Things to do in Airlie Beach in December

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Overview

December is a good time to visit Airlie Beach. The weather is usually very warm and breezy, with temperatures ranging from 77—85°F (25—29°C).

Airlie Beach has plenty to offer for visitors of all ages and interests. In this article, we tell you the top things to see and do for your December trip to Airlie Beach. Get inspired by the events, activities, attractions, and experiences unique to December. We’ll let you know where to explore events based on your interests, whether that’s food, culture, art, music, sport or others.

We’ll let you know everything you need to prepare for the weather in Airlie Beach in December. Learn about what to wear and pack for your trip, the average temperatures throughout December, temperature changes from morning to evening and much more.

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Best events and things to do in Airlie Beach in December

Top experiences in December
We couldn't find any experiences in December
Holidays in Airlie Beach in December
December
  • Christmas Eve (December 24)
  • Christmas Day (December 25)
  • Boxing Day (December 26)
  • New Year's Eve (December 31)
Other notable holidays
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Weather in Airlie Beach in December

Temperatures on an average day in Airlie Beach in December

The average temperature in Airlie Beach in December for a typical day ranges from a high of 85°F (29°C) to a low of 77°F (25°C). Some would describe the temperature to be very warm. The general area may also feel breezy.

For comparison, the hottest month in Airlie Beach, January, has days with highs of 85°F (29°C) and lows of 78°F (26°C). The coldest month, July has days with highs of 73°F (23°C) and lows of 65°F (18°C). This graph shows how an average day looks like in Airlie Beach in December based on historical data.

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Historical temperature average in December
85°F
highs
77°F
lows

General weather summary

Very warm, breezy
Feels like
25%
Chance of rain
0.169 in
Amount
13.3 mph
Wind speed
74%
Humidity
13.3 hrs
Daylight length
5:19 AM
Sunrise
6:39 PM
Sunset
48%
Cloud cover
Sleeveless shirt
What to wear
What to wear in December
With an average high of 85°F (29°C) and a low of 77°F (25°C), it generally feels very warm and breezy. With that in mind, most people would dress in something very light like a sleeveless shirt
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Best attractions for Airlie Beach in December

Besides the array of exciting events and activities Airlie Beach has to offer for travelers in December, we want to remind you of the classic attractions in Airlie Beach that are great to visit at this time of the year as well! You can’t miss these iconic landmarks, local favorites, and places rich with cultural heritage. We hope to give you insights and inspiration into the best things to see and do to make the most of your visit. Here is a list of our top attractions in Airlie Beach for December.
Airlie Beach Lagoon
1. Airlie Beach Lagoon
Public swimming pool
Nature & Parks
Artificial oceanfront lagoon with grassy sunbathing spots, sandy play areas & trendy restaurants.
Bicentennial Walkway
2. Bicentennial Walkway
4.7
(55)
Athletic track
Sights & Landmarks
Slide 1 of 8
Beautiful walkway with lots of things to look at and read on the way from Cannonvale beach to Airlie Lagoon. Sculptures, restaurants, yacht club, stand up paddle boarding, kayaks and tour booking places. It's around 4klm long.
The coastal trail is very well built, very clean and has many places to rest, I love it here!
You've got wet, rippled sand in the foreground that looks perfect for squelching your toes in, if you don't mind dodging all those dark, scattered rocks. The beach leads back to a rugged shoreline with rolling hills in the distance. The soft, hazy light and pale sky give it a very peaceful, 'I'm-escaping-it-all' kind of vibe.
Lovely boardwalk although it was very hot when we visited, Google maps currently has it closed for much of the week, this is incorrect, it's open 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Beautiful scenery and a smooth walkway that goes for miles, with uninterrupted views of Airlie Beach waters , landscape and Islands. Great photo opportunities along the way.
Highly recommended something that everyone can do , at 12 it’s almost empty if you want ti have good pics . This is the time .. just be careful with the scooters . Enjoy!
Nice walk next to the boats very easy.
Great walkway. Good scenic jogging track
Welcome To Airlie Beach Heart Of The Reef
3. Welcome To Airlie Beach Heart Of The Reef
4.7
(10)
Nature & Parks
Bodies of Water
Slide 1 of 5
We just parked along the road (free), and walked to the welcome sign. It is easily accessible, and the view at the top, overseeing the ocean, is nice
Well positioned, can't miss it
A nice place to take a holiday picture when coming into the town. Has great views of the port and easily assessable via the path with plenty of parking.
Beautiful place.. add to your bucket list
Lovely part of Australia
Whitehaven Beach
4. Whitehaven Beach
4.9
(983)
Beach
Outdoor Activities
Picturesque beach featuring white sands, a BBQ eatery & calm, turquoise waters for swimming.
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Whitehaven Beach, located in the heart of the Whitsundays, is nothing short of a tropical dream come true. From the moment you set foot on its pristine silica white sands, you are transported to a world of unparalleled beauty and tranquility. The sand here is not just white; it’s a dazzling, powdery substance that feels like silk underfoot, making every step a delight. The crystal-clear waters that lap against the shore are a mesmerizing shade of turquoise, inviting you to dive in. One of the highlights of visiting Whitehaven Beach is the breathtaking view of Hill Inlet. A short hike to the lookout rewards you with a panoramic vista of swirling sands and azure waters that is nothing short of spectacular. The contrast of the white sand and the vibrant blues creates a picture-perfect scene that is ideal for photography enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. The surrounding nature enhances the experience, with lush greenery and native wildlife adding to the charm of this idyllic location. The beach is relatively untouched, allowing thousands of visitors to appreciate the natural beauty without the distractions of commercial development. It’s a place where you can truly unwind and connect with nature. In summary, Whitehaven Beach is a must-visit destination for anyone traveling to the Whitsundays. Its stunning scenery, from the silica sands to the clear waters and the breathtaking views of Hill Inlet, makes it a perfect spot for relaxation, adventure, and unforgettable memories. Whether you’re lounging on the beach, exploring the waters, or taking in the views, Whitehaven Beach is a slice of paradise that will leave you in awe.
Such a spectacular beach and it's so huge that even when there's heaps of boatloads of tourists there is room to spread out and have your own private slice of paradise. A must see when in Australia.
Absolutely breathtaking! The sand is so pure and soft it almost squeaks under your feet, and the turquoise water looks unreal. We spent hours just relaxing, swimming, hiking and soaking in the views — it honestly feels like paradise. If you’re visiting the Whitsundays, this is a must-see. Bring your camera and plenty of sunscreen — you’ll never want to leave!
A must see destination. The pure white sand, the crystal blue waters is like nothing else. Find your own spot amongst the long beach, relax & enjoy the serenity of it all. Don't rush this spot "just to say you've seen it". We hired our own boat, found our own section with no-one near us for over a kilometres on the sand.
One the best beaches I have seen till today. It’s very worth taking a full day cruise from Hamilton island to whitsunday.
Giving this a 4 star only because it's after Hill Inlet Lookout and views from scenic flight in terms of beauty. The soft white sand and glassy waters cater to all sorts of fun activities, and it'll forever continue to be a popular tourist destination!!!
The beach is truly magnificent, with some impressive wildlife. There were few people there when we went, which allowed us to swim peacefully in the relatively warm, turquoise water. It was a beautiful day, and I don't regret the investment to get there.
This place is absolutely stunning! The breathtaking views, incredible beach, and mesmerizing vibrant colors make it truly one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever experienced in Australia! The best part is the opportunity to enjoy the beach and swimming, embracing the beauty of nature.
Shute Harbour
5. Shute Harbour
Sights & Landmarks
Piers & Boardwalks
Shute Harbour is a coastal locality and harbour in the Whitsunday Region of Queensland, Australia. It has port facilities and transport options for people seeking to access the Whitsunday Islands and holiday destinations. In the 2021 census, Shute Harbour had a population of 113 people. Wikipedia.
Coral Sea Marina Public Boat Ramp
6. Coral Sea Marina Public Boat Ramp
4.2
(5)
Boat ramp
Nature & Parks
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Small ramp being on 2 lanes bit nice and tidy as well as being well protected
Well set up and well maintained with ample rigging and derigging parks, plenty of parking.
Limited free parking, hostile patrons. A disappointing experience for an area famous for its beautiful waterways
Good ramp. There is a water tap next to the fence which should be better indicated.
Not bad but rather use whisper bay boat ramp
Whitsundays Great Walk
7. Whitsundays Great Walk
4.4
(104)
Nature & Parks
Hiking Trails
Slide 1 of 8
We did the hole 27.6 km with 920 meters in hight. We didn‘t do any of the detours, it took us 7 hours to complete. Its a medium difficult way with some steeper parts. When we went it had been raining in the last days, we had to cross 3 streams / rivers, for one we had to take off the shoes and walk 20m through the ankle deep water. We saw one brown snake, one big pythin, dozens of wild pigs and a big spider. Please bring enough water (2l pP), and be prepared to encounter many leeches, wich will bite you if you don‘t wear high socks.
The walk was really nice, we saw a snake, iguana and a little pig (i guess) or something like this. Unfortunatly there was a lot of trees on the road and at a certain point it was hard to get through. It need some maintenance i guess
Nice spot to get outside and explore nature a bit. Kingfisher walk was muddy due to weather but the rest was fine. Managed to spot a couple of snakes (red bellies) which was a highlight.
Fantastic multi day hike. These pics o lay show the first short section out of Airlie Beach. Make sure you carry plenty of water as the heat and humidity makes the climb up, thirsty work.
I’m a rainforest lover so this is the only tour can take me to the rainforest and my first time I riding Segway in the bush (not allowed in NSW 🥹), I had lots of fun with it. It took me 5 min to learn how to use it and already wanted to race well, not really max speed is 12km (boring!) 😁 at my age I can balancing on two wheels well and riding with one hand - thank you for Yoga 🧘‍♀️! I saw a young guy felt down badly when going downhill (watch out!). It’s such a beautiful tropical forest, we stopped at the creek for small snack provided by Zak, he operates this tour almost 9 years, very lovely and friendly, total close to 10km back and forth on this track. His wife is a great baker so you will get a muffin and brownie in the snack box! 😋 The experience was really fun and enjoyable.
Loved being at 1 with nature.did impulse Creek to repulse ck. Then camping area and back.17kms. No snakes visible,lots of goannas and bush turkeys. Note to self bring more water. Hike back up to carpark all up hill.
Started Airlie Beach end , straight up to the ridge line, very overcast day, great for walking not too good for the look out☁️😕, lovely walk in the clouds. Huge Bird nest ferns & elk horns , amazing fungi😍 At Bloodwood camp and lookout ☁️we met up with a few leaches 😟. A Little overgrown with weeds due to all the rain we’ve had ,but no trouble keeping to the track and a bit of a view at Mount Hayward 👍. Then the down hill run (nice change) to Repulse creek, was a great to hear the sound of creek flowing strongly , Hugh pig 🐷 snuffling around the table area , it didn’t seem interested in us, so we kept on moving , a few Creek Crossings , then a gentle climb and wide flat track to Forestry Road car park. Big day, and so glad we did it😁
Unlike most of these types of places around Brisbane, these tracks actually encourage mountain biking, which is fantastic to see. Will definitely be back with the wheeled toys. Multiple grades available and tens of kilometres of track with varied terrain and scenery.
Boathaven Beach
8. Boathaven Beach
4.6
(611)
Nature & Parks
Beaches
Tranquil stretch of white sand on a small peninsula, with nets protecting a swimming zone.
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Wonderful Beach that has a netting around a large swimming area to protect from jellyfish :-) beautiful beautiful beach!
Great little beach not far from town, it has nets too to protect swimmers from stingers
A little hard to find as it’s obscured by a row of mansions, but it’s worth a visit. It’s a beautiful beach. Comparable with the best you’ve seen and swam in around the world. Try to park near the sailing club and walk 2 mins down the street to the entry pathway.
My fave beach in Airlie, I’m down there every morning for the sunrise, it’s so so so gorgeous and peaceful, outdoor shower and water fountain too, and a little bit of shade in the palm trees 🌴
Cute reclaimed beach tucked away behind some impressive residential estates. Small carpark so might need to park a bit further away and walk in through the path before the houses. Water gets deep fast, even during low tide so make sure the kids have floaties if they aren't confident swimmers. Final note, it's a dog off leash area and there was a local that let a pit bull off his leash and chased after my 9 year old, so use caution.
Nice beach calm waters but that's as tranquil as it got as lots of house building going on around the little beach.
Beautiful beach. We enjoyed sitting and watching the boats go by. Peaceful spot to sun-bake.
Nice Beach with Stinger Net Protection area in the water! Also some shadow places there behind the palm trees.
Conway National Park
9. Conway National Park
3.8
(12)
National park
Nature & Parks
Coastal park offering beaches & rainforest habitat, plus bush camping & trails with scenic views.
Slide 1 of 7
My first time been here and I had such a wonderful, fun time and experience to explore the Conway National Park and first time ever driving Segway that is not allowed 🚫 in NSW. The pathway is almost flat surface and about 9kms back and forth, very nice track! I love rainforest, one of my favourite. Ok, so I booked a tour and got pickup from the hotel. Zack has been running Segway this business for almost 9 years, very friendly, lovely and you will experience his wife baking muffin, cookies in the snack box provided to everyone and stop at creek to have it. Great time, loving it!
Nice to see how the back packers treat our natural beauty. They party and leave there rubbish for us. Why does the national parks have cameras there. They don't stop them from trashing the place
Enjoy a fun short walk in the Conway National Park today. Wompoo Walk is a 7km, grade 3 hike located in Conway National Park, Queensland. The hike should take around 3 hours to complete. 'Wom-poo' is the sound made by the beautifully coloured Wompoo fruit-dove, so listen and see if you can spot one as you walk through this tropical rainforest.
Dont recommend the Conway circuit or honeyeater track! They have no views during 1.5h uphill and the lookout at the end is not cool but not worth the hard, muddy uphill...
Find something give it a bad name And kill it well done Conway national park well done 👏
Beautiful national park
Airlie Creek Track
10. Airlie Creek Track
3.6
(44)
Hiking area
Nature & Parks
Slide 1 of 8
I went in the dry season so the upper creek section was dry but still a nice hike saw plenty of flaura and fauna even the Ulysses butterfly
The periodic signs warn of gradient changes, so if you are only moderately fit you need to think about the last 500m or so, but the 'waterfall' was worth making it to, even without water. Would be great if the relevant lanyard wearers updated signage to give an idea of plant species, etc, or just remove the rusty signposts. Enjoyable walk with periods of heart pumping short climbs, an easy 5 minute stroll from the centre of Airlie Beach. Hat, drink, camera? Good to go.
Very nice hike, easy and suitable to everyone. To enjoy the falls, you should avoid the dry season (April-October). Around 30 minutes to reach the falls (1h A/R).
Nice, easy walk along a small creek with lots of butterflies. The rock pools are small and there some spiders and insects along the way. Worth it for the different species of butterflies.
looks like a nice trail, but the grass is a bit high and dense, and thus i had to turn back halfway because i was wearing shorts and flipflops. if you want to make it to the waterfall, come with closed shoes and long pants.
Nice walk up to the falls. Can be accomplished in thongs, but would recommend covered footwear. We encountered some muddy sections, but these were relatively easy to skirt. There are some rest points along the way for those, like us, who are young at heart but not so young of body😉The pool at the base of the falls is only small, but big enough to refresh yourself if the weather is hot and sticky.
A nice 30-40 minute hike close to Airlie Beach town centre. No beach views, but it's a good workout. There's a waterfall at the end of the track....but no water flowing when we were there in early October.
A walk that goes from easy to fairly rocky at the end. Peaceful bit with no views to reward for the effort to climb to the top.
Whitsunday Saturday Markets
11. Whitsunday Saturday Markets
4.3
(461)
Market
Shopping
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This is like the old markets and something for everyone. Sorry forgot to take photos l did buy. Myself a shirt and some long liquorice and a hand painted fridge magnet all from different stalls!
To be honest, this is a very average market. They have the usual array of items ranging from cheap Chinese trinkets to beautiful homemade jewellery. Even though it was a Saturday morning, there were not a lot of actual stalls . Expect the usual tourist prices. Parking can be a problem, however, the location is stunning, the market being set right on the beach front.
Awesome meet to wander round on a Saturday morning. Arrived at 10:30am and still plenty of stores open.
Love browsing around the markets and having a chat. Buy fresh produce, have a coffee, occasionally I buy clothes or earrings for myself and there are great gift ideas. Now we have school holidays and the weather's cooling down, so it's more comfortable walking around.
Lots of different stall. Funny how you can travel from Kent in England then bump into a Pom who worked in the street opposite where you now live. Had a great chat also brought a lovely hand painted fridge magnet from his wife.
Cute market with lots of stalls. Handmade jewelry and other crafts are the ones I stick to and I was happy with my purchases. Also has a few food stalls. I recommend the honey comb frappe!
Casual market on every Saturday morning right next to the beach. You can't ask for a more beautiful location. Good variety of stalls including handmade jewelry, food, fruit and veg. Well worth a visit. Can be hot so definitely wear sunscreen
Great playground, super fun and the kids loved it!
Whitsunday Martial Arts
12. Whitsunday Martial Arts
5.0
(9)
Martial arts school
Classes & Workshops
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Super friendly welcoming gym, nice mix of beginners and experienced fighters . Opportunity to train and roll High level bjj team with several colored belts and a solid muay thai team also . Very friendly atmosphere and so welcoming to everyone of all levels . Anton is a ufc vet and dan a very high level boxing and mma coach , great place to come if you are in the whitsundays .
Great gym and atmosphere, l've been coming for a few years now. Anton and Dan are great experienced trainers, they have a range of classes for the kids, teaching great technique, confidence and self-discipline. Great for all ages. Highly recommended!
A wonderfully supportive environment with professional coaches who work really hard to help their students. My daughter has found a group of friends (from a variety of schools in the catchment area) who she looks forward to seeing every week. She is learning a lot, and I'm grateful to her coach who is able to push her in ways that aren't effective when I try. She has great respect for her peers and coaches and I'm grateful for a safe training environment for her. Thank you.
Love this gym. The coaches are hugely knowledgeable, supportive and lookout for the best in everyone who attends. Whether beginner or advanced you'll find a home at this gym.
Great martial arts gym! I was visiting for a short time and did a class there. Everyone was lovely and welcoming. I would definitely go back :)
Quality BJJ, MMA, and boxing coaches. Title holder for MMA. Brazilian top team BJJ. Fun and welcoming atmosphere
Brilliant! Such knowledgeable coaches & a great atmosphere of supportive people!

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