Mackay & Whitsundays

The Mackay and Whitsundays regions offer International visitors the chance to experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef; sandy beaches and tropical islands; coastal rainforests and mountain retreats; farming country and Australia’s Outback.

The Mackay region embraces the relaxed tropical city of Mackay, the Whitsunday region includes the rural town of Proserpine and the holiday towns of Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour.

Mackay, with its palm-lined streets and superbly restored art deco buildings, is a bustling regional centre. It features 31 beaches and easy access to some of Queensland’s most majestic national parks. Visit Cape Hillsborough National Park, where you can see wallabies hop down to the beach in the morning and where you can learn about traditional Aboriginal life on the self-guided Yuibera Trail; In Eungella National Park, Queensland’s largest national park, you can experience an abundance of wildlife including 225 bird species, the bright blue Ulysses butterfly and the shy platypus. At Finch Hatton Gorge visit spectacular waterfalls and natural swimming holes or go flying through the treetops for an eco adventure with Forest Flying.

Centrally located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsunday region comprises 74 tropical islands - mostly uninhabited, pristine national parks. There are a variety of ways to experience the Whitsundays — take a day cruise on a high-speed catamaran to a pontoon to snorkel or dive; view the Great Barrier Reef from a semi-submersible boat or an underwater observatory; or set sail on a traditional sailing boat to Whitehaven Beach — a 6 kilometre stretch of pristine white sand.

You can also choose from a variety of dive courses in this premier diving destination. Head offshore for introductory dive trips or stay several days on the water on a “liveaboard” dive trip for a more intensive experience.

• Mackay and the Whitsunday regions are gateways to the picturesque Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef.
• Browse through the inspiring art gallery and museum at Artspace Mackay.
• Take a guided inspection of the Pine Islet Lighthouse — the only working kerosene lighthouse of its kind in the world.
• Learn about the history and lifestyles of the Pioneer Valley’s early settlers at the Mirani Museums and Greenmount Homestead.
• Visit an operating sugar mill during crushing season or venture on a coal mine tour at Collinsville, Blair Athol or Peak Downs Mine.
• Join an eco-tour of the National Parks surrounding Mackay and spot the elusive native platypus in its natural environment at Broken River.
• The Airlie Beach Lagoon is 4300m² in size and holds 4.5 million litres of salt water. Popular with locals and visitors alike, it provides a 'stinger free' swimming environment all year round.
• Take a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef - swim, snorkel and dive or spend a memorable night at “Reefsleep”.
• Cruise to Whitehaven Beach, over six kilometres of pure white silica sand fringed by brilliant blue water and lush tropical island.
• Join a Whale watching cruise between July and September to experience the magnificent Humpback Whales.
• Enjoy the Whitsunday Great Walk, offering 30km of walking tracks through the tropical refuge of the Conway Range National Park, or the Mackay Highlands Great Walk, 50kms through Eungella National Park and Crediton State Forest.
• Located 19 kilometres from Proserpine, the spectacular Cedar Creek Waterfall offers a natural swimming pool.
  

• Midway between Queensland’s capital city Brisbane in the south and Cairns in the north, the Mackay and Whitsundays region can be accessed via three airports (Mackay, Whitsunday Coast and Hamilton Island). There are also excellent links to an extensive national road and rail network.
• The region is one of the world’s greatest aquatic playgrounds with seventy per cent being protected National and Marine Park.
• This region has a vigorous economy based on its natural resources, supplying around fifty per cent of the state’s total volume of coal.
• Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, south of Mackay, is the largest coal exporting facility in the southern hemisphere.
• The Mackay Region produces one third of Queensland’s sugar exports — visit a working sugar mill from June to October, or Sarina’s ‘Sugar Shed’ is a boutique, year round working mill.