The Best Time To Visit The Whitsundays
WHITSUNDAY VACATIONS

The Best Time To Visit The Whitsundays

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The Whitsundays is one of the most popular QLD destinations for travelers to visit and as soon as you get here, you will see why. The Whitsundays is one of the few places on earth that is beautiful all year around, even through Winter. The warm tropical climate has an average temperature of 27.4 degrees Celsius. The average Summer temperatures (December, January and February) reach between 24 and 31 degrees Celsius and this is also the time of year where the highest rainfall is recorded. However, even when it is raining, Whitehaven Beach is still beautiful.

The average Winter temperatures (June, July and August) reach between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius. So it is never too cold in the Whitsundays. This is why we often see travelers from down south come up here for the Winter.

September and October is the best time of year to visit the Whitsundays, because this is the start of Spring. These sunny days hit a maximum of 26 degrees Celsius and there is usually little rainfall around. Humidity is also usually low in September and October, which makes it much more pleasant when travelling around the Whitsundays.

Below is a table from whitsundays.com.au detailing the average temperatures for the Whitsunday region throughout the year.

The Jellyfish Season

Photo: Queensland.com

In the Whitsundays we have a saying… any month with the letter ‘R’ in it, means that there could be jellyfish in the ocean. However, this is just a cautionary saying, the ‘Stinger Season’ actually only runs from November to April each year, but if you were hopping in the water during September and October, it is always best to keep an eye out for them. We have two main types of jellyfish in our waters, the Irukandji Jellyfish (grows up to 25mm long) and the Box Jellyfish (grows up to 20cm long with tentacles up to 3m long).

As the Whitsundays have warm tropical waters, they are home to jellyfish during these warmer months. However, you can still swim in the Whitsundays during Stinger Season, you just have to wear a stinger suit. These thin suits cover your body to provide a layer between the stinger’s tentacles and your skin. The more covered your skin is, the lower your chances are of being stung. All tour boats in the Whitsundays provide stinger suits and it is usually mandatory to wear one if you are travelling on one of their boats during stinger season.

If you don’t fancy on wearing a stinger suit, there are many swimming enclosures set up throughout the Whitsundays during stinger season. Boathaven Beach in Airlie Beach has an all-tide swimming enclosure set up all year around which is shown in the photo above. It is the most popular spot to swim in the ocean in Airlie Beach. There are also swimming enclosures located at Cannonvale Beach, Dingo Beach, Wilson’s Beach and Queens Beach in Bowen.

The Cyclone Season

Like most of Australia, the Whitsundays has it’s own “Cyclone Season” that runs from November to April each year (similar to the Stinger Season). The reason for this is again the warm Whitsunday waters. Tropical cyclones are low-pressure systems that bring lots of wind and rain and they develop in warm waters. They are categorized from 1 to 5, with a category 5 being the strongest and most rare. In the last 20 years, there has only been around four cyclones to hit the Whitsundays, so they are rare. That works out to be on average one every five years and only two of those cyclones were strong enough to leave damage in our area. The longest cyclone that hit the Whitsundays was Cyclone Debbie, which took just over 24 hours to move over the Whitsundays. In saying that, they only last for a short period of time and bom.gov.au can usually give you a fair bit of warning if a cyclone is headed for the QLD coast.

Cyclone Ada was the first major cyclone to hit the Whitsundays in 1970, which devastated the community and 14 people died. 11 of these people were at sea at the time, which is one of the most dangerous places to be during a cyclone. Today, we have a much broader knowledge of cyclones so we can predict where they are going, giving residents enough time to prepare their properties. Back in 1970, the houses and buildings were also not built to today’s standard, so they were not ‘cyclone proof.’ In more recent cyclones like Cyclone Debbie in 2017, there was little damage around the town (mainly to older houses) and there were no deaths recorded.

Nowadays, when the town knows a cyclone is coming, the tourists are evacuated out of the town and islands, the yachts are taken in to the marinas for protection and the locals can head to the cyclone shelters in town. So long story short, if you do happen to be stuck in the Whitsundays during a cyclone, the town is much safer and prepared for cyclones today. They are very rare, but if you are still worried, then you can travel to the Whitsundays during May to October to avoid cyclone season.

Now that you have chosen the best time to travel to the Whitsundays, click here to find out how to get to the Whitsundays.

The Great Barrie Reef located in the Whitsunday, Queensland, Australia
REVIEWS

Why Our Guests Keep Coming Back

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23 The Cove - 5 Bedroom, Whitsunday Waters Edge Luxury Holiday Home.
A lovely house in a great location. We loved watching the boats come and go. Easy and lovely walk to shops and park. House had everything we needed and beds were comfy. Very enjoyable few days.
October 4, 2025
Sasha
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Spacious 2 bedroom Whitsunday Waterfront Penthouse
The apartment matched the description and photos and was actually bigger than we expected. Amazing view from balconies and comfy furniture to sit on and enjoy it. Lots to do in the area and very child friendly. Many restaurants within walking distance. Would recommend.
October 3, 2025
Kevin
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Marina Waterfront Living at Port of Airlie
A fantastic apartment! Everything you need and more. In walking distance to main town of Airlie Beach. Quiet area and great swimming pool for the whole family to enjoy! We will definitely recommend to others
October 3, 2025
Tanya
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Holiday on The Horizon, Airlie Beach Holiday Home with Jacuzzi
well worth the moneyLocation and view
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peter
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Shutehaven Beach House with Ocean Views.
We didn’t want to leave!!! We would recommend this wonderful property to anyone. Absolutely breathtaking views, beautiful home, private swimming pool and everything you need for a relaxing holiday. The team at Whitsunday Vacations were fabulous hosts. Thank you! 🙏
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Sally
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Nautilus on Nara - Spacious Airlie Beach Holiday Home with Ocean Views (Pets on application)
房子位于斜坡之上有点难走,但是找到了路就还好 房东很热情 房子很大很干净 只是厕所有些昏暗 可以加两个白炽灯会更好 舒适的体验
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韩雪
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Whitsunday Escape - Beachfront with Swimming Pool
Great apartment, it’s huge. Easy hosts. Location is amazing
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Courtney
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Airlie Beach Marina-Front Luxury at 10 The Cove
This is definitely a premium accomodation - a home away from home with its excellent layout and top of the range gadgets through out the house.It was in a quiet and private area not accessible by many with beautiful views of various boats entering and leaving the docks.
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Zanelle
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Shutehaven Escape, Home with Pool with Ocean Views
Quiet, relaxing location with awesome views of Shute Harbour.Had a wonderful stay with our family. 3 Adults and 2 Kids (3 & 6)We would definitely return to this home for future vacations
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David
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Penthouse living at the Port of Airlie
Amazing views, beautiful locationWhat’s an absolutely amazing place, so beautiful?Location was spot on and the place is Deadset huge, will return.
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Steve
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'Vue de Bleu' Luxury Whitsunday Retreat
Fantastic place!
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Alex
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Amazing Penthouse with Whitsundays lifestyle
We had a wonderful stay and would definitely visit again! The view is beautiful! Photos don’t do it justice. We loved having our own private rooftop with pool, spa and BBQ. The accommodation had everything we needed and was very clean and comfortable. The only downside was not being able to check in on time as the apartment was still being cleaned but other than that everything went smoothly and communication from the host was great!
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Jodie
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Very happy with this Penthouse. View amazing and everything within walking distance. Would stay here again.
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Maria
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23 The Cove - 5 Bedroom, Whitsunday Waters Edge Luxury Holiday Home.
Perfect location walking distance to main areas of town. The house was spacious in a fantastic location with an awesome pool.
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Cameron
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'Vue de Bleu' Luxury Whitsunday Retreat
Exquisite views and beautifully appointed for a relaxed family holiday.An exquisite home, thoughtfully appointed for a relaxed family holiday. Incredible views, we can’t wait to return.
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Clare
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Theresa
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Seascape on Shutehaven - Adults Only
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️We had an amazing stay at this beautiful Airbnb in Shute Harbour. The views were absolutely stunning and the peaceful atmosphere made it the perfect place to relax and unwind. The location was ideal, and the property had everything we needed to make our stay comfortable and enjoyable. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the Whitsundays – we would love to return!
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The house was amazing & everything it looked like in the photos. Really wonderful communication & provided flexible check out. We’d definitely stay again.
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Sarah
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