TROPICAL QUEENSLAND
Calling Code: +61
The move towards and into Queensland's tropical coast is more obvious
than simply passing the Tropic of Capricorn marker at Rockhampton. North of Hervey
Bay the landscape begins to brown as the temperature rises, and though there's
still an ever-narrowing farming strip hugging the coast, the Great Dividing Range
edges coastward as it progresses north, dry at first but gradually acquiring a
green sward which culminates in the steamy, rainforest-draped scenery around Cairns.
Along the way are scores of beaches, archipelagos of islands and regularly spaced
cities, including Townsville, north Queensland's
largest.
There is also a wealth of national parks, some with superb walking trails, and
others where you might encounter rare or unusual wildlife. Several places along
the way are well set up for those with work visas to recharge their bank balances
by fruit and vegetable picking; the most organized spots are the towns of Bundaberg,
Bowen, Ayr and
Innisfail. Moving north of Cairns, rain forested ranges ultimately cede to the
savannah of the huge, triangular Cape York Peninsula, a sparsely populated setting
for what is widely regarded as the most rugged 4WD adventure in the country.
Offshore, the onset of the tropics is marked by the appearance of the Great
Barrier Reef, among the most beautiful and extensive coral complexes in the
world. The reef, which begins to make its presence felt round the level of Bundaberg,
drastically changes the nature of the coastline by blocking incoming surf and
producing currents that deflect ocean-borne sand far out to sea. As a result,
most islands north of Fraser are continental,
formed when the peaks of ranges were drowned by rising waters at the end of the
last Ice Age, creating abrupt coastlines and coral rubble beaches entirely different
in character from the southeast's sandy formations. On the reef's outer edge,
however, small isolated sand cays form, which tend to become encircled by fringing
coral reef - particularly a feature of the southern reef. Further north the cays
thin out, while the main body of the reef thickens into thousands of individual
shoals as it ventures nearer the coast. Whether cay or continental, many of these
islands are close enough to ports for a day-trip, but for a real change of pace,
try camping on one for a week or splashing out on a comfortable resort.
Quick tips/suggestions
To avoid the worst of the crowds at key places such as the Cairns regions or the
Whitsunday Islands, come as soon as the wet
season is over (late April). Winters are dry and pleasant but the summer climate
(Dec-April) can be oppressively humid, with unpredictable cyclones bringing torrential
rain and devastating storms, making roads on Cape York impassable and frequently
even severing the coastal highway.
Best Way to Get Around
Access to the reef is along the Bruce Highway to Cairns, which is then briefly
replaced by the Cook Highway, until notions of "main roads" begin to fall apart
north of Mossman. Beyond here lie the jungles of the Daintree, the outpost of
Cooktown and the beginnings of seasonal roads, humble
tracks and the savannah wilderness of the Cape York Peninsula. Frequent bus and
train services stop at all centres between Bundaberg
and Cairns.
If there's a place you've stayed or something you've done, but we haven't listed,
review it for us!
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The Southern Reef
Childers, Bundaberg, Lady
Elliot Island, Lady Musgrave, Agnes
Water, 1770, Gladstone
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Rockhampton and around
Rockhampton |
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The Capricorn Coast
Emu Park, Yeppoon, Rosslyn
Bay, Great Keppel, Mackay,
Eungella, Pumpkin Island |
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The Whitsundays
Proserpine, The Whitsundays,
Cannonvale, Airlie Beach,
Shutehaven, Bowen |
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Bowen, Townsville
and North
Bowen, Alligator
Creek, Townsville, Paluma,
Ingham, Cardwell, Tully,
Mission Beach, Innisfail,
Thuringowa, Orpheus Island,
Bedarra Island, Montville, Mapleton, Eumundi,
Noosa
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Magnetic Island
Picnic Bay, Nelly Bay,
Arcadia, Horseshoe Bay |
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The Atherton Tablelands
Kuranda, Mareeba, Almaden,
Chillagoe, Atherton, Yungaburra,
Herberton, Malanda, Ravenshoe
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Cairns to Cape Tribulation
Cairns, Palm Cove, Port Douglas,
Mossman, Daintree, Rossville,
Cape Tribulation
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The Cape York Peninsula
Mount Carbine, Lakeland,
Helenvale, Cooktown, Lizard
Island, Laura, Musgrave,
Coen, Lockhart River,
Portland Roads, Weipa,
Bamaga, Seisia, Somerset
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The Torres Strait
Thursday Island, Horn
Island, Murray Island, Badu,
Saibai
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If you know of a great destination we're missing,
review it for us!!
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