Your guide to the best activities, food, hikes, beaches and experiences on Hamilton Island, The Whitsundays.
We fell in love with Hamilton Island during our stay!
We moved to the Island in October of 2022 and planned on staying for 6 weeks but ended up staying for 4 months…
We worked on the Island as a waitress (Emily) and personal trainer (Jayden). We spent our days off exploring the Whitsundays, hiking, fishing diving and enjoying all the restaurants and social events on Hamilton Island.
Here’s the stuff you DO NOT want to miss during your stay:
HIKES:
Hamilton Island is knows for its beautiful walks and hiking trails. All walking tracks are well signed and most start from the Scenic Trail Entrance, which is located at the end of the street that all the Hotels are on (Resort Drive).
- Passage Peak: 1.5 hours return, 1.2km one way
This was our FAVOURITE and is the highest point on the Island. It starts from the scenic trail entrance and is pretty flat for the first half, then the second half is mostly stairs as you climb to the summit. Once you reach the summit, enjoy MAGICAL 360 degree views of The Whitsunday Islands including the famous Whitehaven Beach. We recommend being at the summit for either sunrise or sunset for an even better view!
***Hot tip*** If you are into astrophotography this is the place to be at night!
2. Resort Centre Lookout: 120 minutes return, 1.7km one way
The entrance is a little more hidden as it starts from the Resort Trail entrance behind Reef View Hotel. This hike is a pretty gradual incline the whole way, then a really steep 50m climb at the very end to reach the top. From the top, enjoy beautiful views of almost the whole Island including the resorts, Catseye Beach, the Marina and the Airport. It gives you are a really good view of the reefs in front of Catseye Beach (see pic above).
3. South East Head and Escape Beach: 5.5kms, 3.5-4 hours
We combined these two hikes into one! They’re both quite long but are connect to one another so we decided to turn it into one big mission! The hike starts at the same place as passage peak (Scenic Trail Entrance) and continues to the South-East point of the Island. After walking about 3.5kms you’ll reach the turn off to Escape beach where you’ll find a secluded beach to enjoy (look for the wooden hammock)! Jump in for a swim, flick a line off the rocks or continue for another 1km to reach the famous big chair at the South-East Head lookout!
***Hot Tip*** If it has been raining there is a secret waterfall that will appear between the two walks!
RESTAURANTS:
WE LOVE FOOD!!!! And we ate some of the BEST food of our lives on Hamilton Island.
Our FAVs were (in order)…
1. Coca Chu – South East Asian inspired menu, casual dining that is designed to share. This was the absolute BEST! Coca Chu is set on Catseye Beach so you can enjoy your meal overlooking a waterfront sunset. 100% recommend the Massaman Curry and the Son-in-law eggs (sounds weird we know, but trust us!!)
2. Bommie Restaurant – Bommie is a more boujie dining experience – you choose from either a 3 course al-a-carte menu or 6 course Degustation menu. Bommie is located at the Yacht club so you get to enjoy stunning ocean views and admire the unique architecture of the building. The menu changes every week to make sure ingredients are fresh and in season so we can’t really suggest any dishes, sorry! We did have the best steak of our lives here though – 11/10! (Bring your wallet $$$)
3. Romano’s Restaurant – as you may have guessed this is an Italian Restaurant! So delicious and truly authentic as most of the ingredients are imported from Italy! Romano’s is open for dinner only and is super child-friendly. You can choose whatever you’d like to order from their al la carte menu. HOT TIP – if you book early enough select an outdoor table on the lower deck so you can enjoy your meal overlooking the stunning Hamilton Island Marina. Our favourite dishes were the housemate ricotta with honey (it’s massive so if you are not that hungry beware) and the seafood tagliatelle.
ACTIVITIES:
Scenic Flight to Heart Reef:
Cost: approx $1,300 per person
Time: around 4 hours.
This was the 100% the HIGHLIGHT of our trip! Jayden had planned a surprise proposal on the pontoon at Heart Reef which has created a special core memory for us both. Regardless, we have recommended this tour to all our friends who have travelled to Hamilton Island and they have all agreed it was the highlight! You depart from Hamilton Island Air and head out to the man-made Heart Reef Pontoon with takes about 45minutes by helicopter. After landing on the multi-million dollar pontoon, you hop in a glass bottom boat for a tour of the Great Barrier reef, where the captain points out the best coral and marine life for snorkelling. You then get changed and have about 40 minutes to snorkel the reef. We saw turtles, clams and heaps of tropical fish! The guide then popped a bottle of Charles Heidsieck Champagne for us to enjoy before flying home over the famous Hill inlet and Whitehaven Beach!
There are more affordable helicopter tours available, so we HIGHLY recommend doing at least one while you’re on the island.
Diving at Reef World:
Cost: approx $300pp
Time: Full day tour (departing 8:30am and return 4:30pm.)
Reef world is a 2 hour trip from Hamilton Island Marina by (big) boat. Snorkelling, glass bottom boat tour, helicopter tours, underwater observatory and a HUGE buffet lunch are all activities offered at Reef World. Scuba diving is an optional extra (additional $125pp) and of course we added it on! It wasn’t the best diving we have done but we think any chance to explore underwater is always worth it.
There is also the option to do ‘Reef Sleep’ – an overnight stay out on the Great Barrier Reef. For $650 per person you can camp on the Pontoon in a Swag and wake up in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef.
‘Top Notch’ Fishing Charter:
Cost: $250pp
Time: Half day tour (AM or PM)
If you follow us on socials (@un_professional_travellers) you”ll know Jayden is a keen fisherman. A bit of local knowledge can go a looooong way with fishing so we decided to do a charter and the fish were biting all day! Everyone on board bagged out. The staff were super helpful and knowledgable about local fishing conditions and information. When we got back the skipper and deckhand filleted enough fish that we had enough to have 10 friends over for fish for fish tacos and ceviche!
