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Airlie Beach in Queensland is often referred to as the gateway to the Whitsundays. It is a colourful town of around 2800 residents located 1135 km north of Brisbane and 26 km east of Prosperpine. It is located between Cannonvale and Shute Harbour at the bottom of the Conway Ranges, and is an ideal base for exploring and sailing around the Whitsundays, with many trips to the Great Barrier Reef starting there.

The actual beach at Airlie Beach is fairly small, but very pretty as it is fringed with tropical palms. It overlooks the calm waters of Pioneer Bay which are normally dotted with yachts. There are two marinas, Abel Point Marina and Shute Harbour, and the residents of Airlie Beach celebrate The Blessing of The Fleet each year on Whit Sunday or Pentecost Sunday. Between July and September you can see whales migrating and take a whale watching tour.

From November to May there are marine stingers in the ocean, so a swimming lagoon has been built on the foreshore to provide stinger free swimming throughout the year. It is set in landscaped parkland and has lifeguard attendants and a children’s pool.

South of Airlie Beach are the Cedar Creek Falls in Conway National Park. The beautiful falls drop 12 metres through rainforest into a stream where it is safe to swim. Other activities at Airlie Beach include a variety of water-based activities, sky diving, horse riding, and walking through the trails of Conway National Park. You can also visit the Vic Hislop Great White Shark and Whale Expo and a Wildlife Park with plenty of native animals.

A popular time for visiting Airlie Beach is during the Whitsunday Fun Race held in September, which includes various competitions for cruising yachts.

Airlie Beach offers visitors a wide range of accommodation from stylish resort hotels on the water's edge and apartments on the hillside overlooking the panorama of beach, bay and islands, to bed and breakfast options, motels, camping and caravan parks as well as a host of backpacker accommodation.

The shopping areas are open seven days a week, and every Saturday there is a market on the foreshore parkland with stalls under the shade of coconut palms selling fresh fruit and veggies, local arts and crafts and much more.

The nightlife is also good, with plenty of bars and clubs where you can dance the night away. Airlie Beach is a fun place for a holiday with a distinctly tropical feel.