Top must-visit Whitsundays spots that celebrities love revealed

From a popular hotel to an unexpected cafe, these are the Whitsunday locations that have become hotspots for Hollywood stars. SEE THE FULL LIST

A stunning natural playground with plenty of secluded spots to escape the public eye, it is no surprise celebrities love visiting the Whitsundays.

With magical islands, magnificent waterways, and an abundance of wildlife – it has long been a go-to location for film, TV and fashion shoots wanting a tropical flavour – from Aussie classics such as Muriel’s Wedding to Hollywood blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean.

The region’s many luxury beachfront resorts regularly attract big names to their lavish events, and all year around you will find budding social media stars flying in for that perfect #nofilter pic.

Read on for our countdown of top five places to spot the biggest names.

Actor Hugh Jackman shakes the hand of then Qld Premier Peter Beattie on the set of ‘Australia’ at Bowen in 2007. File Photo

5. Bowen

SPOTTED: Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban.

The A-listers fell in love with Bowen’s country town charms during the filming of Baz Luhrmann’s epic ‘Australia’ in 2007.

Nicole Kidman with husband Keith Urban on the set of the Baz Luhrmann film 'Australia' in Bowen, Queensland. Picture: Cameron Laird

The iconic Grand View Hotel was used as a set in the film as well as the venue for a farewell party when shooting wrapped, with Hugh Jackman said to have joined Nicole Kidman’s country music-star husband Keith Urban on stage to belt out some tunes during his set.

Other favourites of Jackman’s were Horseshoe Bay beach for a spot of surfing, and the historic Jochheim’s pie shop – where his son Oscar offered to help out during filming, even offering to sell his own pastry creations to the public.

Some of the team at Jochheim's Pies, Bowen in February 2022: Raylene, Bree, co-owners Thuy Nguyen Thi Bich and Vy Huynh Thi Dang, Carina, and Emma. Picture: Kirra Grimes

Capers at the beach Bar & Grill was ‘an oasis of fabulous food and fine wine in a chic setting’ at the Airlie Beach Hotel.

4. Airlie Beach

SPOTTED: Hollywood royalty Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman; Aussie musos such as John Butler and Amy Sheppard; the cast of forthcoming reality series Below Deck Australia.

American pop star Taylor Swift is believed to have forked out $100K to stay Mandalay House, Airlie Beach for three nights in 2018. Picture: Supplied

Filming blockbusters, performing on stage, taking time out from a busy tour, even tying the knot – these are some of the reasons celebs have graced the coastal town of Airlie Beach over the years.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie enjoyed dinner at former Esplanade eatery Shipwrecked Bar & Grill while in town filming Unbroken in 2014, while Matthew McConaughey spent hours watching American football at former Airlie Beach Hotel restaurant Capers at the Beach Bar and Grill during the filming of Fool’s Gold in 2007.

Fans were delighted to catch a glimpse of Hollywood celebrities Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt when they dined at Shipwrecked Seafood Bar and Grill in Airlie Beach in 2014. Picture: Sharon Smallwood / Whitsunday Times

The town plays host to a huge number of musicians each year during the Airlie Beach Festival of Music, with many chances to bump into famous faces across the various venues.

And on the outskirts, at Mandalay, sits one of the Whitsundays’ most extravagant luxury rental properties – the jaw-dropping Mandalay House, where Taylor Swift was believed to have paid $100,000 to stay for three nights in 2018, flying in and out via helicopter to avoid the glare of cameras.

What better way to arrive at Whitehaven Beach than in your own private helicopter?

3. Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island

SPOTTED: TV personalities such as Oprah Winfrey, chef Curtis Stone, and former Bachelor Matty J;models such as Jennifer Hawkins; and influencers such as Steph Pacca.

‘Pam and Tommy’ star Lily James posted photos of herself in the Whitsundays on her Instagram account. Picture: contributed / Whitsunday Times

Probably one of the most Instagrammable places on the planet, Whitehaven is surely on every influencer’s bucket list and the annual White on Whitehaven luxury lunch event is the perfect opportunity to strike a pose on those pure silica sands.

Tickets to the VIP event go for as much as $2000 a head, with the 2021 event featured bottomless Laurenti champagne, wine, beer, sashimi, oysters, bugs, prawns, fish, steak and more served under a marquee stretching around 150m down the sand.

If the next long lunch does not quite fit into your schedule, you could always fly in by private helicopter some other time of year, like Oprah did in 2010. Prices start at about $300 an hour.

Singer Katy Perry on Hayman Island. Picture: Instagram

2. Hayman Island

SPOTTED: Pop princess Katy Perry, the cast of US sitcom Modern Family, supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and international businesswoman Ivana Trump have all been snapped at the resort island in recent years.

Mariah Carey and Jamie Packer were also rumoured to be eyeing it off in 2016 as a potential wedding location.

The cast of Modern family stayed on Hayman Island during the resort’s rebuild. Picture: Jamie Hanson

Receiving a $135m makeover after Cyclone Debbie, the resort is known for hosting a killer party, catering for up to 300 guests across one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor venues including private beaches, canopied gardens, iconic swimming pools, private superyachts, exclusive restaurants and bars, beachfront cabanas, and a state-of-the-art ballroom.

Ivana Trump visited Hayman Island in 2005 to promote her property development concept ‘Ivana – Great Barrier Reef’. Picture: Cameron Laird

If you are thinking of booking in here for your next big event, a certain crowd-pleaser is the Hayman Island seafood grill buffet for $195 per head – think just-shucked rock oysters with lemon and mignonette dressing, followed by an artisan charcuterie board, banana leaf wrapped reef fish, rustic baby potatoes, and topped off with an espresso and dark chocolate opera slice.

To make sure you are looking and feeling your best as you rub shoulders with your fellow glamorous guests, take the time to indulge at the Hayman Spa.

You simply cannot go wrong with a signature Hayman Experience ($890 per person), which over four luxurious hours includes a ‘marine mineral facial’, ‘fire and ice pedicure’, and ‘deluxe manicure therapy’.

Or make it a date to remember with the $1500 ‘Awakening Journey’ for yourself and a loved one – featuring an invigorating steam session for two followed by ‘detox marine wraps’, ‘steaming head wraps’, ‘enriching clay masks’ and the intriguing ‘Island Gemstone Therapy’.

Qualia, Hamilton Island. Picture: Supplied

1. Hamilton Island

SPOTTED: Hollywood A-listers Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Zac Efron, Chris Hemsworth, Naomi Watts, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Geoffrey Rush, Toni Collette, Cate Blanchett, Lily James and Matt Smith; small-screen stars Oprah Winfrey, Gordon Ramsay, Rachael Finch, Isabel Lucas and Asher Keddie; chart-topping musicians Taylor Swift, P! nk, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith; fashionistas Collette Dinnigan, Miranda Kerr, Yasmin Le Bon, Jess Hart, Kristy Hinze, Donna Karan, Nicolas Ghesquiere, Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Megan Gale and Erika Heynatz; pro-athletes Fernando Alonso and Jimmy Bartel; influencers Nadia Fairfax and Nicole Warne.

The island has also doubled as a home away from home for former Beatle George Harrison, who built a tropical mansion on a 2.26ha parcel of land in the 1980s, which was sold after his death in 2001 for a reported $8.5m.

Pebble Beach dining at Qualia resort. Picture: Supplied

Breathtaking event backdrops and adorable Aussie wildlife encounters are one thing, but multi award-winning luxury resort Qualia is no doubt the island’s biggest drawcard for those accustomed to the finer things in life.

Opened in 2007, the gated complex boasts a private helipad, two exclusive restaurants, and 60 secluded pavilions – some of which include their own private plunge pools.

The extra-lavish Qualia Beach House, where celebs such as Oprah and Zac Efron choose to lay their heads, can be yours for $4900 a night.

Or if you are seeking ultimate privacy, make like Taylor Swift, who reportedly rented the entire resort and had media expelled from the island when she visited in 2015.

George Clooney using one of Hamilton Island’s famous golf buggies in 2021. Picture: Facebook

Of course, you will want to do some island-hopping while you are there, so take inspiration from George and Amal Clooney and charter your own private yacht for $9000 a day.

And when you are all tuckered out from being so fabulous, head to Spa Qualia for a signature treatment such as the $525 ‘Whitsunday Escape’ incorporating a ‘private rain shower’, ‘aromatic full body massage’, and ‘marine mineral facial’.

Originally published as Top must-visit Whitsundays spots that celebrities love revealed