Northern Beaches, Eimeo, The Leap, Cape Hillsborough, Seaforth and St Helens

Northern Beaches For many of us, a trip to the beach has an almost transformative effect. It’s something to do with fresh sea air filling your lungs, saltwater in your hair and sand between your toes.

Just 20 minutes from the centre of Mackay, you’ll find a collection of beaches to suit every need.

Blacks Beach

This is the longest stretch of beach in Mackay with 6km of pure golden sand and palm trees providing endless perfect locations for reading. You’ll often find fishermen near the creek mouth at the southern end.

Bucasia Beach

Drive or walk along the picture perfect esplanade or stop at a picnic table or playground to take in the beauty. With a nearby boat ramp, this is also a popular fishing spot.

Dolphin Heads

Don’t forget your camera so you can capture the unique natural headlands in the shapes of dolphins.

Eimeo Beach

Popular with families for its safe patrolled waters, playground and barbeque facilities, Eimeo Beach is pure, good old-fashioned fun.

Shoal Point

Low tide creates a field of exploration, giving the intrepid access to Green Island just offshore. Back on the beach a playground and picnic area with barbeques, toilets and showers makes this an easy beach to love.

Eimeo

The patrolled waters of Eimeo Beach are perfect for swimming. With a playground nearby, this is easily one of the best beaches for kids in the region and they’ll love searching for crabs in the rocks. Wash off the sand under the beach showers on the Esplanade, then claim a picnic table or barbeque primed to make the perfect sausage sandwich lunch. You simply cannot visit Eimeo without seeing the Eimeo Pacific Hotel. To get there, drive through Mango Avenue. This perfectly picturesque street is lined with houses and shadowed by the outstretched branches of mango trees that are so old they’re actually heritage listed. Step out onto the deck at Eimeo Pacific Hotel to take in one of the most breathtaking ocean views you’ll ever experience. This is an unforgettable venue for a wellearned cold beer, lunch or dinner, from the extensive menu. Time your visit for a Sunday afternoon to take in the view to a soundtrack of live music.

The Leap

From Eimeo, drive 25 minutes west to discover a ruggedly beautiful mountain walk that is steeped in a tale so tragic it remains part of local folklore. Originally named Mandarana, this tall rocky outcrop is hundreds of metres in height. The tale begins in 1867 when a group of Aboriginal people were chased up the mountain. When they reached the peak, the story gets hazy with multiple different accounts as to what actually happened. However, one truth remains. An Aboriginal woman in the group either fell, was pushed or jumped off the peak. One account claims she carried a child with her. While the mother perished, the child is said to have grown up to marry and raise a family in the local area. Her name was Johanna Hazeldine and her grave can be found today in the Mackay Cemetery. Given its history, The Leap remains a culturally important site and also part of a National Park. While it is not recommended to climb The Leap, it is a beautiful peak surrounded by a patchwork of fields. It is a constant reminder of a living and breathing element of this region’s history and one that deserves our respect.

The beauty of having a coastal national park is the chance to incorporate beach experiences in your park exploration.

Cape Hillsborough is 25 minutes north of The Leap and 40 minutes’ drive north of Mackay through carpets of sugar cane that dissolve into untouched Australian bushland.

From this unique location it’s actually possible to walk to one of the Whitsunday Islands. Wedge Island is an easy 15 minute walk from the mainland and offers the chance for kids, both young and old, to explore rock pools along the way for hidden crustaceans. By far the most renowned attraction of the region is Cape Hillsborough National Park, a 1012ha of ruggedly beautiful coastal national park flush with lowland rainforest and vine forests growing along creek beds and hillside gullies. While named by Captain James Cook on his 1770 expedition to Australia, the Yuibera people have been connected to this land for thousands of years. There are 4 short walks ranging in length from 1.2 to 5.2 kilometres. Along the way you’ll find yourself in the stunning natural habitat of 140 different bird species, 22 mammals and 500 plant species. The beauty of having a coastal national park is the chance to incorporate beach experiences in your park exploration, and the sandy coast of Cape Hillsborough National Park is home to a truly unforgettable and intimate Aussie wildlife experience. Accommodation is available at the Cape Hillsborough Nature Tourist Park. Wake up early and descend onto the sand to find families of Eastern Grey Kangaroos and Wallabies that come to the beach to feed on mangrove seed pods. The opportunity to be this close to wild kangaroos is rare, but when you combine it with the truly stunning backdrop of a coast sunrise, you have a memory that will never fade. Don’t neglect the Andrew’s Point Lookout, which is a 2.8km return walk from the beach. On your way out of the park, stop in at The Old Station Teahouse. This afternoon tea hot spot was transformed from the old Marian Railway Station and is now home to delicious eats set amongst stunning gardens.

Only five minutes west of Cape Hillsborough, you’ll find the next edition in this tour of beautiful coastal communities. Let’s hope you brought your fishing gear. Seaforth easily offers some of the best fishing in the entire region. We recommend visiting Victor Creek for anglers chasing the mighty barramundi. Fish off the creek bed or bring the tinnie and launch off the boat ramp. Just minutes offshore you’ll find the bountiful fishing grounds of North and South Redcliff Island. They’re so close that you can even walk to them on low tide. Stop in on North Redcliff Island and climb to the top for views across the ocean dotted by turtles and whales surfacing for breath. Don’t miss the chance to cast around Newry Island. Trolling will put you in the habitat of colourful reef fish. When you’re finished fishing take the time to explore the island. Lying within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, the island offers pearl-coloured beaches, exposed rocky headlands and dense forest. If you follow the trail, you’ll wander past the ruins of an old resort, through rainforest and near-perfect views of the surrounding islands.

St Helens

From an island fishing safari to a coastal town of less than 200 residents, you’ll find St Helens just 30 minutes north of Seaforth. The town was originally known as Wootaroo but was changed in the early 1970’s. The kids will love to explore St Helens Creek’s crystal-clear waters. Stop to skip stones and splash about. Move on to St Helens beach, a 2.3km long north-east facing beach. A low rocky point fringed by mangrove forms the northern boundary of the beach, while a tidal inlet and the notorious 65m high conical Skull Knob border the southern end.

From the beach you can spot Rabbit Island just 5km to the east. Not just a wonderful visual point, the island provides great protection for swimming on the beach at high tide. On the way home feel the warmth in your skin from days in the sunshine and debate which beach is your favourite.

SARINA, CAPE PALMERSTON AND CLAIRVIEW

This region is sugary sweet and full of nature’s untamed beauty, providing sanctuaries for turtles, dugongs, whales and countless birds and other animals. It also offers unique ways to immerse yourself in these unforgettable locations.