{"id":2508,"date":"2018-02-02T09:00:09","date_gmt":"2018-02-02T09:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=2508"},"modified":"2024-02-09T03:45:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T03:45:42","slug":"8-awesome-things-mackay-australias-town-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com.au\/magazine\/road-trips\/8-awesome-things-mackay-australias-town-year\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Awesome Things to do in Mackay, Australia\u2019s Town of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Aussie explorers, this just in: Mackay has been hailed as Australia\u2019s Town of the Year. When we found out, we just had to take some time to showcase why everyone should visit Mackay this year!<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re wondering what this Central Queensland coastal town has going for it, we\u2019ve done the work for you.<\/p>\n<h2>1.\u00a0\u00a0 Take a dip in Bluewater Lagoon<\/h2>\n<p>If we said this one is for the kids, we\u2019d be lying. There\u2019s fun for the whole family in this gorgeous, three-tiered lagoon the size of three 50-metre swimming pools. It features a waterfall and slide, a children\u2019s play area, BBQ facilities, and picnic tables. Best of all, Bluewater Lagoon is free!<\/p>\n<h2>2.\u00a0\u00a0 Watch the sunrise with the roos at Cape Hillsborough<\/h2>\n<p>This stunning beach, about 50 km north-west of Mackay is overtaken by kangaroos and wallabies when the sun comes up. They enjoy their brekky of washed-up mangroves every morning, and some of them can be quite friendly (as long as they\u2019ve had their mangrove).<\/p>\n<p>Butterflies also call Cape Hillsborough home, with over 25 species fluttering about!<\/p>\n<h2>3.\u00a0\u00a0 Stroll the Botanical Gardens<\/h2>\n<p>Considered by the locals as the loveliest spot in Mackay, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mackayregionalbotanicgardens.com.au\/\">Mackay Regional Botanical Gardens<\/a> is the perfect spot to spend a leisurely afternoon getting lost amongst the diverse flora of the Central Queensland Coast Bioregion, which features tropical rainforests, sweeping beaches, mangrove-lined waterways, and open eucalypt forests.<\/p>\n<h2>4.\u00a0\u00a0 Camp at Eungella National Park<\/h2>\n<p>Here, take in the largest continuous stretch of sub-tropical rainforest in Australia. Plus, the Wheel of Fire Falls are incredible and not to be missed. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npsr.qld.gov.au\/parks\/eungella\/\">Eungella National Park<\/a> is also the unofficial platypus capital of the world, so spotting one (or many) is guaranteed!<\/p>\n<h2>5.\u00a0\u00a0 Trek Bluewater Trail<\/h2>\n<p>Explore Mackay by bike along the Bluewater Trail and take in the region\u2019s natural beauties. Six of Mackay\u2019s key attractions can be found along the trail including the Botanic Gardens, Sandfly Creek Environmental Walkway, Bluewater Lagoon and Bluewater Quay, Iluka Park, and the Catherine Freeman walk.<\/p>\n<h2>6.\u00a0\u00a0 Get Arty at Artspace Mackay<\/h2>\n<p>With a truly modern look and feel, designed by award-winning Queensland architects, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artspacemackay.com.au\/\">Artspace Mackay<\/a> breathes life into the historic town with an ever-changing program of international and Australian-curated exhibitions of visual arts and social history \u2013 one for the culture buffs.<\/p>\n<h2>7.\u00a0\u00a0 Enjoy a beach to yourself<\/h2>\n<p>We didn\u2019t think it was possible either, but with so many stunning beaches in town, it\u2019s easy to find one that\u2019s secluded any day of the week! Bucasia Beach, Harbour Beach, Dolphin Heads, and Far Beach are just four to choose from.<\/p>\n<h2>8.\u00a0\u00a0 Drive from Rockhampton to Mackay<\/h2>\n<p>The Rockhampton to Mackay drive, about 336 km, will take you just under four hours. While you won\u2019t encounter too much on the long stretch, it\u2019s the perfect way to get to Mackay to experience all of the above.<\/p>\n<p>So now you have the low-down too and know all the best things to do in Mackay, there should be nothing stopping you locking in a long weekend with an action-packed road trip, courtesy of SIX.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a large town, but you will need a car to get around to all the sights. Luckily, there\u2019s not one but two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sixt.com.au\/car-hire\/au\/qld\/mackay\/\">Mackay car hire<\/a> locations \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sixt.com.au\/car-hire\/au\/qld\/mackay-airport\/\">Mackay Airport car hire<\/a> and the other in town.<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aussie explorers, this just in: Mackay has been hailed as Australia\u2019s Town of the Year. When we found out, we just had to take some time to showcase why everyone should visit Mackay this year! If you\u2019re wondering what this Central Queensland coastal town has going for it, we\u2019ve done the work for you. 1.\u00a0\u00a0&#8230;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":2510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,58],"tags":[132,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-2508","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tips","8":"category-road-trips","9":"tag-mackay","10":"tag-queensland","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>8 Awesome things to do in Mackay | SIXT Car Rental Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mackay has been hailed as Australia\u2019s Town of the Year. 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