The best things to do in Airlie Beach split in two. On land, most of them are free: the lagoon, the boardwalk, the lookouts and a rock pool in the hills. On the water and in the air, you pay for a boat, a jet ski or a flight. Here are both, with the Airlie Beach guided tours for the paid half.
The Airlie Beach Lagoon is the town's free public pool, on a raised breakwater at the centre of the waterfront. It looks out over the Coral Sea to the islands, and it is the one place in town where you can swim with no stinger suit in any month.
The Bicentennial Walkway runs for over five kilometres along the shore, from the lagoon to Cannonvale Beach. It passes the marina, lookouts over Pioneer Bay and small beaches on the way, and Tourism Whitsundays calls it easy and accessible.
Walk it early in the morning or at sunset, when it is cooler, and carry water. If you would rather ride, the Segway tour covers all three sections of it and stops for dinner at sunset, for $97 per person.
For a harder walk, Honeyeater Lookout starts from Kara Crescent in town. It is about 5 km there and back, steep and rated medium to hard, through shaded forest to a view over the Whitsundays. Go at sunrise, with plenty of water and insect repellent.
Conway National Park fills the hills behind the town. It protects the largest area of lowland tropical rainforest in Queensland outside the far north, Tourism Whitsundays says, and its cliffs form a 35 km backdrop to the Whitsunday Passage.
| Walk or place | Distance or time | What to know | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bicentennial Walkway | Over 5 km, lagoon to Cannonvale Beach | Easy, accessible | Free |
| Honeyeater Lookout | About 5 km return from Kara Crescent | Medium to hard, steep | Free |
| Coral Beach and The Beak Lookout | 3.9 km, climbing 124 m | Easy, out and back, near Mount Rooper | Free |
| Mount Rooper lookout | From the Mount Rooper car park | Views to Hamilton, Dent, Long and Henning islands | Free |
| Cedar Creek Falls | A short walk from the car park, 30 minutes' drive | Slippery rocks; water shoes | Free |
The Coral Beach track starts near Mount Rooper and climbs to a rocky beach and The Beak Lookout. From the Mount Rooper lookout you see Hamilton, Dent, Long and Henning islands.
Cedar Creek Falls is a rock pool ringed by rainforest in the hills behind the coast, about 30 minutes from town on sealed roads. There is no Cedar Creek Falls entry fee: the falls are free, and a tour fare pays only for the ride and the guide.
If you have no car, the Cedar Creek bus gives you about 1 hour 40 minutes at the pool, with water shoes lent, for $68. The hinterland bus stops there too, between a coffee plantation and Conway Beach.
The paid half of the town is out on the water. The shortest trips stay in Pioneer Bay; the longest go out to Whitehaven Beach or the island reefs for the whole day.
| What you want | How long | Where it goes | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| A jet ski ride | 2 hours 30 minutes | One of three routes into the islands | $93 per person |
| A jet boat ride | 30 minutes | Spins and power stops in Pioneer Bay | $71 per person |
| A sunset sail | 2 to 2.5 hours | Pioneer Bay on the yacht Domino | $87 per person, private |
| A reef snorkel under sail | 6 to 8.5 hours | Langford Island's fringing reef | $142 to $174 |
| A Whitehaven Beach day | 7 to 10 hours | The beach, and Hill Inlet on most | $172 to $187 |
| A scenic flight | About an hour in the air | Heart Reef and Hill Inlet; no landing | $253 to $257 |
| A helicopter that lands | 2.5 to 3.5 hours | About 90 minutes on Whitehaven Beach | $1,112 per person, private |
Wings III and Tongarra snorkel the fringing reef at Langford Island and do not go to Whitehaven Beach. The Whitehaven Beach days are compared on the Whitehaven Beach day-tour page.
Compare every tour by where it goes, how long it takes and what the fare includes.
Heart Reef is a heart-shaped coral formation in Hardy Reef, about 80 km east of the town. A local pilot found it in 1975, Tourism Whitsundays says, and it is still best known from the air.
You do not snorkel Heart Reef: every tour that shows it does so from the air. The scenic flights circle it and do not land, and the helicopter flies over it on the way to about 90 minutes on Whitehaven Beach. All of them leave from Whitsunday Airport at Flametree.
The lagoon, the walkway, the walks, the falls and the markets are Tourism Whitsundays' own, checked 21 September 2026. Durations, routes and fares are from each operator's own description of its tour.
About two hours riding a jet ski behind a guide on one of three routes through the islands, solo or with a partner. Riding gear, water and pickup are in the fare; drivers must be 16.
From $93 per person
Check Availability
Thirty minutes of spins, drifts and power stops around the bay in a jet boat, with rain jackets and a lock box for your things. Riders from age five and 120 cm tall, with an adult.
From $71 per person
Check Availability
Two and a half hours under sail on the bay as the sun goes down behind the hills, for your group alone, up to eight. Champagne and canapés are in the fare, and you can take a turn at the helm.
From $87 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: plan your season on the best time to visit, see what the fares cover on what to expect, or compare every tour on Airlie Beach Tours.