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Whitehaven Beach is on
The beach was awarded Queensland's Cleanest Beach in Keep Australia Beautiful's 2008 Beach Challenge State Awards. In July 2010, Whitehaven Beach was named the top ''Eco Friendly Beach'' in the world by CNN.com. Dogs are not permitted on the beach and cigarette smoking is prohibited.
Whitehaven Beach is known for its bright white sands, which consist of 98% pure silica. Local rocks do not contain silica so it has been suggested that the sands were brought to the beach by 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.
Whitehaven Beach is on Whitsunday Island
Whitsunday Island is the largest island in the Whitsunday group of islands located off the coast of Central Queensland, Australia.
History
Whitsunday Island was inhabited by the sea-faring Ngaro people for around 8,000 years prior to British ...
, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. The island is accessible by boat, seaplane & helicopter from Airlie Beach, as well as Hamilton Island. It lies across from Stockyard Beach, better known as Chalkie's Beach, on Haslewood Island. The beach is known for its crystal white silica sands and turquoise coloured waters. The beach has tour barbeque and camping facilities.
History
The beach was named and discovered in 1879 by Staff Commander EP Bedwell. ' Whitehaven' specifically originates from the English town of the same name, it was one of the many names, from the then English county ofCumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
, which Bedwell brought to the area. It followed James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
's 1770 naming of the island group, the Cumberland Islands.
Geography
The beach was awarded Queensland's Cleanest Beach in Keep Australia Beautiful's 2008 Beach Challenge State Awards. In July 2010, Whitehaven Beach was named the top ''Eco Friendly Beach'' in the world by CNN.com. Dogs are not permitted on the beach and cigarette smoking is prohibited.
Whitehaven Beach is known for its bright white sands, which consist of 98% pure silica. Local rocks do not contain silica so it has been suggested that the sands were brought to the beach by 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.
Tourism
Tourists and locals visit Whitehaven Beach to swim and take in the bright white sand. Some visitors eat a BBQ lunch, and campers can stay by booking the National Parks camp facilities. The Whitehaven Beach Ocean Swim is a 2 km open swimming competition held on the beach in November each year since 2009 as part of the Hamilton Island Triathlon. The 2012 event was held on 11 November 2012. The beach was also featured in the racing video gameForza Horizon 3
''Forza Horizon 3'' is a 2016 racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox One and Windows. It is the ninth instalment in the ''Forza'' series and the third instalment in its spinoff ''Forza ...
.
In 2018, the government announced an investment of $3.9 million for the construction of a new long-distance walking track and upgrading of the camping areas on the Island to improve the holiday experience of the visitors. The track will connect Whitehaven Beach to the Tongue Point.
See also
* List of beaches in Australia * Whitsunday Islands * Lucky Bay, a beach in Western Australia with white-coloured sand * Hyams Beach, a beach in New South Wales with white sandReferences
External links
* {{Coord, 20, 16, 43, S, 149, 02, 11, E, type:isle, display=title Whitsunday Islands Beaches of Queensland