Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven Beach is on Whitsunday Island, Queensland, Australia. The island is accessible by boat, seaplane, or helicopter from Airlie Beach, as well as from Hamilton Island. It lies across from Stockyard Beach, also known as Chalkie's Beach, on Haslewood Island. The beach is seven kilometres in length and is famous for its white silica sands and turquoise water.
History
[edit]The beach was named and discovered in 1879 by Staff Commander EP Bedwell. 'Whitehaven' specifically originates from the English town of the same name, it was one of the many names, from the then English county of Cumberland, which Bedwell brought to the area. It followed James Cook's 1770 naming of the island group, the Cumberland Islands.[1]
The beach was awarded Queensland's Cleanest Beach in Keep Australia Beautiful's 2008 Beach Challenge State Awards.[2] In July 2010, Whitehaven Beach was named the top Eco Friendly Beach in the world by CNN.com.[3] In 2014, tourism website TripAdvisor placed Whitehaven Beach in its top five on a list of the best beaches worldwide.[4]
In 2017, Cyclone Debbie affected the beach causing severe erosion and damage.[5] Intensive reconstruction work on the southern end was required.[5]
Geography
[edit]
Whitehaven Beach is known for its bright white sand, which consists of 98% pure silica. As silica is not present in local rocks, it is surmised that the sand was brought to the beach by prevailing ocean currents over millions of years.[6]
Unlike regular sand, the sand on Whitehaven Beach retains a lot less of the heat from the direct sun, making it comfortable to walk barefoot on a hot day. This sand is also very fine, and can damage electronic equipment such as telephones and cameras, although it can be used for polishing tarnished jewellery.[7]
Tourism
[edit]Tourists and locals visit Whitehaven Beach to swim and take in the bright white sand. Some visitors eat a BBQ lunch, and campers can stay by booking the National Parks camp facilities.[8]
The Whitehaven Beach Ocean Swim is a two-kilometer open swimming competition held on the beach in November each year since 2009 as part of the Hamilton Island Triathlon.[9] The beach was also featured in the racing video game Forza Horizon 3.[10]
In 2018, the government announced an investment of $3.9 million for the construction of a new long-distance walking track and the upgrade of the camping areas on the island. The track will connect Whitehaven Beach to Tongue Point.[11]
See also
[edit]
- List of beaches in Australia
- Whitsunday Islands
- Lucky Bay, a beach in Western Australia with white-coloured sand
- Hyams Beach, a beach in New South Wales with white sand
References
[edit]- ^ "Introduction to the Whitsundays". 100 Magic Miles. 27 November 2013.
- ^ "Whitehaven named cleanest beach in Queensland". Whitsunday Times. APN News & Media Ltd. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
- ^ "Queensland beach named world's best". Australian Geographic. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
- ^ Brownlie-Smith, Kate (20 March 2014). "Whitsundays' Whitehaven Beach makes travellers' choice top five beaches worldwide". ABC News. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ a b Higgins, Isabella (28 April 2017). "Whitehaven Beach gets environmental makeover after 'catastrophic' Cyclone Debbie". ABC News. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "Parks of the Whitsundays - Nature, culture and history". Department of Environment and Resource Management. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
- ^ "Whitehaven Beach". Islandive. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ "Camping information". Department of Environment and Science. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ Whitehaven Beach Ocean Swim - Race Information.
- ^ Potts, Andrew (21 September 2016). "Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise feature in the new video game Forza Horizon 3". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Sparkling future for world-famous Whitehaven Beach". The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory. 24 May 2018.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Whitehaven Beach at Wikimedia Commons
