Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach is the mainland hub of the Whitsundays and where most charter fleets, deliveries and crew changes happen. There are two big marinas, Coral Sea Marina at Abell Point and Port of Airlie at the eastern end of town, plus public ramps, fuel, a boatyard and everything a crew needs ashore. It faces north-west into Pioneer Bay, so it's sheltered from the SE trades, but it's a busy harbour in season.
- 1Coral Sea Marina · OSM.
- 2Coral Sea Marina fuel · OSM.
- 3Abell Point ramp · TMR WT05.
- 4Cannonvale ramp · TMR WT07.
- 5Port of Airlie Marina · OSM.
- 6Port of Airlie ramp · TMR WT10.
- 7Wreck, Fl Y 3s (MSQ 380(T)) · Muddy Bay.
- 8Boatyard (Edge's) · OSM.
At a glance
| What it is | Mainland marina town for the Whitsundays |
| Coral Sea Marina | 520 wet berths for boats up to 80 m; fuel wharf open 24/7 (marina's own site) |
| Port of Airlie | 184 wet berths for boats up to 40 m (operator's site) |
| Bay | Pioneer Bay, under 11 m inside a line between Pioneer Point and Grimston Point (NGA) |
| Maps | No MSQ Beacon to Beacon map. MSQ pilotage area map, chart and Reef Authority Map 10 (Whitsunday) |
Getting here
- Log on/off: VHF 67 or phone (07) 4946 7207. MRQ says it monitors VHF 16 and 67, VHF 81 for the islands and central area and VHF 82 for the Hayman area; radio room 7 am to 5 pm weekends and public holidays
- Emergency: VHF 16 or Triple Zero (000)
No bar to cross here, but this is where the island trips start. Log on with MRQ Whitsunday before you head out to the islands.
Contacts checked on the unit's official website on 19 October 2026: www.mrq.qld.gov.au/rescue-units/mrq-whitsunday.Pioneer Bay. NGA says the bay runs between Pioneer Point and Grimston Point, 6 miles apart, with under 11 m inside, and Pigeon Islet at the head on the edge of a drying bank. Cannonvale and Airlie each have a small jetty, and NGA notes a marina breakwater marked by lighted beacons just north of Airlie.
Ships. The Whitsundays is a pilotage area, and cruise ships anchor off Airlie. MSQ's pilotage area map (in the box above) shows the limits.
Hazard. ⚠ 380(T)/2026 (16 July 2026): a wreck in Muddy Bay near Port of Airlie at about 20°16.058'S 148°43.870'E, marked by a yellow special mark (Fl Y 3s). MSQ says it's partly submerged at low water.
Berths and anchoring
- Coral Sea Marina (Abell Point, west end of town). Its site lists 520 wet berths for boats up to 80 m, shore power, water, pump-out and a fuel wharf open around the clock, with bookings during office hours.
- Port of Airlie Marina (east end, by Boathaven Beach). Its operator lists 184 secure wet berths for boats up to 40 m, with showers, laundry, power and water.
- Anchoring. Check the Whitsundays Plan of Management before you anchor anywhere in this area. It sets rules on anchoring and moorings in the Whitsundays.
Facilities
- Fuel. Coral Sea Marina's fuel wharf.
- Ramps. Abell Point, Port of Airlie and Cannonvale are all on the TMR list.
- Boatyard. OpenStreetMap shows a boatyard at the eastern end of town.
- MRQ Whitsunday is based at Cannonvale.
Rules in brief
- Marine park. Everything here is Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, plus the Whitsundays Plan of Management. Use the Reef Authority zoning map for the area you're in.
- Notices. Whitsundays notices cover Airlie.
Ashore
What's within about a 15-minute walk (1.2 km) of each marina, ramp or landing on this page, measured along streets and footpaths in OpenStreetMap. Addresses are from OpenStreetMap where it has one; where it doesn't, we show the name and distance only. ⚠ As at 18 October 2026: we haven't confirmed each place is still trading, so check before you walk.
From Port of Airlie Marina / Port of Airlie ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing, marina)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Denman's Cellar | Pub | 330 m | – |
| Dragon Link | Pub | 850 m | – |
| Airlie Beach Bowls Club | Bowls club | 930 m | – |
| Airlie Beach Hotel | Pub | 930 m | – |
| Breeze Bar | Bar | 960 m | – |
| Magnums | Bar | 1.1 km | – |
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Rufus and Co | Cafe | 310 m | – |
| Tides Bar and Restaurant | Restaurant | 690 m | – |
| Fish D'Vine | Restaurant | 770 m | – |
| The Pub | Restaurant | 870 m | – |
| Club Whitsundays | Restaurant | 880 m | – |
| La Tabella | Restaurant | 910 m | – |
| Domino's | Takeaway | 930 m | – |
| Subway | Takeaway | 940 m | – |
| plus 14 more within the walk | |||
| Entertainment | |||
| Cruise Whitsundays | Attraction | 420 m | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| NightOwl | Convenience store | 1000 m | – |
| BWS | Bottle shop | 1.1 km | – |
| Woolworths | Supermarket | 1.2 km | Waterson Way, Airlie Beach 4802 |
From Coral Sea Marina / Abell Point ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing, marina)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Boaty's | Pub | 1.2 km | – |
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Berry & Maple Patisserie | Cafe | 180 m | – |
| BOHO Cafe | Cafe | 200 m | Shingley Drive |
| The Garden Bar Bistro | Restaurant | 210 m | – |
| The Garden Bar | Restaurant | 250 m | – |
| Le Kiosk Café & Bar | Cafe | 410 m | 1 Shingley Drive |
| Sorrento | Restaurant | 480 m | – |
| Little Vegas | Restaurant | 1.2 km | – |
| Hog's Breath Cafe | Restaurant | 1.2 km | – |
| plus 1 more within the walk | |||
| Entertainment | |||
| ZigZag Whitsundays Day Tour | Attraction | 390 m | Coral Sea Marina Shingley Drive, Airlie Beach QLD 4802 |
| Boat tour meeting point | Attraction | 430 m | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| NightOwl | Convenience store | 1.1 km | – |
| Thirsty Camel | Bottle shop | 1.1 km | – |
From Cannonvale ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| NRMA Airlie Beach Cafe | Cafe | 640 m | – |
| Shibby's Fish & Chippery | Restaurant | 930 m | – |
| Noodle&Rice | Restaurant | 940 m | – |
| Hungry Jack's | Takeaway | 960 m | – |
| Banjo's | Restaurant | 1.0 km | – |
| Fat Frog | Cafe | 1.1 km | – |
| Entertainment | |||
| Marina boardwalk | Attraction | 490 m | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Reddy Express | Convenience store | 880 m | – |
| Brumbys | Bakery | 990 m | – |
| Whitsunday Shopping Centre | Shopping centre | 1.0 km | – |
| Asian Supermarket | Supermarket | 1.0 km | – |
| Coles | Supermarket | 1.1 km | 226 Shute Harbour Road |
No marine stores or chandlers are mapped in OpenStreetMap within the walk; see the Facilities section above for marine businesses we know of.
Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 18 October 2026.
About this page
These are free planning notes written by a working delivery skipper from public sources. They are not for navigation. Use the official chart, current MSQ notices to mariners, official tide tables and local advice. Spotted something out of date? Please use Report a correction below.
Official links
Check these before you go. They beat anything on this page.
- MSQ notices to mariners, Whitsundays
- MSQ notice 380(T)/2026: wreck in Muddy Bay, Port of Airlie (PDF)
- Coral Sea Marina: berthing (business site)
- Port of Airlie Marina (d'Albora, business site)
- Reef Authority: Whitsundays Plan of Management
- Reef Authority zoning Map 10: Whitsunday (PDF page)
- MSQ: crossing a coastal bar (safety advice)
- Queensland notices to mariners, all areas (subscribe)
- MSQ Queensland tide tables
- Bureau of Meteorology: tide predictions
- Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland warnings (incl. marine wind warnings)
- Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland coastal waters forecasts
Sources & credits
Written in our own words from NGA Pub. 127 para 7.38 and the MSQ Whitsundays pilotage area map (no MSQ Beacon to Beacon map covers the Whitsundays) (read 19 October 2026; each MSQ sheet carries its own 'information current to' date, quoted on the page), NGA Pub. 127 Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), the MSQ notices-to-mariners listings on publications.qld.gov.au (notices named on the page read in full on 19 October 2026; notice lists rechecked 27 October 2026), the Queensland Government (TMR) recreational boating facilities list (fetched 19 October 2026), Marine Rescue Queensland unit pages (checked 19 October 2026), Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority zoning pages (linked, not reproduced) and OpenStreetMap. MSQ notice 380(T)/2026 (16 July 2026) read in full on 19 October 2026. Coral Sea Marina and d'Albora (Port of Airlie Marina) websites, via their published berthing pages (fact only, 19 October 2026).
Maritime Safety Queensland. Contains Maritime Safety Queensland data (Beacon to Beacon guide, notices to mariners, nav-aid open data, port procedures maps, tide information) © State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts restated and summarised in our own words. Not endorsed by MSQ or TMR.
Queensland legislation. Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Regulation 2016 and Transport Infrastructure (Waterways Management) Regulation 2012 © State of Queensland, CC BY 4.0. Summarised; the authorised versions at legislation.qld.gov.au prevail.
NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a US Government work in the public domain. Parts of it are out of date; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.
OpenStreetMap. Map tiles and some facility positions © OpenStreetMap contributors, data available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).
Others. Facts from local authority pages and notices (for example the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Queensland Parks and Defence notices), volunteer marine rescue sites and businesses' own websites are cited for fact only and restated in our own words. Listing a business is not an endorsement.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Zoning maps and plans of management are linked, not reproduced; the official maps and the zoning plan prevail.
Last checked: 27 October 2026.
Need a boat delivered to or from Airlie Beach?
Get a delivery quoteNeed a delivery skipper for this coast? Get a quote from Capt. Garry Hartshorne, AMSA Master <45.