Mission Beach

MISSION BEACH Set in its own cluster of tropical rainforest is the sparkling jewel of the Cassowary Coast...Mission Beach. An uncomplicated beachfront town with over 14 km of magnificent golden sandy beaches. Surely the phrase “where the rainforest meets the beach” was coined here at Mission Beach - right at the very heart of the Great Green Way. Long stretches of clean golden sands with, in most places, the rainforest literally fringing the pristine beaches. Laze under the shade of a palm tree and soak in the true tropics. Best of all, none of the beaches are crowded – if you are looking for peace and tranquility, then your search is over!!

DUNK ISLAND Offshore are the beautiful Family Group of islands including the famous Dunk and Bedarra Islands, and just south is the largest island National Park in the world, Hinchinbrook Island. Dunk Island is probably one of the best known of Australia's tropical islands, largely due to the writings of E.J.Banfield, the beachcomber. He lived there from 1897 to 1923.

GREAT BARRIER REEF The Great Barrier Reef is only 38 kilometres away making Mission Beach the closest mainland access to the Great Barrier Reef - a mere hour and ten minutes. Why stay in overcrowded northern resorts where the Great Barrier Reef is 2 hours away (and therefore 2 hours back !!) when you can stay in paradise.

RAINFOREST Mission Beach lies in the heart of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, which stretches between Townsville and Cooktown on the north-east coast of Queensland and covers an area of 894,420 hectares. As well as relatively common mammals like the platypus and wallaby, the Wet Tropics is home to 13 mammal species which are found nowhere else in the world. How about this - the Wet Tropics region is home to a quarter of Australia's frogs, a third of the country's freshwater fish, and almost half of Australia's birds - approx 370 species.

CASSOWARY Of these birds, the gem is the regal Southern Cassowary, a gracious but elusive flightless bird, which unfortunately is on the list of the World's Endangered Species. These huge birds are so important to the rainforest, as they are only animals capable of distributing the seeds of more than 70 species of trees whose fruit is too large for any other forest dwelling animal to eat and relocate.

As you approach Mission Beach you will encounter a couple of these Cassowary road signs. It seems as though a car will come off second best to a cassowary, but I can assure you it is the other way round.

And for those of you who know that some Australian towns have a 'big thing' - well Mission Beach is no exception. We have a BIG Cassowary which stands about 5 metres tall.

The area is also home to dozens of species of butterflys, the most famous being the blue Ulysses Butterfly.

SPORTS But for all you adventure seekers, then fear not ! Scuba diving and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef is just an hour away from our cute jetty. White water rafting addicts can have an adrenalin fix at the nearby Tully river, and for those with a head for heights Tandem Skydiving is another option. Sea kayaking for those who like to exercise a little, or maybe a sedate day's fishing is more to your liking, or perhaps a round of golf. Mission Beach has something for everyone. Go on - treat yourself - spend a few days here at Mission Beach doing nothing or doing something. And how good is this – all the tour operators will come and pick you up from the best accommodation Great Barrier Reef has to offer, and they will drop you off after your day’s adventure – FOC !!! What a great service these guys provide.

HOLIDAY DESTINATION in Tropical North Queensland So, why come to Mission Beach ?? It is a small Aussie town, maybe a couple of thousand residents, which makes it a tranquil spot. No problems in parking your car here. No annoying aircraft noise that is on offer at larger towns. There is a fantastic selection of restaurants offering a wide range of cuisine from true blue Aussie, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Thai. Plenty of takeaways and coffee shops can be found. And a couple of drinking holes with big screens for all you sports fans - what more could you desire ?? Of course, all the retail outlets that you could expect to see - supermarkets, butchers, newsagents, greengrocers, liquor stores, Post Office,  delicatessen, clothing stores, hairdressers, art gallery, dive shop, hardware store and service stations. A market operates on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month, catering for locals and tourists (haggling is allowed !!), and a Monster Market takes place on the last Sunday of each month (Easter - November).