The only tour company allowed inside Hill Inlet on Whitsunday Island, Queensland, is Ocean Rafting. These high speed RIB tours from Airlie Beach sacrifice comfort and style for accessibility.
What is Hill Inlet?
You’ve probably seen Hill Inlet before. It’s that fabulously photogenic swirl of sea and sand bars on Whitsunday Island, Queensland. Most Whitsundays cruises from Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island go there, combining it with nearby Whitehaven Beach.
Actually, that’s not strictly true. Most Whitsundays tours go to the Hill Inlet lookout that overlooks the famous white sand and turquoise water swirls. But they’re not allowed to enter those swirls or pull up at Hill Inlet Beach.
The only tour boats allowed to enter Hill Inlet
Only one tour company in Airlie Beach has a special permit allowing them to enter Hill Inlet. That’s Ocean Rafting, which does things a bit differently to other Airlie Beach cruise operators.
Ocean Rafting uses smaller Rigid Inflatable Boats with 500 horsepower engines rather than yachts. The advantages of this are speed and manoeuvrability. The boat gets out to the islands quicker, can pull up on beaches, and can generally wangle into places the sail boats can’t access. This includes a couple of snorkelling spots that other boats don’t generally make it to.
Disadvantages of the Ocean Rafting Whitsundays cruises
The disadvantages of the Ocean Rafting Whitsundays cruises are that the boat is more cramped. Guests are squeezed in fairly tight, and don’t have the opportunity to walk around the vessel. It can also be pretty noisy with the engine on, so good luck hearing each other talk.
These RIBs are also, let’s face it, a lot less romantic than the sailing yachts such as the Providence.
Which Ocean Rafting tour is best?
If you’ve decided you’ll trade romance for speed and access, Ocean Rafting runs two tours to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet. The Northern Exposure tour factors in more beach time, while the Southern Lights tour spends more time snorkelling.
Neither is “best”, although I’d go for the Southern Lights tour as I value snorkelling time more than beach time. But that’s entirely personal preference.
Both tours require advance booking.
Ocean Rafting tour prices
At the time of writing in November 2025, both Ocean Rafting tours from Airlie Beach cost A$209. This includes pick-ups from Airlie Beach hotels and hostels, but doesn’t include lunch. If you’d like lunch included, it’s another $20. You can decide whether you want to stump up for it when you book online.
The cruise price also includes fees and taxes, and the use of snorkelling equipment.
Both of Ocean Rafting’s tours last around seven hours.
What else to do in Airlie Beach?
Other worthwhile Airlie Beach activities include scenic flights over Heart Reef, crocodile safaris and glass-bottom boat tours.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. Book through them, and I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
More Queensland travel
Further Queensland travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- A guide to Cairns for first-time visitors.
- Exploring the Great Barrier Reef: Best islands and tours.
- Wildlife encounters on the journey up to Cape Tribulation.
- Planning a visit to the Jindalba Boardwalk near Cape Tribulation.
- Six reasons to visit K’gari (formerly Fraser Island).
