What to do on Hamilton Island

There are plenty more things to do on Hamilton Island than sip on cocktails and catch magnificent sunsets.

While lazing the day away in a beachfront hammock might be enough for some, there are so much enriching things to do in Hamilton Island. From action-packed day trips around the Whitsundays and spectacular hiking trails, to exquisite adults-only experiences and secluded swimming spots, there are surprises in store around every corner.

Here is our selection of the best things to do on Hamilton Island.

1. Embark on a cultural tour

Uncover the island’s ancient roots aboard a Cultural Island Discovery with Robbie Congoo tour. Operated by the expert team at qualia, one of the most luxurious Hamilton Island accommodation offerings, the top thing to do in Hamilton Island was launched in January 2025, instantly endearing guests through its scenic motor yacht sweep of the Whitsunday Islands. Just add insightful rock paintings, commentary on native flora and fauna from Ngaro man and tour guide Robbie, and a champagne and canapé reception laced with native ingredients, and you’ve got a remarkable four-hour expedition you won’t forget any time soon. 

2. Sink cold ones in palm-fringed beer gardens

Forget faux grass and flimsy plastic chairs. On Hamilton Island, beer garden life is pure deluxe, with its outposts providing idyllic water views and warm sea breezes to tousle your hair. The newest in the fold is The Palms, unveiled in December 2024 and located right by the marina. Settle in for a string of slow-cooked meats and live music. There’s also the long-loved Bommie Deck over by the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, a glamorous scene that juts guests out over the water. Get there early enough to steal a seat at sundown when 50 shades of tangerine light up the sky.

3. Live like a star at Hamilton Island Race Week

Roping in an annual influx of hard-core yachties, Hamilton Island Race Week is filled with sensational events. Staged from August 16 to 23, 2025, this year’s celebration will mark 40 years around the sun, so you can expect even more rivalry (and elaborate shindigs) than ever before. As of April, more than 100 entries had registered their vessel, including a Californian-based JPK 11.8 and a first-generation TP52 from New Zealand. If that means nothing to you, you may be far more enticed by the likelihood of roaming margarita trucks, food stalls, mobile champagne and oyster carts and pop-up gin gardens — and that’s before the island’s top eateries unveil their own exclusive events. Trust us, it’s a scene you’ll struggle to part with.

4. Indulge in exceptional fine dining

Speaking of Hamilton Island’s best restaurants, don’t miss ticking off your list next time you’re in town. The newest to set the island alight is Catseye Pool Club, located at The Sundays and serving as the first Sunshine State brainchild of Josh and Julie Niland of Sydney’s Saint Peter. Expect flavour bombs tickled with the freshest of local produce when doors open on April 24, 2025. Pebble Beach at qualia continues to dazzle at lunch, while Coca Chu on Catseye Beach is the place to go for big Asian flavours served alongside zesty cocktails.

5. Dabble in some retail therapy

If you’ve brought along extra play money, seize the opportunity to refresh your holiday wardrobe. The Marina Shopping Village on Front Street offers a one-stop-shopping fix, featuring stores like SALT Swim and Resortwear stocking Kivari, Seafolly and Soleil Soleil, Hamilton Island Designs selling designer labels, and The Deckhouse offering up bougie sailing brands and labels including Scotch & Soda, Palm Noosa and Zulu & Zephyr.

6. Tackle stunning Hamilton Island hikes and walks

Walking very far mightn’t be the first thing that comes to mind on Hamilton Island, but its trails and treks offers some of Australia’s most serene vantage points and bushland, which in fact make up 70 per cent of the Island. Fill a backpack with sunscreen and snacks to thoroughly explore a network of trails, including the beloved Passage Peak, sitting pretty at the highest point of Hamilton Island. Starting at the Scenic Trail entrance at the east end of Catseye Beach, it winds through sea grass and light forest before a steep flight of steps takes you to the top and 360-degree views of the Whitsundays await.

South East Head Trail’s grand finale offers another sight to behold – a three-metre-tall timber chair, crying out to be snapped for your holiday slide show.

Meanwhile, the Coral Cove walk follows its lead, steering you to its own main attraction: an enormous swing. Escape Beach’s trail presents its own oversized landmark in a giant hammock, rounding out some of the Island’s most likeable fodder for your social media feed.

7. Laze upon beautiful beaches and coves

While Hamilton Island is famed for plenty of things to do, the star of the show is its collection of white sand-dusted coastlines, complete with the perfect spots to swim in. Catseye Beach is arguably the most unmissable pit stop on Hamilton Island. The action-packed main beach that fronts a large portion of accommodation options offers calm waters, dream paddleboarding, snorkelling, or just splashing around with little ones in tow. Plus, when it’s low tide, walking out across the flats amongst tiny, shuffling hermit crabs makes for a tranquil holiday memory.

8. Escape momentarily on an offshore tour

Press pause on your beach meandering to take in one of Hamilton Island’s best day trips, which span scenic flights and catamaran runs throughout the Whitsunday Islands, snorkelling over the Great Barrier Reef,  fishing charters and picturesque sporting expeditions. A jet ski tour is guaranteed to set pulses racing; they run multiple times daily and last an hour. A breathtaking helicopter tour with Hamilton Island Air will offer an entirely different perspective as you zoom right over Catseye Beach and Coral Cove. Meanwhile, catamarans ride to the world-famous Reef via Cruise Whitsundays’ full-day adventure, or you can throw a line out confidently on board a Topnotch Game Fishing charter. There’s never a dull moment.

9. Take a dip in a lush Hamilton Island pool

The Great Barrier Reef’s dazzling blue waters surrounding Hamilton Island play a dream-like backdrop to an assortment of pools that beg to be enjoyed. There are the accommodation-specific beauties – such as those at Yacht Club Villas, a prime spot for watching the sunset over neighbouring Dent Island, Beach Club’s infinity pool overlooking Catseye Beach, and the Reef View Hotel Pool measuring in at 35 metres. Then, there are the gems that invite everyone in. Main Pool is the largest swimming pool on the island and, with its free-form shape, offers space for kids to splash, chilled-out nooks and shady spots flanked by tropical gardens. There’s even a swim-up bar and live music sessions. The highly Instagrammable Sails Pool is located next to Sails Restaurant, with a view of Catseye Beach and swaying palm trees, while Bougainvillea Pool features an adjoining kids’ splash pool.

10. Make furry friends to snap selfies with

Offering remarkably up-close encounters with some of Australia’s most iconic wildlife, Hamilton Island Wildlife, is a great family activity. Located on the resort side of the island, it’s home to koalas, kangaroos, snakes, lizards, a larger-than-life crocodile, dingoes and more. Head over from 8am-4pm daily, and there’s an on-site cafe open from 7.30am. As a side note, keep your eyes peeled wherever you venture on Hamilton Island, as wallabies, goannas, sea eagles, kites, ospreys, sulphur-crested cockatoos and kookaburras roam free.

11. Keep the kids happy from morning to night

A holiday haven for parents, Hamilton Island is filled with action-packed activities for families, including heart-stopping adventures on wheels, timeless boredom busters and games galore. Island Arcade is always a hit, with seven lanes and your chance to try nine-pin bowling, an old-school version that originated in the eleventh century. Bumpers and ramps are standing by to help littler ones. Additionally, an amusement arcade with skill testers and games is located right around the corner and directly in front of Sails Restaurant.

Go-kart racing is another smash hit, catering for kids of all ages. Younger ones can ride passenger-side with their parents but strap them in tight. You’ll likely reach speeds of up to 45 kilometres per hour.

Don’t overlook the island’s quad bikes, available to children aged 6-14. A purpose-built track offers an adrenaline-filled 15-minute ride. There’s also mini golf, a maze of plants and palms providing all types of challenges and yet another guaranteed party starter.

12. Get active with a range of beach sports

Break up a morning sprawled on the sand with one or more of the beach activities up for grabs at Catseye Beach’s Hamilton Island Beach Sports hut, a must-visit located right by the Main Pool entrance. Windsurfing lessons, while you’re living the holiday dream, are a highlight, available through an experienced team ahead of venturing out yourself at high tide. There’s also snorkelling gear, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards for you to take your time and soak up every inch of the serenity.

13. Combine views with unique adventures

Secure an ultimate holiday selfie with two memorable activities that take in astonishing views of Hamilton Island and beyond. ATV Tours with Offroad Adventure Tours puts you in the driver’s seat on the road to discovery. A tour guide, who you can also get to drive if you’re feeling nervous, will escort you through the Island’s scenic trails, passing Coral Cove, to Resort Lookout, which sits almost as high as Passage Peak. Here, you’ll be immersed in 360-degree vistas of the Whitsundays.

All Saints Chapel is also worth a visit for so much more than its stained-glass windows, bell tower and immaculate white facade. Located on a hill, the chapel looks over Catseye Beach, offering a sweeping take on Hamilton Island’s most iconic views and perhaps your most peaceful holiday moments.

14. Ditch the kids for adult-friendly indulgences

Strawberry swirl sunsets and palm-peppered horizons set the ultimate scene for grown-up fun, with indulgent spa treatments, elegant cocktail hours, electrifying sporting celebrations and plenty more to be discovered. Spa qualia puts the luxury resort’s name – a Latin word for a collection of deeper sensory experiences – into practice in truly tranquil surrounds. It offers a range of treatments, including massages, facials, holistic therapies, body therapies and couples’ treatments. Spa wumurdaylin is available to non-qualia guests and provides body scrubs and wraps, facials, massages and several packages.

Once you’re done beautifying, cocktail o’clock beckons. One Tree Hill, located on the other side of the Island, offers legendary Whitsunday views, early evening cocktails and cheese platters, all while the sky turns as peachy as your passionfruit Caprioska.

15. Kick back with a relaxed picnic spread

While crowds armed with picnic baskets flock to One Tree Hill at sunset, Hamilton Island is spoiled with beautifully positioned picnic areas and barbecue locations. Barbecues are located on a big stretch of lawn on the marina, right near Manta Ray restaurant, and another can be found close to the duck pond. Both feature water views speckled with extravagant yachts belonging to the rich and famous.

Additionally, picnic sites with sturdy picnic tables have been built along many of the Island’s walking trails, including Passage Peak and those at Coral Cove and Escape Beach.

Planning a holiday to Hamilton Island? Read more travel tips here: