Whitsundays, Queensland

This article is about the locality containing the island group. For the island group, see Whitsunday Islands. For the mainland town nearby, see Whitsunday, Queensland.

Whitsundays
Suburb
Whitsundays
Interactive map of Whitsundays
Coordinates: 20°16′45″S148°54′51″E / 20.2791°S 148.9141°E / -20.2791; 148.9141 (Whitsundays (centre of locality))
Country	Australia
State	Queensland
LGA	Whitsunday Region
Government
•  State electorate	Whitsunday
•  Federal division	Dawson
Area
• Total	8,693.2 km2 (3,356.5 sq mi)
Population
• Total	2,281 (2021 census) [1]
• Density	0.26239/km2 (0.67958/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+10:00 (AEST)
Postcode	4802

Whitsundays is an island group locality that consists of the Whitsunday Islands. It is in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. ^[2] It is off the Queensland east coast in the Coral Sea, which is a mix of inhabited and uninhabited islands. ^[3] In the 2021 census, Whitsundays had a population of 2,281 people. ^[1]

Geography

The larger islands in the locality include, from north to south: ^[4]

• Camp Island
• Hayman Island
• Hook Island
• Whitsunday Island
• North Molle Island
• Cid Island
• South Molle Island
• Haslewood Island
• Long Island
• Hamilton Island
• Dent Island

The most populous island is Hamilton Island which recorded 1,867 people in the 2016 census (82% of the locality's population. ^[5]

In addition to the islands, the locality includes a small area of coastal foreshore on mainland Queensland ( 20°16′31″S148°43′48″E / 20.2754°S 148.7300°E / -20.2754; 148.7300 (Whitsundays (mainland area)) ) near the Airlie Sports Park. ^[4]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Whitsundays had a population of 2,269 people. ^[6]

In the 2021 census, Whitsundays had a population of 2,281 people. ^[1]

Education

Hayman Island State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Hayman Island ( 20°03′23″S148°53′14″E / 20.0565°S 148.8873°E / -20.0565; 148.8873 (Hayman Island State School) ). ^{[7] [8]} In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 6 students with 2 teachers. ^[9]

Hamilton Island State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Hamilton Island ( 20°20′43″S148°57′11″E / 20.3452°S 148.9530°E / -20.3452; 148.9530 (Hamilton Island State School) ). ^{[7] [10]} In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 56 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). ^[9]

There are no primary schools on the other islands in the locality and there are no secondary schools serving the locality; the alternatives are distance education and boarding school. ^[11]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Whitsundays (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Whitsundays – locality in Whitsunday Region (entry 46904)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 6 November 2019.
3. "Whitsunday Group – island group in the Whitsunday Region (entry 37379)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 12 November 2019.
4. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland . Retrieved 11 November 2019.
5. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Hamilton Island". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
6. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Whitsundays (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
7. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
8. "Hayman Island State School". Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
9. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
10. "Hamilton Island State School". Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
11. "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government . Retrieved 3 October 2025.