Road Trip Break: Relaxing at Mission Beach

The next stop along our road trip of coastal Queensland was almost like a rest stop in Mission Beach. We really didn’t have enough time in this beachy little town, with our busy schedule we were just passing through for the night in between bigger towns and activities.

But Mission Beach definitely shouldn’t be overlooked as a great holiday hot spot in Tropical North Queensland, especially if you’re looking for some rest and relaxation!

We had spent the whole day on Magnetic Island, only beginning to head north in the evening. It’s about a 3 hour drive from Townsville to Mission Beach, so by the time we arrived night time had definitely fallen. We checked in to our hotel, who were so helpful with our late check in, and we were fast asleep in a comfy bed in no time.

The following morning we had a few hours to spare before we had to get on the road again. We spent it moving slowly, eating a big breakfast and taking a walk on the beach before we had to get back into the car.

Although we didn’t get to spend enough time here or explore more of the town, we definitely wanted to share Mission Beach with everyone.

So to share more about Mission Beach, here are 5 interesting facts about the town that will make you want to book your next holiday here even faster.

1. The Beach Villages

Mission Beach is made up of four beach villages (South Mission Beach, Wongaling Beach, North Mission Beach and Bingil Bay), linked by 14 kilometres of wide golden sand with Kennedy Bay in the south to Garners Beach in the north.

That is more than enough space for every single visitor to spread out and have a little bit of the beach to themselves.

Exploring the Atherton Tablelands

2. The Aquatic Festival

2017 saw the return of the Aquatic Festival to Mission Beach, which celebrates and highlights everything this little beach town has to offer. There is skydiving, white water rafting, family events, markets, rainforest walks, local entertainment, live music entertainment and so much more! The next Aquatic Festival will be held on 13th October 2018.

Top 10 Things To Do On Magnetic Island

3. World Heritage Areas

You can find two World Heritage Areas in Mission Beach – the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest, which come together to form a completely unique environment, unlike anywhere else in the world. Mission Beach is a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and is also the prefect base for visiting the nearby islands – Dunk, Bedarra and Hinchinbrook.

4. No traffic lights in Mission Beach

There are no chain stores or traffic lights in Mission Beach. It’s almost like a beach side country town where you can slow down and enjoy the simple life of secret water holes and tropical landscapes.

Check out where we stayed in Mission Beach – at Castaways Resort & Spa

5. Home to the cassowary

Mission Beach and the area around it is home to the biggest population of the endangered cassowary in Australia. These big flightless birds might be a little bit daunting to run into in real life, as they can be quite tall and can be spotted walking through fields and gardens and sometimes even swimming in rivers.

Although we didn’t have enough time on this trip, we have definitely dropped a pin on Mission Beach as somewhere we need to go back to and explore a lot more.

It’s close location to so many beautiful natural attractions, most of them hidden off the beaten track and lying in the shadows of their more famous neighbours, make it even more enticing and exciting to explore.

The Babinda Boulders - Queensland's Hidden Gem

If you’ve visited Mission Beach, make sure you drop us a comment and let us know what we can’t miss for our next trip!