Guide to Airlie Beach Queensland Australia

Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsundays – just south of Bowen, and on the coast of Proserpine. It is a colourful, cosmopolitan and inviting holiday town lying on the shores of a palm fringed beach and overlooking the calm waters of Pioneer Bay dotted with yachts.

See some of the highlights of Airlie Beach, Shute Harbour and the Whitsunday Islands in the short video below (duration: around 5 minutes).

You can’t avoid the holiday feeling that scene evokes, nor the relaxed tropical ambience as you wander around the village streets and down to the vast lagoon. Set in landscaped parkland overlooking the bay, Airlie Beach Lagoon (pictured below) provides stinger free swimming with lifeguard attendants and a children’s pool.

Airlie is part of a picturesque peninsula that reaches out to the Whitsunday Passage and provides the ideal mainland base for holiday fun and adventure in the Whitsundays.

As you drive into Airlie Beach through the neighbouring community of Cannonvale the road climbs above Abel Point Marina, providing expansive views of the indented coastline, the aquamarine sea and the shapes of distant islands on the horizon.

Airlie Beach offers visitors a broad array of accommodation from stylish resort hotels on the water’s edge and apartments on the hillside overlooking the panorama of beach, bay and islands, to bed and breakfast options, motels, camping and caravan parks as well as a host of backpacker accommodation.

Airlie provides many of the essential services for travellers in the region and the town’s shopping areas are open seven days a week. Every Saturday the foreshore parkland turns into a bustling market with stalls selling fresh fruit and veggies, local arts and crafts and all manner of goods under the shade of coconut palms.

The mainland’s dining and entertainment options centre around Airlie Beach, ranging from silver service resort dining to al fresco cafes and cheap eats, while Airlie’s clubs and bars provide plenty of entertainment well into the night.

Where To Stay

The beachside coastal village of Airlie Beach is the perfect base from which to explore the mainland national parks and the Great Barrier Reef and islands. There’s a lovely community feel about Airlie Beach.