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5 things to love about Mackay

by Robin Powell | 17 Jan 2017

If you thought Mackay was all about sugar and mining, it’s time to discover the jewel of Queensland’s Whitsunday coast, idyllically placed at the mouth of the Pioneer River.

 

There’s a new energy in post-mining boom Mackay that’s contagious. Don’t be surprised to find yourself looking in real estate windows and marveling at how well a sea change could work out. Here are just five things not to miss.

Historical Art Deco buildings

The early years of the 20th century were a roller-coaster for Mackay. Booming sugar prices brought riches and a growing population, but fires in 1915 and 1916 destroyed many buildings on the main street, and the devastating cyclone of 1918 demolished almost everything else.

The result was a flurry of building activity at a time when the Art Deco style was at its most popular, giving Mackay the best collection of Art Deco architecture in the state. The Mackay, Imperial, Palace, Australian and Ambassador hotels have all been beautifully restored and deserve to be toasted with a cold drink, and don’t miss the stylish CWA building. Visit the Mackay Visitor Centre to pick up a brochure or to book a guided tour.

Watching platypus play

Locals will tell you that there are platypus in most of the quieter bends and ponds all along the Pioneer River, but the best place to see them is in Eungella National Park, a scenic hour-and-a-bit drive from Mackay through the cane fields and up into the Clarke Range.

The platypus ponds are easily reached from the Information Centre and kiosk (excellent crisp waffles if you’re in need of sustenance) on well-kept paths.

Platypus are shy creatures, but it doesn’t take long to track the telltale line of bubbles. Despite its diminutive size, the platypus casts a magical spell as it languidly dives and swoops through the water, while tortoises bask in the afternoon sun.

Sunrise on the beach

Mackay’s dozens of beaches are quiet and flat, protected from swell by the reef. All are beautiful and worth a long walk, but make a special effort to catch sunrise at Cape Hillsborough, about 45 minutes from Mackay. Here, islands dot the horizon, coconut palms and native forest fringe the sand and craggy cliffs bookend the beach. The sun rises between the rocks and a small island, pouring liquid gold over the water as it peeks above the horizon.

It’s breathtakingly beautiful, but what really sets the cameras popping are the local kangaroos on the beach, silhouetted against that rising sun.

Eating like a local

You have to arrive early to score bacon at the Midcity Farmers’ Market, held very Wednesday from 2-6pm, but it’s worth it. The bacon is from Freckle Farm, a biodynamic and fully-sustainable egg, beef and pork farm run by Deb McLucas and her husband Rob Baumann. Take a farm tour at Freckle Farm if you’re around on the right day and learn about Deb and Rob’s pioneering pasture-grazing methods.

Otherwise, join the locals – and the local chefs – at the city market, stocking up on bacon, eggs, beef and pork, as well as honey, pineapples, papaya, piles of vegetables, tropical flowers and fresh seafood sold by the guy who caught it just that morning.

Homemade afternoon tea

What’s a holiday without a Devonshire Tea? At the Old Station House at Cape Hillsborough, the scones and jam are homemade. Enjoy them under the trees or on the expansive verandahs of the old Marion railway station, bought by Michele and Dwayne Shea in the 1990s and installed here in a beautiful garden. Hoyas scent the front garden, a big deck looks over a pond at the back, and on the railway station verandahs, Michele’s styling of antiques and bric-a-brac recalls a slower, more leisurely, time.