View Caravan Parks in Mackay View Home Parks in Mackay
Relatively undiscovered, astride the Heart of Queensland coastline, lies an intriguing destination that will exhilarate your senses. With some of Australia’s most inspiring natural wonders, the lush scenery & wildlife at Eungella National Park and Finch Hatton Gorge, the dramatic coastline at Cape Hillsborough National Park, access to the Great Barrier Reef, and the region’s historic hinterland, it is little wonder the Mackay Region, a delightfully undisturbed piece of Australia, is rapidly becoming a popular destination for travellers seeking a friendly contrast to overpopulated tourist destinations elsewhere. Mackay City Relaxed, tropical and picturesque, Mackay City offers everything you could want from a bustling regional centre. The mighty blue Pioneer River flows past the city's historical buildings and rows of palm trees fringe the main street. Beautiful beaches and a world class marina are within minutes from the city heart. As the hub of Mackay Region, the city offers a diverse range of shopping, dining and entertainment options.
The City Heart Artspace Mackay is a striking new regional art gallery and museum, its diversity offers the chance to experience both local artists and heritage, as well as major art exhibitions, or just relax in the gourmet café. Stroll along Victoria Street and uncover the unique art that makes up the Mackay Horizons Community Arts Project. These art pieces include, mosaics, terrazzo images, bronze plaques and sculptures, all of which depict Mackay’s history, natural attractions and wildlife. Queens Park lies halfway between the city centre and the beach, and offers quiet shady walking paths lined with palm trees provide a large playground for locals, the orchid house is located in Queens Park and displays 600 species of orchids, with a collection of over 3,000, the orchid house showcases the regions most popular flower.
Natural Attractions
To the west of Mackay is Eungella National Park, there’s a world of natural beauty to explore among the waterfalls, gorges and mountains of one of Queensland’s most spectacular wilderness areas. Eungella National Park is Australia’s longest continuos stretch of sub tropical rainforest, covering over 51 700 hectares and filled with over 22kms of well maintained walking tracks of varying degrees of difficulty and being 2,500 feet above sea level, you can be guaranteed a spectacular view. Delve into the tropical rainforest and view an abundance of wildlife on one of the many walking trails. You can even spot the mysterious platypus in the wild at Broken River! Travel through the lush lowlands of the Pioneer Valley, home to Mackay’s sugar plantations. Be sure to take the detour to Finch Hatton Gorge, where you can walk through the rainforest to deep freshwater swimming holes fed by the impressive Araluen and Wheel of Fire waterfalls.
North of Mackay is Cape Hillsborough National Park, which is a rare piece of National Park renowned for its dramatic coastal headlands, rainforest walks and native wildlife. There’s plenty of walking paths, including the popular Juipera Aboriginal Trail, a 1.2km self-guiding trail which shows how Aboriginal people used the park’s native plants to survive. With over 150 species of birdlife and tropical butterfly\'s, live amongst the parks diverse rainforest and kangaroos are a popular enticement to this beautiful area. Cape Palmerston National Park is accessible by 4WD only; Camping is available at three separate camp grounds with a permit obtained from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service or self-registration stations in the park. It is important to carry recovery gear suitable for your vehicle, check tides before attempting beach travel and use your vehicle responsibly. The National Park boasts breathtaking views, melaleuca forests, abundant bird life and excellent fishing spots.
The best way to enjoy the wonders of the Reef in the Mackay region is from Brampton, Carlisle, Scawfell, Keswick and St Bees Islands. These Islands are surrounded by magnificent coral gardens and are all national parks. During the peak season from June to end August, whales can be heard and seen underwater around the islands. Whale calving has also been sighted in Connie Bay and the sheltered waters of Keswick Island in recent years. For snorkelling or fishing day trips contact Mackay Water Taxis & Adventures or Action Charters.
Heritage To best experience Mackay’s history, take a self-guided Heritage Walk which takes you past 20 National Trust listed buildings in the city centre. The Town Hall building is also a visitor information centre, and has an interpretation room on Mackay’s History. The Greenmount Homestead, 18 kilometres west of Mackay, is also highly recommended for those wanting to learn more about the pioneering days of Mackay, the 1915 Queensland homestead was home to the Cook family and still houses a collection of more than 20,000 historical items. The original maid still resides in the house and is quite happy to share a story or two with visitors. Melba House is located at Marian in the Pioneer valley, the house was where famous opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, lived while married to a local sugar mill manager. The house is now a visitor information centre and museum to the singing career of Dame Nellie Melba.
Educational
During the cane crushing season (July to November), the Farleigh Sugar Mill conducts tours daily (Monday to Friday). The tour takes you through the working sugar mill and shows you the process of turning cane into sugar and molasses. The Polstone Sugar Farm also provides tours throughout the week of how a sugar farm works. See the progress of the Mackay Region Botanical Gardens, learn about the amazing and rare flora of the Central Queensland Coast bioregion, discover our cultural precincts and history and the exciting projects for the gardens on the horizon. Specialist botanic tours are also available with the Curator and Garden Friends on request. Guided walks are available for 1 or 100 visitors and run on demand. Mackay is also home to the largest population of Australian South Sea Islanders in the country. The Mackay and District Australian South Sea Islander Association Inc conduct tours of their heritage story on a demand basis. The tour takes you through Mackay and takes around 3 hours.
