North of Capricorn Coast is Whitsunday Coast with the famous Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Airlie Beach, and the Mackay Region with Cape Hillsborough National Park and the lovely Finch Hatton in the lush Eungella National Park - the best place in Australia to see platypuses. In the inland are also some mining towns such as Clermont and Moranbah, and further north is the Big Mango. Here is some information about the area, and in the end of the page is a map of Mackay region.
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Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Mackay Travel Information Mackay is a busy city in the middle of the fields of sugar cane. In the city centre, there are some beautiful historical buildings such as the Old Court House, Masonic Lodge and the Commonwealth Bank building. The Botanic Gardens in the Queens Park contain an amazing orchid house. Mackay's southern beaches are Harbour Beach, Town Beach and Illawong Beach, and northern beaches are along the coast off Dolphin Heads, Eimeo and Bucasia. Eimeo Hotel (as many Australian “hotels”, it is a pub) has some good views over the ocean, and other lookouts include Mt Bassett and Rotary Lookout. You can go diving with Mackay Adventure Divers and some accommodation options are McGuire’s Hotel, MidCity Motor Inn, YHA Larrikin Lodge, Central Tourist Park and Beach Tourist Park.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Mackay Region: Eungella National Park Inland from Mackay is Eungella National Park, a pocket of lush rainforest high up in the mountains, which due to its isolation from other rainforests contain some endemic species such as Eungella honeyeaters, orange-sided skinks and three species of frog. Eungella is also famous as the best place in Australia to see platypuses. Personally I didn’t come across any but you are not likely to see them in the middle of day on a family picnic with noisy kids – you have to go when it’s quiet, and cool – which is early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Mackay Region: Finch Hatton There are two sections in the Eungella National Park: the northernmost is Finch Hatton, where there is a lovely rainforest swimming hole a nice rainforest walk away from the carpark. There are also picnic areas and barbeques, and lots of wildlife, I saw a large goanna sitting in a tree right next to the noisy swimming hole. You can stay at the Finch Hatton Gorge Cabins or Platypus Bush Camp at the Finch Hatton Gorge.
Broken River - the Place to See Platypuses The other section, Broken River, is where you can see the platypuses. There is a kiosk in a nice picnic area from which there are short walks to the Broken River. Near the bridge over Broken River, there is a platypus-viewing platform where you can silently wait for platypuses, you’ll also see freshwater turtles here. Platypuses are known to be most active between May and August.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Moranbah and Clermont Australia Further inland from Mackay are the mining towns Moranbah and Clermont. Moranbah is not much more than a miners’ settlement, but Clermont has got some interesting history as Queensland’s oldest tropical inland town, which was moved to higher grounds after a flood in 1916 that killed 65 people. There is a tree stump that shows the levels of floodwaters, and a piano up in a tree. There is also the Historical Society Museum, in front of which Wombat Wanderers pick you up for free tours to the nearby Blair Athol Mine, it’s an interesting few hours driving around the mine site and watching how coal is mined and loaded on looooong trains to be transported to the coast.
Mackay Region: Cape Hillsborough North of Mackay is the small but scenic Cape Hillsborough National Parkwith short bushwalking tracks that take you up the hills where you have magnificent views over the bright blue water. Wedge Island is joined to Cape Hillsborough at the low tide only so don’t get stuck there.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Aussie Camping, Kangaroos and Wallaroos There is also a nice rocky coastline, and a beach frequented by kangaroos and wallaroos. Right next to that beach there is a national nark camping ground, but if you fancy a hotel room, you can stay at Cape Hillsborough Resort.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Carlisle Island and Brampton Island Australia Off the coast of Mackay is Brampton Island – another fantastic island of the Great Barrier Reef which is excellent to snorkel. There are also two good bushwalking tracks, one (2km) takes you 219m up to the top of the island’s central mountain, while the other (7km) goes all the way around the island. At low tide, Brampton Island is connected to Carlisle Island which is covered in eucalypt forests. There are no bushwalking there but there are national parks camping grounds with barbeques, a rainwater tank and a shelter.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
The Big Mango and Bowen Queensland North of Mackay and the Whitsundays are the small towns Bowen, Ayr and Home Hill. Bowen was the first settlement north of Rockhampton when it was founded, today it is the main fruit picking centre and many backpackers stay here while working on fruit farms between April and November. It is not surprising then that the town’s Big Thing is The Big Mango. Bowen also has a nice boat harbour, the Bowen Historical Museum; and an old cinema on the beach, built in 1948 where you sit in the original seats. Some places to stay are Barnacles Backpackers, Trinity’s Backpackers, Horseshoe Bay Resort, Whitsunday Sands Resort, Harbour Lights Caravan Park, Coral Coast Caravan Park, and Tropical Beach Caravan Park.
Burdekin River and Ayr Queensland Further north towards Townsville are Ayr and Home Hill. If you like to buy souvenirs, Home Hill is a not-to-miss destination with the largest souvenir shop that I have ever seen, it is in the Ashworth’s Tourist Centre. Ayr is right on the mouth of one of Queensland’s biggest rivers - Burdekin River and I have heard but not confirmed that the bridge across it is the longest in Australia – supposedly longer than Sydney Harbour Bridge. In Ayr you can visit Ayr Nature Display, and north of Ayr is the Australian Institute of Marine Science on the top of Cape Cleveland which is covered by the beautiful Bowling Green Bay National Park.
Here's a map of Mackay region, where I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
