Honeyeater Lookout Trail — Attraction in Airlie Beach

The Honeyeater Lookout Trail is an 8.8 km return, moderately challenging bush walk, predominantly uphill all the way to the lookout. There are no real 'views' until the lookout is reached, as the path is sheltered by rainforest and gum trees. Wear good walking footwear. The path itself can be very wet and muddy in places, depending on recent rainfall, and very hot and humid, depending on the time of year and wind conditions. Definitely carry water. Don't believe reviews claiming to have made the ascent in 45 minutes - you could if you were an endurance athlete and ran, without bothering to look at the surrounding bush, but even the moderately fit walker will take from 1 - 1.5 hours to walk the 4.4km uphill trek. Don't take the kids unless they love walking and looking at rainforest for long periods, or anyone who isn't used to long walks. The result of your effort is a view of the northerly aspects of the Whitsundays, and the Coral Marina/Cannonvale areas of Airlie. How good a view this is will again depend on weather conditions, as the vista can be obscured by fog, low cloud or haze. If you set out primarily for some excellent exercise, with the possibility of a nice view as a bonus, you won't be disappointed. And the return journey descent is mostly downhill, and significantly easier and faster.

Please note. There is no formal carpark at the trailhead, just a patch of grass that may fit 3 cars, and the streets around require local resident parking permits. You may have to reach the trailhead by hiking up from Airlie Town...

Epic! Well worth it. From Base Backpackers it was a 9.2km round trip (4.6kms each way) and took us 3hrs. Definitely recommend a moderate to high fitness level as you’re on a dirt track up hill constantly one way (then down on the way back). Hiking shoes or runners are a must as there were some muddy bits and we saw 1 snake, 1 goanna (the width of the track) and a spider every ~500-1000m that had their webs covering 25-50% of the track - I almost walked face first into them a few times, so a slow walk where you can look at the ground and the eye level spider webs would be my recommendation. WHAT TO TAKE: Water as it gets quite hot and even though it’s covered the sun gets through. There are no toilets/bathrooms so definitely go before. THE VIEW: Amazing views facing the ocean where you can see the reef under the water from a really unique angle. If you have a few hours free and are up for a challenge,...

About 9km round trip, this trail can be quite steep in places but a very good quality track to follow. Our 11 & 9 yo boys came along and it was their first over 5km trek - we all had a great time and the view at the Honeyeater Lookout is absolutely stunning! We set off at 9:30am in January so it was very humid however the trail is mostly sheltered by gorgeous rainforest. We saw 5 monitors of varying sizes, so many different butterflies and birds. In the final 800m or so it started raining, which was a lovely relief, however the path quickly became very slippery. Highly recommend this trek but be sure to bring at least 1L water per person and a banana snack for energy replenishment at...