Whitsunday is a coastal town in the locality of Airlie Beach in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. The town takes its name from the Whitsunday Passage which was named on 4 June 1770 by Lieutenant James Cook of HMS Endeavour because it was religious festival of Whitsun. On 31 January 1987, the town was created to encompass t…Whitsunday is a coastal town in the locality of Airlie Beach in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. The town takes its name from the Whitsunday Passage which was named on 4 June 1770 by Lieutenant James Cook of HMS Endeavour because it was religious festival of Whitsun. On 31 January 1987, the town was created to encompass the whole of the urbanised area around the Whitsunday Coast, replacing the separate towns of Airlie, Cannonvale and Shutehaven in addition to the locality of Jubilee.