Visiting Airlie Beach by yacht

When to come, where yachts anchor in the Whitsundays, and how to get here.

Picture made with AI. It shows the place but is not a photograph.

Seasons

When to come

Season	Months	Daily high	Monthly rain
Peak	June to October	24.5 to 30.5 °C	18 to 42 mm
Shoulder	May, November	26.6 to 31.8 °C	65 to 80 mm
Off season	December to April	28.8 to 32.2 °C	115 to 352 mm

Bureau of Meteorology, Proserpine Airport, rainfall 1978 to 2026 and daily high 1988 to 2026. Season bands are our own estimate.

At anchor

Where yachts anchor

These rules are for the Whitsunday Planning Area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. A Setting area is within about 1,500 m of the reef edge. Overall length counts as 110 per cent of load-line length. (GBRMPA, updated 2 April 2026.)

35 m or lessSettings 1 to 4 within group size limits, and setting 5 only if 20 m or less. Or anchor outside a Setting area

Over 35 m and under 70 mSetting 1 areas, superyacht anchorages with a booking, or designated anchorages with a booking. Or anchor outside a Setting area and use a tender

70 m and overDesignated anchorages with a booking, or outside a Setting area with a tender. A licensed pilot is required in compulsory pilotage areas, which include the Whitsundays

Over 50 mYachts take part in Reef VTS

The 2020 Superyacht Guide to the Whitsundays counted 21 superyacht anchorages and 10 designated anchorages for yachts of 35 m to under 70 m. GBRMPA says the Whitsundays pages in the Superyacht Cruising Guide are not current. GBRMPA takes anchorage bookings online.

Cyclone season

The Bureau of Meteorology runs the cyclone season from 1 November to 30 April. The Australian region averages about 10 cyclones a season, and 3 to 4 cross the coast. Coral Sea Marina says extreme weather is more common from November to April.

Ashore

A Woolworths in central Airlie Beach is a 15-minute walk from Coral Sea Marina. Coles and a larger Woolworths are in Cannonvale. The marina offers courtesy cars in two-hour slots.

Getting here

Transfer buses meet each flight at Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast Airport), about 45 minutes from the marina. Arrivals from Hamilton Island take a ferry to the Maritime Terminal in Airlie Beach, then a taxi or bus.

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