Hill Inlet Lookout - Whitsunday Island

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Route: Tongue Bay, Hill Inlet Lookout, Tongue Bay

Date: 03/01/2024
From: Tongue Bay

Parking: N/A
Start Point: Tongue Bay
Finish Point: Tongue Bay
Region: Whitsunday Island National Park

Route length: 1.4 km
Time taken: 00:48
Average speed: 3.7 km/h
Ascent: 58m
Descent: 57m

Points of Interest: Tongue Bay, Hill Inlet Lookout

The Whitsunday Islands, located 55km off the Queensland coast, offer everything you’d expect from a tropical paradise; turquoise waters, swirling white sands and beautiful secluded beaches. These three features combine perfectly on Whitsunday Island to form the stunning Hill Inlet, a remarkable river estuary that almost defies belief.

Hill Inlet Lookout is the best way to view the estuary and is located at the northern end of Whitehaven Beach, the most famous spot in the Whitsunday Islands thanks to its pristine white sands. The lookout is only accessible by boat from the neighbouring Tongue Bay or Bettys Beach, so you'll need your own or be on a tour like we were. Several tours leave daily from Shute Harbour and the nearby tourist town of Airlie Beach. 

Shute Harbour

The turquoise waters of Tongue Bay

Access to the lookouts is provided from Tongue Bay, but there are no jetties for mooring so you'll probably find you are dropped off on the beach after a short tender ride. Once you are on the beach, there's an information area at the foot of the path leading up to the lookout. The path is well built but mostly comprised of steps, climbing a modest 60m to the lookout platforms.

The Whitsunday Island sign and information shelter at Tongue Bay

As you approach the lookout platforms, the views reveal the stunning vista of the swirling sands of Hill Inlet, Whitehaven Beach, other Whitsunday islands, and the ocean beyond. Each of the three platforms has a great 180-degree view of the estuary and a short, one-way loop links them together.

The spectacular Hill Inlet

The incredible panorama is best observed when the tide is part way between high and low and most trips from Shute Harbour will be timed accordingly. What makes the colours so vivid is the white silica sand, unique to Whitsunday Island. While it is known that silica comes from eroding quartz, no quartz can be found in the surrounding area so its true origin is unknown. What is known is the available sand is finite so taking sand away is a criminal offence.

Hill Inlet

The waters of Hill Inlet

Whitehaven Beach

Hill Inlet

On the north side of Hill Inlet is Betty's Beach, another perfect white sand beach akin to Whitehaven Beach. The beach has flat water 95% of the year, with no waves or ocean swell as it’s protected by the Great Barrier Reef and the bulk of Whitsunday Island. This makes it a popular stop-off for day trippers and tourists alike.

Betty's Beach

Betty's Beach

Betty's Beach

You can repeat the loop around the platforms as many times as you want as they can be busy depending on how many boats arrive simultaneously. After soaking up the best of the views, we returned to our boat, waiting in Tongue Bay by retracing the steps down the main track.

If you are venturing along the east coast of Queensland, a trip around the Whitsunday Islands is a must-do with Hill Inlet being an arguable highlight.