Emergency services rushed to the Queensland coastline on the morning of New Year's Eve after reports of a lifeless body in the water.

10:34, Thu, Jan 1, 2026 Updated: 10:37, Thu, Jan 1, 2026

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays Islands

The incident on Whitehaven Beach is among a number in recent days (Image: Getty Images)

An Irish tourist has died after drowning at a popular beach on Australia's Queensland coast on New Year's Eve. The 35-year-old man was brought to shore after police received reports of a lifeless body in the water at Whitehaven Beach at around 11am local time on Wednesday. "As the matter is before the coroner, it would be inappropriate to comment further," authorities told 7News.

It comes amid a number of beach-related tragedies in Australia in recent days, with a woman also confirmed as dead after being pulled from the water on New South Wales's Mid North Coast. Emergency services attended Dunbogan Beach at around 2:55pm on Thursday and attempted to revive the 45-year-old, but tragically couldn't save her.

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Maroubra Beach

The body of a 25-year-old woman was recovered from Maroubra beach on New Year's Day (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The body of a 25-year-old woman was also found at Maroubra Beach in Sydney after she was reportedly swept out to sea at around 4am.

Police searches for a missing swimmer at the Australian capital's Coogee Beach have also been ongoing since the early hours of Thursday after the man, believed to be in his twenties, got into trouble in the water.

Efforts to find a 14-year-old boy who disappeared when a boat capsized near Barrenjoey Headland on New Year's Eve are similarly still underway after a man was confirmed to have died in the incident.

Local authorities have urged people to stay away from Sydney's beaches on New Year's Day after the Bureau of Meteorology issued a hazardous surf warning for the area.

Similar warnings have been enforced on the Byron, Hunter and Eden coastlines, among others, with extreme weather causing "walls of white water", according to Northern Beaches lifesaving co-ordinator Steve Downman.

"Heading to the beach today is definitely not a good idea; most beaches will be closed," he told ABC Sydney Radio. "We're expecting waves of up to two-and-a-half to three metres, extremely large and dangerous."