Whitehaven Beach is a 7 km stretch along Whitsunday Island. The island is accessible by boat from the mainland tourist ports of Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour, as well as Hamilton Island.The beach was named and discovered in 1879 by Staff Commander EP Bedwell.The beach was awarded Queensland's Cleanest Beach in Keep Australia Beautiful's 2008 Clean Beach Challenge State Awards.
In July 2010, Whitehaven Beach was named the top
Eco Friendly Beach in the world by CNN.com.
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| Whitehaven beach,viewing south of the island |
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| View north of Whitehaven beach | |
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| Whitehaven beach is one paradise white beach with clear blue water. |
- Whitehaven Beach is known for its white sands.
- The sand consists of 98% pure silica
which gives it a bright white color.
- Local rocks do not contain silica
so it has been suggested that the sands were brought to the beach via
prevailing sea currents over millions of years
- Unlike regular sand, the sand on Whitehaven Beach does not retain
heat 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 is good at polishing up jewellery.
- Dogs are not permitted on the beach and cigarette smoking is prohibited.
