Destinations

Reef & Islands

Head to the Great Barrier Reef from Mackay. There are day tours and extended charters, scenic reef flights and great diving and snorkelling options.

Get a birds-eye view of the Great Barrier Reef and take an exhilarating scenic flight over this seventh wonder of the world.

Catch a reef fish with your local tour guide and enjoy your prized catch for your evening's meal. You can snorkel Bushy Atoll - a suspended lagoon of corals and marine life.

Be a castaway for a day and get back to nature on your own secluded island and delight in whatever you want. For an island experience, spend the night on Brampton Island with its 11 kilometres of walking tracks on this popular tropical haven.

Other islands in the region include the Newry Island Group, with six national park islands offering great fishing, snorkelling and bird watching as well as a small resort and camping facilities.

The Cumberland Group of islands include Keswick, Scawfell, Carlisle and St Bees and is perfect for that secluded island experience only accessible by private vessel.

The Lindeman Group of islands is situated between Mackay and the Whitsundays and is renowned for Club Med Lindeman Island Resort.

Islands to visit

South Cumberland Islands National Park
Scawfell Island is the largest island in the South Cumberland Islands Group and is located about 60 kilometres northeast of the Mackay coast. It is a continental island with a rocky, indented coastline, granite cliffs, hoop pine forest and open eucalypt woodland. A turtle nesting area is also on the island and there are beautiful bays where you can snorkel off the beach and view delicate coral formations and tropical fish. Safe anchorage can be found at Refuge Bay. Bookings are essential in the holidays. Access is by private boat or cruise. Bush camping is available on the island however campers must be self-sufficient. Take water and a fuel stove.

Keswick Island
Keswick Island is situated 32 kilometres off the tropical city of Mackay and is the southern most island in the Whitsundays. The temperatures vary from 17 celsius to 24 celsius in winter (water temperature is a steady 20 celsius) and 24 celsius to 30 celsius in summer (water temperature is a steady 26 celsius). Keswick Island is designated national park with a total area of 530 hectares or 1300 acres, with a majority of this dedicated as natural habitat.

The sheltered bays of Keswick Island are home to colourful coral gardens and a myriad of tropical fish that rates amongst the best in the Great Barrier Reef. It offers divers a unique diving experience, as there are very few places in the world where you can experience world class diving, and one of the few places in Australia where you have the potential to dive three wreck sites all from within half an hour of the island.

There are several walking treks that lead to secluded beaches with beautiful views along the way. Keswick Island in still being developed, currently the only visitor accommodation is the Keswick Island Guesthouse and Bed and Breakfast.