Hill Inlet lookout, by boat from Airlie.

Tourism Whitsundays tells visitors to choose a tour that lands at Tongue Bay, and from the beach the lookout walk climbs Tongue Point on a formed track with a short uphill climb. Its pages give 1.4 km return in around 40 minutes in one place and 1.3 km return in another, so the exact distance depends on the page you read.

Wear comfortable walking shoes, which Ocean Rafting recommends for its Hill Inlet tours and the walk to the lookout. There are toilets at the lookout, and guests on that operator's tour may stay on the beach instead if they would rather not climb. Tourism Whitsundays calls them established walking tracks. That is a modest outing, and the view at the top is the one that every photograph of the inlet is taken from.

The Reef Authority manages the landing. Tongue Bay is a moderate use setting with a group limit of 40 people, and Hill Inlet is a protected setting with a limit of 15. Tourism operators need a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service permit to take guests to the lookout, which is part of why small boats and small groups suit this stretch of coast.

Tourism Whitsundays states that there is no scheduled public ferry direct to Whitehaven Beach, and that it is reached by tour boat, high-speed vessel, yacht or scenic flight. Fast boat day tours are the most popular option, and they leave from Coral Sea Marina. Every route therefore starts with a booking, and a flight is the one way to skip the water.

The boat trip from Airlie Beach to Whitehaven can take 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on wind, tide, swell and weather, according to the operator. For Northern Exposure, check-in at Airlie Beach opens at 7:45am. The listing adds that a buffet-style lunch is served on the beach and that the vessels are semi-rigid inflatables. Plan around those timings when you arrange the rest of your morning.

Getting to Airlie Beach is the first leg. Whitsunday Coast Airport is approximately 40 minutes from Airlie Beach, and Great Barrier Reef Airport on Hamilton Island is the other airport for the region. Our page on getting to Whitehaven Beach compares every route by time and from price. Coaches from Greyhound Australia and Premier, and the Spirit of Queensland train, also reach the area.

The Reef Authority states that the Whitsundays is not included in the Queensland Shark Control Program and never has been. The Queensland Government advises not swimming at dawn or dusk, swimming in clear water and swimming or snorkelling with a buddy. That is a statement about an official program, not a guarantee about the water, so the usual care still applies.

Marine stingers are present all year in tropical Queensland, with higher risk from November to May, according to the Queensland Government. The operator says its snorkel kit includes flotation devices and a sunsuit or wetsuit, and recommends hiring a stinger suit during stinger season. Tourism Whitsundays also advises wearing a full-body Lycra stinger suit or other protective clothing when entering the ocean or reef.

If someone is stung, the official advice is to dial 000 and pour vinegar onto the sting, and Irukandji symptoms may take 20 to 40 minutes to develop. Our swimming page covers the stinger season, the suits and the first-aid steps. Do not touch stingers washed up on the sand, as the Queensland Government warns, since they can still sting.