At the northern end of Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, Hill Inlet is a tidal estuary where the bright white silica sand and turquoise water mix in shifting patterns as the tide moves in and out. The image you see on every Whitsundays brochure — sand swirled like a marbled cake into the green water — is taken from here.
A short, fairly steep boardwalk climbs from the beach landing at Tongue Bay to the Hill Inlet Lookout. Day tours from Airlie Beach combine the lookout with a couple of hours of swimming on Whitehaven; the view is best at low tide and in early morning light. Overnight sailing trips anchor in Tongue Bay so passengers can walk up for sunrise.