en route to the tropies

Take Highway 1 through Central Queensland for wildlife, sugar and seaside pleasures galore

WORDS SYLVAIN ALLARD

Route 66, the Pacific Coast Highway, the Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor… the Bruce Highway? Well, maybe it’s not quite in that league, but cruising this coastal section of Highway 1 between Hervey Bay and Mackay opens up some 700km of Queensland’s tropical landscapes, making it easy to fall in love with the state – for the first time or the tenth. Make sure you plan plenty of stops, and don’t forget your camera.

Urangan Pier Hervey Bay’s most famous drawcard– the whales–thrill tourists and locals alike from August to October, and it’s well worth scheduling your trip to take in the Whale Festival that celebrates the arrival of these gentle giants (10–12 August, tel: +61 (7) 4197 4306). Featuring a parade, fireworks, jazz bands, food and wine stalls and the “Whale of a Time” family festival, there are more than enough activities to keep everyone happy – and it’s all free.

Cattle Station If you need a bit of downtime to get you really in the holiday mood, why not stop in at the bay’s new Peppers Pier Resort (Shop 1, 571 The Esplanade, tel: +61 (7) 4194 9700)? Indulge in a pick-me-up – perhaps a Destress Aroma Cocoon – at its luxurious yet unpretentious Spa Botanica, take in the panoramic views of the bay at the restaurant or café or splash about with the kids in the children’s pool. Or just stroll to Urangan Pier, which was originally used for unloading sugar, coal and timber, and enjoy the cool sea breeze on a hot day.

Maryborough Post Office The path and cycleway running from Urangan along Hervey Bay’s beaches is the ideal way to explore a bit further, and doubles as an impressive outdoor aquarium: we saw dolphins, stingrays and even a dugong swimming just 20m from the beach! For indoor wildlife, visit Neptune’s Reefworld (+61 (7) 4128 4828) in Urangan and its colourful tropical fish and sea snakes. Little kids will love patting and feeding the turtles from the side of the pool and big kids can go snorkelling; no experience is necessary, but bookings are essential.

Neptune’s ReefworldIf you can tear yourself away from Hervey Bay, take a side trip to nearby Maryborough, where beautifully restored Queenslander houses welcome you into town. It’s a great place for those wanting to take it easy: go for a stroll or take a cruise along the Mary River.

Whale watching at Hervey
BayBack on the Bruce Highway heading north, try the ultimate kid-amusing combo – ice cream and some of the most deadly reptiles around! Snakes Downunder (51 Lucketts Road Childers tel: +61 (7) 4126 1853) and the Mammino shop, which sells macadamia products and gourmet ice creams, are both just off the highway south of Childers. Birdwatchers should put the Flying High aviary, north of Childers, on their itinerary, and go for a walk among bird species from around the world.

Rockhampton Botanic
Gardens The next pitstop is the pretty town of Bundaberg, renowned for its pristine beaches, access to the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef and, of course, Bundaberg Rum. Find out all about rum distillation on a tour of the Bundaberg Distilling Company (Whittred St, Bundaberg, tel: +61 (7) 4131 2900), then head into nearby Mon Repos Conservation Park for an encounter with Bundaberg’s other claim to fame – turtles. This is the place where loggerhead turtles lay their eggs and thousands of hatchlings make their way to the ocean between November to March: the best way to see them is to book a night tour from the Bundaberg Information Centre (tel: +61 (7) 4153 8888). The rangers are a friendly bunch who are more than happy to share their passion with visitors, and children can pat the turtles and hold the eggs.

Sailing at Lake Awoonga Between Bundaberg and Gin Gin are the Mystery Craters: 35 unique craters, each just a few metres across, whose origins have baffled geologists. It’s an interesting place for a break, with an excellent picnic area and kiosk. A hundred kilometres north of Gin Gin, history buffs may want to take the turn-off to the quiet town of Seventeen Seventy, where Captain Cook made his second Australian landing (after Botany Bay) on 24 May 1770.

Mystery Craters Leisure
Park If you want to keep driving, take a lunchbreak at one of the Lake Awoonga barbecue areas, 30km from Gladstone. The lake’s famous for its barramundi fishing and abundant wildlife – particularly birds – and you can go swimming, hire a boat, catamaran or canoe, stretch your legs on a bushwalking trail or just sit back and enjoy the view from the Kalinda Café.

Egglaying at Mon Repos
Conservation ParkRockhampton, affectionately known by locals as “Rocky”, is the next stop on the Bruce. Sitting on the Tropic of Capricorn, just inland from the beautiful beaches of the Capricorn Coast, the city is known for its beef – statues of the main breeds of cattle are even dotted around the city centre! Visit the cattle saleyards for a view of the action, take in the 130-year-old Rockhampton Botanic Gardens (100 Spencer St, Rockhampton, tel: +61 (7) 4922 1654), which also house the city’s zoo, or just wander around Quay Street and the city centre and admire the heritage-listed architecture. There are a number of historical sites worth a visit, too, including the Archer Park Railway Station and the Heritage Village just north of the city on the highway.

Archer Park Railway At the Heritage Village, make sure to drop into the Dreamtime Cultural Centre next door (tel: +61 (7) 4936 1655). “Guided tours are highly recommended!” says staff member Scott Angeles. You can learn to throw a boomerang, take a tour of a Torres Strait Islander village, find out how native plants are used by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, or get tips on playing the didgeridoo. Tours start at 10.30am Monday to Friday.

Eungella National Park East of Rocky, a windy day in the small seaside town of Emu Park on Keppel Bay brings out the best in its famous Singing Ship musical sculpture – it really does sing in the breeze! The next town north and the unofficial capital of the Capricorn Coast, Yeppoon, has plenty of good restaurants, takeaways and great picnic spots by the beach, along with interesting attractions like the Koorana Crocodile Farm (65 Savages Rd, Coowonga, tel: +61 (7) 4934 4749) and the Catchabarra Fishing Park (12 Cobraball Rd, tel: +61 (7) 4939 1444). You’ll get a warm welcome from the staff and rescued animals at the Cooberrie Park Wildlife Sanctuary (9 Stones Rd, tel: +61 (7) 4939 7590).

Koorana Crocodile Farm Back on the Bruce Highway heading north, there’s an adventure for everyone at the Capricorn Caves (30 Olsens Caves Rd, tel: +61 (7) 4934 2883). Take the Cathedral Tour through several chambers, and if you dare, go through the ZigZag Passage, a narrow passageway that ends with a swinging bridge! Thrillseekers will want to take the Wild Caving Tour or try some abseiling.

On the long final leg of the drive, take a rest in the seafront village of Clairview, 206km from Rockhampton. We stopped at the Community Centre, where kids can work off excess energy at the playground while the adults enjoy a cup of coffee and a yummy fruitcake made by the locals.

A hundred and twenty-three kilometres further north is journey’s end: tropical Mackay. Hit the beaches, go island hopping, dive or snorkel the Great Barrier Reef – every water sport you can imagine is on offer. Cap off a day by the water with a meal at one of the swanky Mackay Marina’s restaurants. If staying on land is more your thing, explore the walks and wildlife of nearby Cape Hillsborough and Eungella national parks, and take probably the best chance you’ll get to see a platypus in its natural habitat, at Broken River.

Before you fly home from Australia’s “sugar capital”, visit one of its newest attractions, the Sarina Sugar Shed (Field of Dreams Parkland, Railway Sq, Sarina, tel: +61 (7) 4943 2801), to take a tour of the miniature sugar mill and taste some freshly crushed cane juice. The shed also makes products for adults-only taste-tests, like the delicious Mango Rum Liqueur: rum, chocolate and coffee soaked in mangoes. “The locally grown mangoes give it a unique flavour, and we aren’t aware of anyone else who makes a similar product,” says manager Glenys Mansfield. “[It’s] proving to be a big hit with the gentlemen.” Ladies appear to favour the mango and butterscotch varieties of schnapps – why not pick up one of each, as the perfect souvenir of your Central Queensland odyssey! For all your travel choices, go to www.jetstar.com