When tourists come over the hill and see Airlie Beach for the first time, they are mesmerised by the turquoise ocean and excited to reach the coastline so they can walk on the golden sands.
When they arrive in town, however, there can be a little confusion, with a common question arising - exactly where is the ‘beach’ in Airlie Beach?
The Airlie Foreshore beach has large tidal patterns which reveal its muddy and rocky bay at low tide.
When the tide is high, the overall look of the bay improves but the beach itself is dull in colour and often littered with natural creek and ocean debris.
A common sight is also cigarette butts and protruding weeds, with Council saying the beach is maintained on an “as required” basis.
Over the years, the subject of improving its visual appeal has been a hot topic of local conversation, with community leaders and various groups taking the baton and determined to turn it from a perceived eyesore into a highlight.
Councillor Jan Clifford recalls that back in the early 2000s, she was part of a fundraising campaign called Loot for the Lagoon where a large community group was hoping to turn the beach into a man-made sea water lagoon from the point at Whitsunday Sailing Club to the mouth of Airlie Creek.
This grand plan, however, was soon quashed in favour of the more manageable Airlie Beach Lagoon.
And while the lagoon is undoubtedly an asset, it does still leave Airlie Beach without the ‘wow factor’ feature beach it deserves.
Its naturally muddy and rocky state has a remote beach feel, but as tourism has continued to grow in the region, with the industry providing 1 in 3 jobs, does more effort need to be placed on finding solutions to improve its aesthetics?
“It’s pointless re-sanding the beach during storm season because it just washes away,” said Cr Clifford.
“I think we need community consultation - it’s everyone’s beach - some like it natural while others would prefer it enhanced.
“Personally, I want what was originally planned – the beach should have been one of the highlights of Airlie, but unfortunately it’s not.”
Local business owner, Brittany Panapa from La Tabella says it’s sad that no-one really uses the local beach.
“If I want to go to the beach I go to Bowen or Cape Gloucester,” she explained.
“I feel like if there was better sand it would be more utilised which would be so great to see.”
Gary Murphy, Whitsunday Regional Council Director Infrastructure Services, said that Council’s Parks and Gardens team conduct beach clearing on an ‘as required’ basis.
“Parks and Gardens monitor the condition of these beaches in the Southern region, especially after storms or the wet season as northerly winds usually bring in the debris of leaf matter and driftwood,” he explained.
“Council’s Parks and Gardens teams also mow all the Airlie Precinct weekly and maintain the many garden beds undertaking hedging, adding additional plants and mulching.”
He added that “Front Beach on Airlie Foreshore is a naturally a rocky beach, and it is important that it is maintained in this state”.
“There are no plans to regularly import sand or drive tractors on the beach multiple times each day which would impact the natural environment.
“High tides wash more debris onto the beach at varying hours of the day, so a daily beach clean after each tide is not a viable option for staffing and financial reasons.”
Allan Milostic from Whitsunday Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that, he understands it would be an additional cost, but that improving the beach would benefit the whole town.
“It’s an expectation that people have of Airlie Beach and right now we are not meeting that expectation,” he said.
“When people sit down there watching the sunset - it needs to be more presentable.
“Our beach could be improved, I know it would be an expense, but it would benefit our reputation a lot.”
When asked how he thinks this could be achieved, Mr Milostic said perhaps Council could change their workflow and raise the standard of what “as required” means.
“I think the beach needs to be treated as part of Parks and Gardens and maintained to a suitable standard.”
Rick Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Whitsundays, adds that when they market the Whitsundays with images of Whitehaven, Airlie Beach’s beach can look very different to what people expect.
“When you have comments coming back from people seeing the beach it can be very disappointing and it does affect our brand.”
While it is evident that the lawns and garden beds are well-maintained across the region, it is still in question whether more regular clearing and environmentally appropriate measures need to be undertaken to make Airlie Beach ‘beach’ the feature destination the community can be proud of.
The Airlie ‘Beach’ advertised on the Tourism Australia website with pristine golden sands. Photo supplied
The reality of the brown marine debris build-up and leaf litter which often prevails. Photo supplied
