Whitehaven Beach is the Whitsundays' headline act: seven kilometres of white sand along the eastern side of Whitsunday Island, with no town, no road, and no beachfront development. Boats, helicopters, and seaplanes bring visitors in, but the place still feels clean and elemental if you arrive before the busiest day tours.
The northern end, where the tides stir pale sand through turquoise water at Hill Inlet, is the view everyone has seen in photographs. Do the lookout walk if your trip allows it, then spend time on the beach itself; the sand is so fine it squeaks, and the water colour really does live up to the postcards.