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MISSION BEACH Just 10 minutes drive up the road, or 20 minutes by bike on the sealed bike track, is the main village of Mission Beach. Known locally as North Mission, it has many boutiques, restaurants and cafes, fruit and vegie store and convenience store. There is a wide selection of accommodation from caravan parks to resorts. Take your time to stroll around the shops and along the beach and maybe stop at the Beach Vaka where there is a stinger net which is patrolled at various times during the season. The Mission Beach Visitor Information Centre is further up Porter Promenade where you can research and book all local attractions. The Ulysses Walk tracks the beach from North Mission to meet up with The Cutten Brothers walk. The Clump Point boat ramp is a sharp right turn (near the Eco Village Resort) and from which local boaties and charter operators head to the reef, coral cays or nearby tropical islands. The Family Islands National Park is a group of islands between Tully Heads and Mission Beach. Wheeler (Toolgbar), Coombe, Bedarra, Smith (Kurrumbah), Bowden (Budg-Joo), Hudson (Coolah), Mung-um-gnackum, Kumboola and Mound (Purtaboi) islands are also part of the Family Islands National Park. Commercial operators provide cruises around these scenic islands which can also be accessed by sea kayak or private boat. Kayaking is a popular way of exploring the islands as they are close to the mainland. Bush camping is available in the National Park grounds at Coombe and Wheeler islands. Dunk Island’s campground has been rebuilt to offer sunrise and sunset camp sites right on the beach.

Sunrise at Mission Beach

Dunk Island, 4.5km east of Mission Beach, is the largest and most northerly of the group and can be accessed in just 10 minutes on a water taxi. The island’s gentle slopes are good for bush walking and offer great views of the Great Barrier Reef and its islands. Muggy Muggy Beach is a 3km return walk through rainforest, coastal woodland and mangroves. Stop for a snorkel straight off the beach. Dunk Island’s Mount Kootaloo is a more strenuous walk up a steep track to the 271m summit, but the 7km return walk only takes three hours and has spectacular views. Near the lookout are the remains of a World War 2 radar station which is slowly being reclaimed by the rainforest. Continue onto the Island Circuit Track which is about 9km long.

Back on land and heading north you’ll also pass the new Clump Point Jetty from which you can stop and fish off. The short 10-minute journey to Bingil Bay is an iconic coastal drive where the Wet Tropics rainforest of the Djiru National Park literally meets the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Along the way is the Clump Mountain National Park. The circuit walk to the top of Bicton Hill at Bingil Bay (3.9km, 1.5-2 hours return) offers views of the Barnard Islands and across to Dunk and Hinchinbrook islands. The area is home to lace monitors and nocturnal striped possums.

BINGIL BAY With its small pretty beaches, Bingil Bay is the last village and is home to an eclectic group of locals. The centre of the village is literally one building with a convenience store, come-café, come-bar, come-restaurant, typical of the really laidback charm of this area! Continue on Bingil Bay Road to loop around and back into Mission Beach or out to the Bruce Highway at El Arish. Keep an eye out for local cattlemen mustering the famous Bingil Bay Beef from paddock to paddock. These spoilt, grass-fed beasts enjoy ocean views while they fatten up, which many say could be why they are the best tasting beef in North Queensland. On the El Arish-Mission Beach Road heading back into Mission Beach is Lacey Creek. A day-use area in Djiru National Park, the Lacey Creek Walk (1.5km, 45 minutes) has interpretative signage, a cassowary information display and a beautiful rainforest creek where you can cool off with a swim and spot small kingfishers flitting around. The Musgrave track (6km one way, 2.5 hours) is a multi-use track for walkers and mountain-bike riders along an old forestry road through rainforest and over creeks. The track can be accessed from either the Licuala day-use area or the trailhead on the El Arish-Mission Beach Road. For a more moderate hike involving quite steep terrain, join the Dreaming trail (3.2km one way, 1.5 hours) at Lacey Creek day-use area.

Bingil Bay Cafe