Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach is a coastal locality in the Whitsunday Region of Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Airlie Beach had a population of 1,208 people.
Geography
Airlie Beach is one of many departure points for the Great Barrier Reef. Cruise ships visit the area, anchoring offshore while passengers are transported via ship's tender to the marina. Near latitude 20 degrees south, Airlie Beach, Proserpine, and the nearby Whitsunday Islands enjoy a tropical climate and lifestyle.
Each year the residents of Airlie Beach celebrate The Blessing of the Fleet on Whitsunday or Pentecost Sunday.
History
The name derived from the former town of Airlie and the unbounded locality of Airlie Beach. Airlie was named following a request by the Lands Department in December 1935 for the Proserpine Shire Council to provide a name for a new sub-division on the coast. It is almost certain that the town was named for the parish of Airlie, in Scotland, as the name was suggested by the chairman of the former Proserpine Shire Council, Robert Shepherd, who was born in nearby Montrose, Scotland. The official name was Airlie from 1936 until 1987 when it was amalgamated into the larger town of Whitsunday while Airlie Beach became the official name of the locality.
Airlie Beach Post Office opened on 2 November 1959.
In December 1956, 18 allotments were offered for auction as Perpetual Town Leases by the Department of Public Lands office. The map advertising the auction states the allotments were situated approximately 15 miles northeast of Proserpine
In recent years there have been shark attacks off the coast of Airlie Beach. In 2018 there were 2 near-fatal attacks and the most recent attack occurred on 29 October 2019.