Boats at Bowen Harbour

Bowen
Unusual and attractive tropical town characterised by a lazy and easy charm.
There is a sense in which Bowen is an absolutely classic north Central Queensland town. The wide streets, the easiness of the lifestyle, the simple unpretentiousness which makes no concessions to development or visitors from the south, the languidness of a city slowly melting under a hot tropical sun. There is something which makes the visitor think of the 1940s and 1950s. This is a charming old-style town in an area where the rest of the world has moved on. And yet the great appeal of Bowen lies not in the town itself but in the unspoiled bays to the north which boast some of the most beautiful beaches in the tropical north. There is Horseshoe Bay, Murrays Bay (access is solely down a narrow dirt track), Rose Bay, Grays, Kings and Queens Beaches, the Town Beach and Dalrymple Point.

Bowen is located 1165 km from Brisbane and 206 km south of Townsville. It is a far cry from the route travelled by George Elphinstone Dalrymple who arrived in the town in 1861, having travelled overland from Rockhampton on a journey interrupted by heavy rains and flooding rivers.

Once occupied by the Girudala people, the first European to set eyes upon the present site of Bowen was Captain James Cook who named Cape Gloucester after William Henry, the Duke of Gloucester. Cook passed within 9 km of the coast and was certainly close enough to observe that 'on the west side of Cape Gloucester the land trends away S.W. and S.S.W. and forms a deep bay, the land in the bottom of this bay we could just see from the mast head. It is very low and is a continuation of the same low land as it is at the bottom of Repulse Bay.' Further up the coast Cook named Edgecumbe Bay.

The town of Bowen really dates back to 1859 when Captain Henry Daniel Sinclair sailed from Rockhampton in the 9-ton ketch Santa Barbara in search of a suitable port north of Rockhampton. He found a good harbour which he named Port Denison (after the Governor of New South Wales) and returned south to claim a reward only to find that Queensland was about to become a separate colony and neither the old colony nor the new one was prepared to reward his discovery.

At the same time the explorer George Elphinstone Dalrymple had left Rockhampton looking for suitable grazing land to the north. He recognised the potential of the area but failed to find a suitable port. Hoping that the mouth of the Burdekin River would prove a suitable harbour he persuaded the new Queensland government to send a party to investigate. They found that the mouth of the Burdekin was useless but, in the process, confirmed the accuracy of Sinclair's initial analysis of Port Denison.

In March 1861 the Queensland government declared Port Denison an official port of entry, allowing for the future development of the region. It was decided to establish a town on the shores of the port. Sinclair, who had been working in Sydney, was recalled and appointed harbour master and chief constable of the new township. Dalrymple was made commissioner of crown lands and magistrate. Sinclair set off by sea and Dalrymple travelled overland with supplies including 140 horses and 120 cattle.

Dalrymple arrived on 11 April 1861 and with due ceremony and lots of cheering from the 111 people who had made the journey by sea and land, he raised the Union Jack and declared Bowen (named after the first Governor of Queensland) the northernmost town in Queensland. It was a remarkable formal beginning to the town.

Dalrymple set up his tent on the site where the Power House would later stand and James Gordon, who had been appointed collector of customs, set up another tent nearby. Gordon wrote to Moreton Bay announcing 'that the Customs House was now ready for business'.

Within a year there were 20 cattle stations in the area, and hotels, stores and public instrumentalities had been established in the infant settlement.

1862 saw the North Australia Hotel obtain its liquor licence. It now has the longest continuous liquor licence in North Queensland. However it is only the licence which is old. The original pub (on the site of the Commonwealth Bank) has long gone. Today the North Australia is just a very ordinary modern, single-storey hotel with attached motel facilities.

Perhaps the most interesting moment in the early history of Bowen occurred in 1863 when James Morrill appeared out of the bush and announced 'Don't shoot mates, I'm a British object'. He had been shipwrecked seventeen years earlier and had spent the intervening time living with the local Aborigines. He went to Brisbane where he became something of a celebrity but eventually returned to Bowen and worked in the customs house. He died in Bowen in 1865 and is buried in the local cemetery. A large and distinctive obelisk marks the site.

In 1863 Bowen became a municipality. It was during this year that the town's first building, the gaol, was burned down. For a while prisoners were chained to logs or fence posts. There is a delightful story from this time of one prisoner carrying his log to one of the local pubs, fronting up at the bar, and ordering a drink.

In 1865 the town's jetty was built. It still stands, although it has undoubtedly been repaired many times.

The town continued to prosper although, as more towns were opened further to the north, Bowen's role as a service port for a vast hinterland was reduced. Even George Dalrymple (who was to become the first local member of parliament) eagerly established Cardwell on Rockingham Bay in direct competition with Bowen.

Two children walking across the beach at Horseshoe Bay near Bowen

The bays are really Bowen's tourist raison d'etre. Without the bays modern Bowen would be little more than a coal-loading facility, a harbour, a saltworks, a few pubs and old buildings and a reasonably substantial community. It certainly would not be a magnet for tourists.

Behind Queens Beach, in the hinterland, and stretching for maybe 50 km up the coast is the fruit-and-vegetable growing area for which Bowen is famous. Tomatoes are cultivated throughout the year in these fertile soils and some 4 million cartons are shipped south.

Bowen's industries include beef cattle production, a salt works producing nearly 30,000 tonnes a year, coke (up to 38,000 tonnes a year), a tomato-processing plant and fish. Over 3000,000 tonnes a year of fish are exported and there are three live fish processing plants on the harbour.

Things to see:  

Bowen Visitor Information Centre, the Big Mango, Events, Festivals and Murals
The town's visitor information centre is a good place to start an investigation of local attractions. Located on the Bruce Highway, at Mount Gordon, South Bowen, it is accompanied by the Bowen Big Mango, reflecting local cultivation of the Kensington Mango, which dates back to the late 1880s.

A major annual event is the Bowen Family Fishing Classic, held each year in September. It offers $90,000 in prizes with varying age categories. The annual show is held in June and the Multicultural Festival in July. The Gumlu Capsicum Festival is celebrated in the town of Gumlu, 62 km north of Bowen, each year in June. Nearby are the waters of Upstart Bay.

Bowen has a bit of a thing with murals. There are two dozen mural sites within walking distance of the CBD, most of them focusing on historical aspects of Bowen. Some were painted by artists of some renown, including Ken Done.

Bowen's Beaches
Within a few kilometres of Bowen are some eight beautiful beaches of which Horseshoe Bay is the most attractive, although Queens Beach, the largest, is probably the most popular. Unfortunately Queens Beach is also the least interesting. It is certainly not in the same league as Murray Bay which is like a hidden tropical paradise.

The success of Queens Beach seems to be based largely on the fact that it is the most highly developed. It has tennis courts, a nine-hole golf course, a bowling green, an old-style cinema and other social activities whereas the other beaches are strictly for swimming.

There is a pleasant walking trail which runs from Horseshoe Bay via a lookout to Murray Bay (870 m away) and Rose Bay (2.5 km).

Bowen Historical Museum
One of the places of real interest in town is the Bowen Historical Museum, regarded as one of the best local history museums in Central Queensland. It is clearly signposted off Herbert Street, Bowen's main thoroughfare. There is a fine collection of memorabilia and historical artefacts relating to geological, Aboriginal and industrial history, as well as shipwreck relics, a restored 1873 slab cottage with period furnishings, Captain Sinclair's waterman's badge, photostats of early maps relating to the township and a map of the arduous Old Bowen Downs Road over the Leichhardt Ranges, which took up to three months to traverse. The Bowen Downs route was blazed by Nat Buchanan who pioneered and opened up the area.

The Bowen Courthouse
Built in 1883 the courthouse is a large and impressive building in Herbert Street.

Stone Island
Stone Island, which lies 2 km offshore from Bowen, can be reached by ferry. Here the first settlers, who were not allowed to set foot on the mainland until the arrival of Dalrymple, got the opportunity to stretch their legs after the long voyage from Moreton Bay. Unfortunately this stopover resulted in the area's first European interment. A man named Peter Craigie slipped on some planks, accidentally shot himself and died a few hours later. His grave, which was marked with stones, can still be seen.

Abbot Point
Abbot Point is situated 19 km north of Bowen. It is Australia's most northerly coal-shipping port and will eventually be able to handle over 24 million tonnes of coal each year. Abbot Point was opened in 1984 and has direct rail links with the inland coalmining towns (see Collinsville).

	Tourist Information
	Bowen Tourism Bruce Hwy, Mt Gordon Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 4222 Facsimile: (07) 4786 4222 Email: info@bowentourism.com.au
	Bowen Visitor Information Centre Bruce Hwy, Mt Gordon Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 4222 Facsimile: (07) 4786 4222 Email: info@bowentourism.com.au
	Motels
	Big Mango Tree Motel Bruce Hwy Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 2499 or (07) 4786 2048 Rating: **
	Castle Motor Lodge 6 Don St Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1322 Rating: ***
	Ocean View Motel Bruce Hwy Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1377 Rating: ***
	Pearly Shell Motel 2 Don St Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1788 Rating: **
	Whitsunday Sands Resort Motel Horseshoe Bay Rd Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 3333 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Central Hotel Herbert St Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1812
	Club Hotel Herbert St Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1006
	Commercial Hotel Herbert St Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1802
	North Australian Hotel/Motel Cnr William & Herbert Sts Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1244
	Queens Beach Motor Hotel 101 Golf Links Rd Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4785 1555 Rating: ***
	Apartments
	Palm View Holiday Apartments Cnr Soldiers Rd & Howard St Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4785 1415 Rating: ****
	Rod & Reel Holiday Apartments Horseshoe Bay Rd Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 2421 Rating: **
	Skyview Coastal Luxury Apartments 49 Horseshoe Bay Rd Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 2232 Rating: ***
	Waggon Wheels Holiday Apartments 38 Horseshoe Bay Rd Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 2561 Rating: **
	Caravan Parks
	Bowen Palms Caravan Park Bruce Hwy Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 2994 Rating: ***
	Bowen Village Caravan & Tourist Park Bruce Hwy Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1366 Rating: ***
	Coral Coast Caravan Park Cnr Soldiers & Horseshoe Bay Rds Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4785 1262 Rating: ****1/2
	Harbour Lights Caravan Park 40 Santa Barbara Pde Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1565 Rating: ***1/2
	Horseshoe Bay Resort Horseshoe Bay Rd Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 2564 Rating: ***
	Queens Beach Caravan Park 160 Mount Nutt Rd Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4785 1313 Rating: ***
	Rose Bay Caravan Park Rose Bay Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 2388 Rating: **
	Tropical Beach Caravan Park Queens Beach Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4785 1490 Rating: ***
	Wangaratta Caravan Park 66 Golf Links Rd Queens Beach Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4785 1152 Rating: **
	Camping & Other
	Coco Palms Holiday Village Rose Bay Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 2370 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Ace's Steakhouse 69 Herbert St Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1006
	Goodtimes Restaurant 37 Herbert St Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1783
	Grandview Hotel 5 Herbert St Bowen QLD 4805 Telephone: (07) 4786 1022 Facsimile: (07) 4786 3773