Qld - Mackay

After having a wonderful week back in Newcastle visiting family and friends we were looking forward to exploring the Mackay area and were blown away with its’ beauty.

Craig, a friend of ours, has a magnificent home on Keswick Island, which is a 15 minute flight from Mackay airport. Craig flew us over in his own plane and we were treated to two amazing days walking, swimming and driving around the island in their golf buggy ( the main form of island transport ). Everywhere you look the views are breath taking. When flying around the island you can see the coral reefs hugging the shoreline.

Mackay is surrounded by cane fields which makes the area look very lush and green. One day we drove up to Eungella National Park, about a one hour drive west of Mackay in the Clarke Range. We went on several bush walks in the rain forest and were in awe of the massive palms, ferns and trees. From the top of the range at Eungella township there are viewing platforms of the valley below. The view is spectacular and the valley looks like a patchwork quilt. It is now the beginning of sugar cane harvesting in the area. There is a great deal of activity with the cutting and the transporting of the cane by trains and trucks to the many cane factories in the valley.

We loved the area and can certainly understand why it is growing so rapidly.