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 Thursday, 24 May 2012 |
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Written by Damien Condon
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Saturday, 03 September 2005 |
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Mackay’s the perfect spot for a relaxing short break, offering easy access
to a range of stunning natural attractions and a vibrant city scene. Damien
Condon swapped his suit for some shorts and discovered the region’s hidden
secrets.
By Damien Condon
Mackay is a surprising place.
You’ll find the contrast of red Brigalow country, lush rainforest, the Great
Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea, national parks, beautiful beaches, a colourful
heritage and an evolving cosmopolitan centre.
If experiencing something new, different, or unusual is high on your holiday list, then an escape to the Mackay region is a must!
Within a one and a half hour drive of Mackay city you’ll find at an incredible variety of landscapes and experiences.
For the water babies, there’s Mackay’s Marina precinct – which continues to evolve.
The marina offers various aquatic activities, has a food and wine district and somewhere to lay your head. The four and a half star Clarion Hotel is a light-airy modern building offering stunning views across the water and the Southern Whitsunday Islands.
If you feel like relaxing, a picnic hamper packed at your request can be taken for drive or eaten by the water, or relax with a massage in your room.
Then there’s Latitude 21, the Clarion’s relaxed marina-facing restaurant serving up quality modern-Australian cuisine. Try the Zaatar Crusted Lamb Rump with saffron scented cous cous, grilled continental garlic and roasted garlic and tahini yoghurt sauce.
Take a quick stroll (about 200metres) for a taste of the Mediterranean at Satchmos with top-quality tapas. As you sit eating you meal you will see motor boats and yachts sitting obediently like aquatic canines ready to go for a run.
If the call of the water becomes too much and you’ve only got a few hours to spare, Seasun Maritime might be the ticket. They offer half-day (three hour) boat trips where you can snorkel, fish, go paragliding, ride a sea biscuit (inflatable tubes) or go whale watching… whales permitting of course! All of this is on the pure azure water just off Mackay.
A sunset cruise on the Reef Goddess is a must! As the orange orb of the sun dips below the horizon listen to some live music. On Sundays, it’s a jazz cruise with the food taking on a more Cajun flavour, while singer Mischa gets the party to swinging New Orleans style.
The ‘Goddess’ can also get you to Scawfel or Brampton islands for a day trip.
Scawfel means diving and snorkelling and lazing by the waters edge with staff bringing you cool drinks on the sand.
Brampton on the other hand is bushwalking, butterflies and abundant wildlife.
Both are pristine, unspoilt and as yet, quite undiscovered by tourist-trap regulars.
If you want to get into the ocean minus the boat, Mackay has 31 beautiful sandy beaches waiting to be explored. That’s one for each day of the year!
Beyond the blue, Mackay offers visitors a varied experience few regional centres can boast - like good bars, food, coffee and a flavour influenced in no small part by the large Maltese and Pacific Islander communities that are integral historically and culturally to the region’s identity.
Sample the coffee at Foodspace in the gallery Artspace (Gordon Street) or at Café Valetta in Victoria Street (they also have amazing home-made Maltese food), the local fish special at Pacinos restaurant on the banks of the Pioneer River and have a cocktail as the sun goes down on the splendid art deco balcony at Platinum Lounge.
 Beautiful heritage buildings from the turn of the century meld with the candy-coloured confectionaries of art-deco creations. Walk along Victoria Street to see the sugar-money funded splendour of the Old National Bank building and then visit the Australian Hotel building for a taste of north Queensland art-deco architecture.
From Mackay, looking inland your eyes are immediately drawn to the lush, green promise of the Pioneer Valley.
As you make your way up the valley you pass charming sugar hamlets hemmed in by the ever-present sugar cane on either side of the road.
Stop at the Pinnacle Pub for one of their world-famous pies and then make the quick hop to stunning Finch Hatton Gorge.
Once inside this lush green world you can see boulders perched like Buddha praying – their contemplations punctuated by the crack of the whipbirds’ calls.
The popular walk to Araluen Falls is a 40-minute round trip or it’s one and a half hours if you want to visit both Araluen and Wheel of Fire Falls.
Heading further away from Mackay you start to climb Mt Dalrymple - winding your way to stunning vistas out across the valley to the coast.
You are now in Eungella National Park a world of tall timber and small wildlife. The sentinels of the park are the Mackay Tulip Oaks standing tall, buttresses flared, cloaked in mists and centuries old. They grow nowhere else.
Up here you can see a platypus swimming in the wild any time you like (almost). If you stay at the Broken River Mountain Resort on top of the mountain they will actually guarantee you see one. The normally timid critters have decided the people visiting here come in peace.
It is not just duck-billed monotremes that abound however. When you follow one of the many walks you will see butterflies, birds, turtles and eels all going about their business. The mountain resort’s cabins have fires for the cooler times of year and are self contained or you can head into their restaurant and have Austrian chef Oskar offer up filling fare while you watch the possums scoffing their tucker on the deck. There is also camping facilities next door.
Getting there
Jetstar offer direct flights from Sydney (four times a week) and Brisbane to Mackay direct and connecting flights are available from Melbourne. Virgin Blue and Qantas can connect from any major Australian city and all three airlines offer direct flights from Brisbane to Mackay daily. Qantas Link also operates dash flights from regional centres like Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton and Gladstone.
http://www.jetstar.com.au
http://www.virginblue.com.au
http://www.qantas.com.au
Staying there
http://www.mackayregion.com or call 1300 130 001
Ideas
http://www.tq.com.au
http://www.driveqld.com.au
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 03 September 2005 )
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