BURDEKIN BINDAL & JURU country

The Burdekin district is nestled in the delta of the mighty Burdekin River, with its two main townships – Ayr and Home Hill – linked by the iconically historic Burdekin Bridge. Well-known as the sugar cane capital of Australia, the Burdekin offers fantastic fishing, wetlands rich in biodiversity and birdlife and miles of unspoilt beaches to explore, including Australia’s longest sand spit - Lynch’s Beach at Alva.

Passing fields of cane could have you thinking of greener pastures but you don’t have to go far in the Burdekin to truly immerse in natural history. Departing daily from the beachside community of Alva, boats, often launched by tractor take you to dive one of the world’s best dive sitesthe SS Yongala shipwreck.

Over 100 years ago (one year before the Titanic) the Steam Ship Yongala sank in a cyclone in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. One of the most tragic maritime disasters in Australia, the Yongala is now covered in coral and home to hundreds of species, living on in harmony with the surrounding marine environment.

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The SS Yongala is the largest, most intact historic shipwreck in Australian waters – 109 metres long and home to mega marine life.