Tropical peacefulness on Mission Beach

Mission Beach (including Bedarra Island)
Attractive, upmarket beach resort town.
Located 20 km from the Bruce Highway north of Tully, Mission Beach is one of those places where a careful exercise in promotion has elevated a sleepy little community into a fashionable tourist destination. The tiny township is modern and focuses entirely on the needs of tourists - with a slight emphasis on the more up-market clientele.

In fact the name Mission Beach is often applied to a number of tiny settlements stretch along the coastline east of Tully. To the north of Mission Beach are Garners Beach and Bingil Bay Beach and, to the south, South Mission Beach and Wongaling Beach.

The road leading to the town is known as the Cassowary Drive. Signs frequently warn the driver to beware of these beautiful birds. However the cassowary population of the area is such that you can live there for months without actually seeing one.

The Big Cassowary

Cassowary Drive is an enchanting road which passes through areas of dense rainforest. In fact Mission Beach's claim to fame is that it is one of the last areas on the north Queensland coast where tropical rainforest actually reaches down to the shoreline. The rainforest is the habitat not only of the elusive cassowary but of parrots, wallabies and some of the most beautiful butterflies imaginable.

The area was first explored by Edmund Kennedy and his party who landed just to the south of Mission Beach in 1848 at the start of their disastrous trek to Cape York (Kennedy himself was speared to death by Aborigines). A cairn on Tam O'Shanter Point commemorates Kennedy's involvement with the area.

The first white settlers established crops such as coffee, mangoes, coconuts and bananas, as well as a timber mill. The area got its name from an Aboriginal mission which was set up at South Mission Beach by the Queensland government in 1914 to house the remainder of the local indigenous population. A major cyclone swept the area in 1918, bringing with it tidal waves and floods. The mission was destroyed and lives were lost.

Things to see:  

Rainforest Walks
There are several rainforest walks in the area. 2 km along Cassowary Drive from the Bruce Highway there is a flat track which has become popular with birdwatchers because of the likelihood of seeing the giant flightless birds. There is also the Luff Hill Trail which, although difficult, rewards the walker with views over Mission Beach and Dunk Island.

The Visitors Information Centre has a Walking Track Guide. Mission Beach Adventure Tours offer a walking trek led by members of the Girramay tribe, who provide bush tucker, boomerang and spear-throwing demonstrations, as well as a barbecue lunch, tel: (07) 4068 7877. They also offer horseriding through the rainforest to a swimming hole.

Mission Beach Rainforest Treks are another organisation who provide guided walks and camping treks, tel: (07) 4068 7122.

Bedarra Island
Off the coast and accessible from Mission Beach are Dunk Island and Bedarra Island.

Activities in the area
Various companies at Mission Beach cater to a wide range of holiday and adventure activities. White-water rafting and kayaking expeditions are on offer from R 'n' R Rafting (tel: 07 4051 7777) and Raging Thunder, tel: (07) 4030 7990. Parachuting, scuba diving and organised cruises are also available locally. Telephone the visitors' centre for further information on (07) 4768 7099.

	Tourist Information
	Mission Beach Tourism Porters Promenade Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 7099 Facsimile: (07) 4068 7066
	Motels
	Castaways Beach Resort Cnr Pacific Pde & Seaview St Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 7444 Rating: ***
	Mackays Mission Beach Motel 7 Porter Prom Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 7212 Rating: ***
	Mission Beach Resort Cnr Cassowary Dve & Wongaling Beach Rd Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 8288 Rating: ***
	Backpackers
	Mission Beach Retreat 49 Porters Promenade Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 6229 Facsimile: (07) 4068 6111
	Motels
	The Horizon at Mission Beach Explorer Dve South Mission Beach Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 8154 Facsimile: (07) 4068 8596
	Backpackers
	Tree House Youth Hostel Mission Beach Frizelle Rd Bingil Bay Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 7137 Facsimile: (07) 4068 7028 Rating: **1/2
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Tropical Escape 13 Spurwood Close Wongaling Beach Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 9898 Rating: *****
	Apartments
	Beaches Holiday Apartments 82-84 Reid Rd Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 84 67 Facsimile: (07) 4068 8428
	The Wongalinga Apartments 64 Reid Rd Wongaling Beach Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 8221 Facsimile: (07) 4068 8180 Rating: ****
	Holiday Homes & Units
	Golden Sands Holiday Units 54 Seafarer St South Mission Beach Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 8904 Facsimile: (07) 4068 2520
	Farm & Eco Holidays
	Eco Village Mission Beach Clump Point Rd Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 7534
	Caravan Parks
	Hideaway Holiday Village Porters Prom Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 7104
	Beachcomber Coconut Village Kennedy Esp South Mission Beach Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 8129 Rating: ****
	Dunk Island View Caravan Park 175 Reid Rd Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 8248 Rating: ***
	Restaurants
	Blarney's Wongaling Beach Rd Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 8472
	Butterflies Mexican & Char Grill Porters Prom Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 7397
	Friends Restaurant Porters Prom Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 7107
	On the Bite Seafood Restaurant Porters Prom Mission Beach QLD 4852 Telephone: (07) 4068 7167