Travel StoriesWant to submit your own Mackay holiday story? Send us an e-mail Journalist: Alison Coates Publication: The Sunday Telegraph 'When your closest neighbours are the Whitsunday islands, it isn't always easy being mainland Mackay.' 'But like a teenager whose voice is starting to crack. Mackay's awkward years are behind it, replaced by a dazzling destination, just dying to be noticed.' Journalist: Alison Coates Publication: The Sunday Mail 'Brampton is an island that I will return to whenever I can, because it's my kind of quiet Barrier Reef retreat.'
Jounalist: Trent Dalton Publication: Brisbane News '..then there was the one where I landed back in Brisbane thinking Mackay was the most underrated holiday destination on the coast of Queensland. True story.' Journalist: Sharon Luck Publication: Weekend Escapes - Sunshine Coast Daily 'Feeling as though it is a million miles away, but only a short plane ride from Mackay, Keswick Island is the perfect relaxing holiday destination'. Journalist: Sharon Luck Publication: Sunday Life - Sunshine Coast Daily 'The work-hardened edges of tropical Mackay are being chipped and polished away, revealing gleaming new facets that will dazzle the tourist keen for a taste of something fresh and new'. 'If you haven't seen Mackay in a while, it's high time you did'.
Journalist: Alison Coates Publication: The Sunday Mail 'We caught glimpses of a running creek far below, and for the first time in my life I knew what it must be like to be a bird, skimming along the top of the canopy without a care in the world' - Forest Flying, Finch Hatton Gorge. Journalist: Craig Tansley, Publication: Geelong Today I have to confess, without wanting to sound unlikeable, travel journalists tend to get plantly of 'oohs' and 'aahs' when discussing their job. An example. Question: "Where are you off to this time?" Answer: "Oh just to Thailand for a few days then New Zealand." "Ooh". But this time was different, I was off to Mackay in North Queensland and it seemed I couldn't raise and 'aah' to save myself. The silly thing was, if they only knew how amazing my time in Mackay would be, they'd be oohing and aahing all over the place. The Mackay region is Australia's best kept secret, you may see this well worn cliche used to describe a thousand places in Australia. Don't believe it, it's not true. Mackay is an untouched paradise that will please even the hardest-to-please tourist, and let's face it, there's plenty of them around. There's a little bit of everything on offer here: some of the most pristine rainforest and waterfalls in Australia in the Finch Hatton and Eungella area minutes from Mackay's CBD, wallabies on the beach at dawn at Cape Hillsborough 40 minutes to the north, and all the excitement and wonder of one of Australia's best catered tropical island resorts in Brampton Island, just a short boat ride to the east. We started our Mackay holiday in the worst of predicaments, the Queensland coast had been hit by tropical storms for the past week and showed no signs of abating. My first morning was spent under an umbrella cursing that famous slogan "Queensland beautiful one day, perfect the next". But by mid-morning, on my way to Brampton Island, the editor of Geelong Today colluded with Mother Nature to ensure I experienced Queensland at its best. As we arrived at the wharf, people swam and snorkelled in crystal clear azure water, it was all we could do to keep our clothes on to check in. There's a million things to do on Brampton, or none at all if you'd rather just lie back, and enjoy the sun. If you're looking for action, you have to jet-ski around the island, surely the best way to see one of Queensland's best resorts, and for the romantic at heart, drink champagne and listen to your own private musicians as the sun sets and turtles rise on the island's jetty. After a few days on Brampton it's time to sample the mainland, taking a drive to Eungella National Park will amaze you, it's so wild and unspoilt you'll feel like Captain Cook on a motorised Endeavour. Take the steep road up to the town of Eungella and take a look through the Sky Window out over the valley, if you're keen, see it as the sun rises and you won't see a better sight anywhere in Australia. Keep going another 10 minutes till you get to Broken River and stay a few nights at Broken River Mountain Retreat because this is perhaps the only place in the world you're guaranteed to see that very elusive of Aussie icons, the platypus. I saw four of them in 10 minutes! At dawn, the highlight of my trip was walking from the Retreat with pet kangaroo Yaru to look for platypuses. Imagine one Aussie icon helping you spot another! From Eungella it's a short trip back to Finch Hatton, home to some of Australia's best rainforest and biggest characters. Take a ride over the rainforest on a flying fox, or walk out to the Wheel of Fires waterfall for some serenity you wont forget for a long while. If you get a chance, ask for Jack at the Finch Hatton Kiosk. If you're lucky enough he may let you taste the world's best home brew beside the creek he swears boasts the cleanest water in Australia. If you can pull yourself away from Jack, you have to visit Cape Hillsborough. At dawn and dusk at the Cape wallabies feed on the beach, they won't come looking for bread like some tourist attraction, they like to graze on some of the flotsam jetsam the tide brings in. With cabins, tent sites, resort rooms and caravans available just metres away, you need never stray far from the massive beach, but the walks here are out of this world. By now we were feeling relaxed to the point of being comatose, but that was before Keswick Island. Flying into Keswick is an experience in itself, as the tiny plane does a figure eight to negotiate the short runway, all you can see below is turqoise ocean and yachts moored in sheltered bays. At the airport David Bullock will meet you in a golf cart to take you to the best guesthouse in Australia. From the comfort of his massive deck overlooking the Coral Sea and onto nearby St Bee's island you'll toast the sunset with a stack of Corona's with lime, or perhaps witness a passing whale or two. By day you can sit on the beach while David and Denise bring you whatever your heart and stomach desires, or go snorkelling in the beautiful clear waters. By night it's all about counting shooting stars or if there's a game on, cheering Geelong on. "Tell 'em we broadcast every AFL game if they want, "David says. "I'm a Lions fan but I'll keep my mouth shut if they're playing Geelong, I promise." By the end of your holiday, you'll swear Mackay was the best known holiday destination in Australia, but do us a favour, keep it your little secret, shush! Journalist: Andrea Beattie Publication: Stonnington Leader 'Mackay has a taste of everything Queensland has to offer'. 'It is the perfect place to soak up some Queensland sunshine and it has a wealth of attractions to explore'. Journalist: Kristie Kellahan Publication: Voyeur Magazine 'Palm-shaded city centre, cosy cafes and rockin' Irish pubs'. 'Whatever type of holiday you're after, you'll easily find something to please the palate in Mackay'. Journalist: Colin Austerberry Publication: The Sunday Mail, Escape 'The islands aren't all the Mackay district has to offer'. 'There are many rockpools, trickling waterways and moss-covered logs along the way, and photographers will find this one part of the world they don't want to miss' - Finch Hatton Gorge, Eungella National Park. Journalist: Leigh Dennis Publication: The Road Ahead Magazine 'Delve a bit deeper when touring the sugar region of Mackay and you'll be suprised'. 'The platypus is so frequently spotted in these parts that is one of the region's major tourist attractions'. Journalist: Tim the Yowie Man Publication: The Sunday Telegraph 'A stand of palm trees shades the beach from endless blue sky, and in the distance we can just see a couple of deserted islands hiding in the heat gaze' - Freshwater Point, Sarina. Journalist: Michele Helmrich Publication: RM Williams Outback Magazine 'Step foot into the darkened doorway of Bob Duncan's Copperfield store and you are transported back to the days when the tiny Queensland hamlet was a bustling copper mining town'. 'Once the hub of a bustling community, Copperfield store is now mainly visited by inquisitive tourists'. Want to submit your own Mackay holiday story? Send us an e-mail |
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