to this area from another spot in Australia, fly to Prosperine Airport (airport code PPP) and then take a shuttle from the airport to the ferry.

We chose this option at the end of the trip since we were flying to Cairns, and we could book a direct flight from Prosperine to Cairns, which was the most convenient.

The service from the ferry was very easy. We booked our tickets at the ticket desk in the harbour and they provided a seamless option that included the shuttle bus to the airport as well. You can also book your tickets in advance online.

Getting Around & Transportation While There

Hamilton Island is a small place, and there are no cars on the island except for some shuttle buses and service cars. Below is a rundown of the transportation options available on the island.

Shuttle Service

Most hotels will provide a transfer from the airport. Be sure to check this when securing your accommodations. If not, there is a complimentary Island Shuttle Service that is a convenient way to get around the island. It runs from 7:00am – 11:00pm. 

There are two lines – the Green line runs between the Marina Village and the Resort Centre. The Blue line does a full loop around the island every 40 minutes. You can get off at any of the stops along the route. To check schedules and stop locations, be sure to download the Hamilton app for live updates.

Golf Cart

Most private accommodations provide a golf cart for your use while on the island. If yours doesn’t you can also rent a golf cart for your stay. It is recommended that you pre-book your reservation. Our accommodation included a golf cart and it made exploring super easy.

Walking

The island is relatively small, but it is also hilly. If you are ok with some up and down terrain, walking from most of the accommodations to the Marina Village where the restaurants and activities are is doable. 

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Things To Do On Hamilton Island

The nice part about this little island is that you can go and relax but there are also lots of things to do as well. Below are the things that we enjoyed while there.

Great Barrier Reef

Hamilton Island is well positioned for accessing the Great Barrier Reef. You can explore this natural wonder through a variety of trip types including half day, full day or overnight experiences. We chose a full day trip to the outer reef with Explore Group and it was a fantastic experience.

Our full day trip took us for a 1 1/2 hour ride out approximately 65 kms to a few different locations along Bait Reef, where we snorkelled. Other folks were also scuba diving and said the experience was incredible. The coral is beautiful here, and there are plenty of fish to see. 

If you take a full-day tour, they provide lunch and snacks onboard.  It is a wonderful way to experience these amazing surroundings.

Visit Hill Inlet

One of the most beautiful places to visit and enjoy the sheer beauty of the Whitsundays is Hill Inlet.  Taking a boat ride from Hamilton Island is the fastest way to reach Whitsunday Island due to its close proximity. The boat brings you close to Whitsunday Island and then you take a small tender boat to reach the island.

We booked a half-day tour that included a walk up to Hill Inlet and honestly couldn’t believe the stunning views from the various lookouts at this famous spot. You walk through a treed area on a network of boardwalks. Some of the walk is on an incline but what you see at the top makes every step worth it.

You can gaze out across the water of Betty’s Beach (the northern part of Whitehaven Beach) and see some incredible scenery with green trees sloping down to the water and numerous shades of turquoise swirls. It is so beautiful it almost doesn’t look real. This is one of the top things to see in this area!

Whitehaven Beach

On the same tour, we visited Hill Inlet, we also had the opportunity to go down to the water that we had seen from above and go for a swim. Rated as one of the world’s top beaches, Whitehaven Beach is truly spectacular!

The sand is 98% silica, which means that the white sand doesn’t hold any heat. This makes for a pleasant experience for walking barefoot along the pristine shore. We also enjoyed swimming in the water, although it is mostly walking or wading versus swimming as the water is shallow for a very long time. 

The water is crystal clear and super warm. When we were there, it was stinger season (when jellyfish were present) but we were given protective suits that allowed us to swim without any concern.

Certainly, it is one of the top beaches we have ever swam at reminding us of Nakupenda Beach, another favourite beach in Zanzibar. We consider this a must-do activity if you are visiting Hamilton Island.

Sunset Cruise

If you enjoy a good sunset, consider taking a sunset cruise with Explore Group while on Hamilton Island. You can board a catamaran from the Marine Village and take a sail to enjoy the surroundings from the water. Our cruise was 1 1/2 hours and it was perfect.

We boarded and, once out of the harbour, were served bubbly and then wine and beer along with cheese, meat, crackers, veggies and fruit. It was quiet and serene out on the water and we loved the laid-back vibe of our captain and crew.

As the golden hour approached we were positioned with perfect views to watch the sky light up with many shades of yellow, pink and red.  We consider this one of our top sunset cruises along with the one we did in Moorea.  The crew were available to take many photos which was appreciated.

This is a wonderful end to another day in paradise.

Catseye Beach

The main beach on Hamilton Island is Catseye Beach. It is easily accessed from the main road. It is quite deep with a lot of room for people to spread out. It is mostly sandy with some pebbly sections at the water’s edge. But the water is very calm in this bay and at the time we were there also warm.

From the beach, you can rent sailboats, paddle boards and kayaks.

And just in front of the beach is a large public pool in case you prefer to swim in freshwater rather than salt water or perhaps both! It has complimentary access.

Hamilton Island Golf Club

If you are a golfer, then be sure to take on the challenge of the Hamilton Island Golf Club which is on its only separate island (Dent Island) just a 5 minute ferry ride from the Hamilton Island Marina. Since Denis doesn’t pass up an opportunity to golf, he decided to give this oceanside course a try.

The 18 hole course offers some exceptional views of the harbour, the marina area of Hamilton Island and the Hamilton Island Airport.  

Denis found the course to be relatively challenging with rolling fairways, beautifully manicured greens and dense foliage bordering each hole.  Be sure to bring plenty of golf balls as stray balls off of the fairway will be unretrievable if they land in the ecologically protected areas around the course. 

This is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon and enjoy the incredible scenery no matter what your golfing level or experience.  When you book your round, it includes the return ferry trip from Hamilton Island, green fees for either 9 or 18 holes and a golf cart.  

Denis found the golf cart indispensable as the course is quite hilly and the distance form some of the holes to the next tee is quite a trek.

This is definitely a course that he would play again!

Hamilton Island App

The tourist board of Hamilton Island has created a comprehensive app that is very helpful when visiting the island. You can easily download the app for both iPhone and Android. 

It includes great information including the shuttle timetables, arrival and departure information for flights into the airport, a good list of restaurants and bars, weather and maps. It is a great resource for when you are on the island. 

FAQs

How Many Days Are Enough For Hamilton Island?

We spent 4 nights and 5 days on Hamilton Island. This gave us the opportunity to enjoy several different activities plus have 1 1/2 days of relaxation. If planning it over again, we think one more night might have been better to have one more day to either enjoy another activity or just chill at the pool or beach. 

What Is The Best Month To Visit Hamilton Island?

If you are looking for hot and sunny conditions, plan your visit in October or November. But keep in mind this is also the high season and can be quite busy. 

Can You Use Cash On Hamilton Island?

Hamilton Island is a cashless environment. Using debit transactions is free but credit card transactions do incur a 1.25% surcharge on your purchase.

Hamilton Island Accommodation

There are a variety of accommodation options across the island from holiday homes to full-service hotels to luxury resorts. We chose to stay at an apartment that gave us a bit more room and a kitchen. We had a beautiful balcony that overlooked the water. 

However, there are full-service hotels available as well.  Locations such as the Reef View Hotel or Palm Bungalows are good options. And if you are looking for a high-end property check out Qualia, Beach Club or Palm Bay Resort that has a full spa on site.

Dining on Hamilton Island

During our stay, we ate at a few different locations. Overall we found the food to be fairly expensive here. However, we did locate a couple of places that were more reasonably priced.  This included Marina Tavern, which is a basic restaurant with self-ordering. We enjoyed the chicken schnitzel and chicken parmi.

We also had some good fish and chips at Popeyes.  It is a pretty busy spot but they give you a buzzer and you can sit outside and enjoy the view. Fish is fresh and tasty.

And be sure to pop into the ice cream parlour in the Marina Village. It is perfect on a warm day.

The Final Word…Travel Guide For Hamilton Island

We loved the time that we had in this incredible part of Australia. It has a great laid-back vibe but also a hint of exclusivity, which can make your stay feel very special. All the people that we met there were welcoming and went out of their way to ensure our island holiday was amazing.

In our opinion, Hamilton Island is the perfect spot for relaxation and soaking in the surrounding beauty. Be sure to plan some time there on your itinerary.