Capricorn and Whitsunday Coasts

Capricorn and Whitsunday Coasts
From the Tropic of Capricorn, the Bruce Highway worms its way north through sugar cane fields and along the tropical coast. Between Rockhampton and Towns-ville, some oceanside towns have morphed into backpacker havens like Airlie Beach, while others, such as Mackay, still grimace at the sight of sandals and an unwashed t-shirt. The isolated Eungella National Park, within easy reach of Mackay, rewards its few intrepid visitors with tumbling waterfalls and elusive platypuses. The offshore islands vary in size and flavor, each with its own beaches and maze-like walking trails. Great Keppel Island, almost within sight of Rockhampton’s shore, lacks roads entirely; the ferry lets passengers off on the beach. Much farther north off Airlie Beach, the Whitsundays are a blizzard of islands with rare, non-figurative Aborigine art and the astoundingly pure Whitehaven Beach. All along the coast, there’s plenty to see under the water as well, with the Great Barrier Reef close at hand.