The first European people to explore the Mission Beach area were
Edmund Kennedy and his party, they landed just south of Mission
Beach in 1848. This was where they started their ill fated journey
up to Cape York, Kennedy was speared to death by Aborigines later
on this journey. They were followed by settlers who established
crops such as coconuts, coffee, mangoes, bananas and a timber mill.
In 1914 the Queensland government set up an Aboriginal mission at
South Mission Beach to house the remainder of the local indigenous
population. A powerful cyclone hammered the area in 1918 in which
this mission was destroyed but its name remains till today and this
is where the area nowadays owes its name to. In the 1980s the area
started changing from a sleepy beachside settlement to a popular
holiday destination.
Mission Beach's most spectacular animal would have to be the
cassowary, up to two metres tall, covered in coarse black double
stranded feathers, and with brilliant colors of red and blue on
its neck and head. This elusive flightless bird is highly endangered
and lives only in the Wet Tropics area of North Queensland, another
patch of remote rainforest high up on the Cape York peninsula,
and New Guinea.
The cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) has been wandering
around this planet since before the super continent Gondwana broke
up in to several continents, and they have relatives in several
distant continents. They belong to a family of birds called ratites
and are related to the Emu, the Ostrich, the Kiwi (though there
is a dramatic difference in size) and the South American Rhea
- a little known bird that resembles a small emu and runs around
plains in Patagonia. They are also related to the now extinct
Moas of New Zealand and the Elephant Bird of Madagascar. In New
Guinea there are two other species of cassowary too but in Australia
the only species is the Southern Cassowary. More
about the cassowary...
Cassowaries like to chase people so if you come
face to face with one do not turn your back and run, this will
encourage him to chase you and you can run for miles, the bird
can do 50km/h so you are not going to outrun him anyway. Back
off slowly, hold something in front of you, go behind a tree or
raise your arms up to look taller. Most people that report cassowary
attacks have simple been chased for some distance, if the bird
did not catch up with you it means he was not even trying to catch
up! More on cassowary
attacks...
Annual events
Mudfest - usually held in June, a music and dance festival with
various arts and crafts stalls.
Mission
Beach Bed and Breakfast
Hibiscus
Lodge Bed and Breakfast, - Hibiscus Lodge is a colonial
Queenslander set on 2.5 acres of tropical gardens surrounded by
rainforest with the beautiful Mission Beach just a five minute
walk away.
Tropical
Escape Bed & Breakfast - Luxury B&B on 1.5
acres of rainforest and tropical garden. Walk 8 mins to pristine
beach via shady beach access track. Pool, BBQ, 2 lounge areas
with pool table & bar. Walk to shopping village, pub and restaurants.
Not suitable for children
Licuala
Lodge |
|
Liculala
Lodge is an award winning timber pole house set
in the peaceful and tranquil township of Mission
Beach. They have a great swimming pool, guest accommodation
is separate to the main house, and they serve a
famous 'All you can eat Breakfast', and included
in the tariff are complimentary drinks - tea, coffee,
soft drinks and BEER - how good is that !! More
info.... |
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Mission
Beach backpackers accommodation
Scotty's
Beach House |
|
Scotty's Beach House
is the only hostel on the beach with a bar and grill.
Relaxing hammocks in a garden setting with the largest
pool in town, great music playing in the open yard
makes it easy to meet new people. For the people
that like to party, our adjascent bar and grill
offers excellent meals at discount prices and happy
hour that offers $4.50 jugs of beer and $1 glasses
of wine. For people that wish to have a quiet one,
our 24 hour kitchen and 24 hour television room
are ready for you. No matter who you are, how old
you are or what you want to do, Scotty's Beach House
is the place for everything.
More
info and online reservations.... |
|
Mission Beach camping
Hideaway Holiday Village - Porters Prom
Beachcomber Coconut Village - Kennedy Esp South Mission Beach
Dunk Island View Caravan Park - 175 Reid Rd
Mission Beach Eco Lodges
Sanctuary at Mission Beach |
Sanctuary at Mission
Beach is an affordable accredited rainforest eco-lodge
at Mission Beach, North Queensland, Australia, half
way between Townsville and Cairns. Set on 18 hectares
of lush tropical rainforest overlooking the Coral
Sea, Sanctuary is as much a refuge for travellers
as it is for wildlife. Blessed with an abundance
of nature, there is much to see and do in Mission
Beach. The closest mainland point to the Great Barrier
Reef means that travel times are shorter and with
only two reef boats, your experience of this amazing
natural wonder is shared by only a select few. Just
offshore are many deserted islands to sail or sea-kayak
to and explore, most of which are protected National
Parks. |
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|
Standby rates in Mission Beach
Standbyrates.com.au
is a great place to shop for some last minute discounts,
find luxury accommodation for the price of budget accommodation
!
How to get to and around Mission
Beach
Unless you live in north Queensland you will have
to fly to the nearest international airport Cairns first, or to
Townsville airport.
Cheap flights are readily available on the internet now as competition
along the east coast is tough, try the sites below or see more
cheap flights
to Cairns and Townsville here.
Getting around the Mission Beach area is easy, the Mission Beach
Bus Service does a regular run around the area and there are bicylces
for hire. You can reach Mission Beach from Cairns with Coral Reef
Coaches, and other companies like Greyhound stop here on their
route along the east coast.
There is a wide choice of car rental companies where
you can book your car or campervan online to be assured of a car
on your arrival in Mission Beach or at Cairns airport, and most
offer one way rentals between major cities. Nothing beats the
freedom of having your own car to explore and stop when and where
you want.
RentNewCars.com.au
is an Australian company that exclusively distributes Europcar &
Thrifty's Australian fleet of 16,000 new vehicles and offers access
to over 200 locations around Australia via the RentNewCars
web site.
Budget
Car Hire needs little introduction, the name says it
all: car hire at Budget Prices with a car hire company with an international
reputation, and this sites makes it even easier to find yourself
a cheap hire car, or anything else with wheels: trucks,buses, campervans,
utes, four wheel drives etc.
Thrifty
Car Rental is another international car hire business
with a reputation for cheap rental cars.
Mission Beach tours
and things to do
Bedarra Island
Bedarra
Island Resort |
|
The Bedarra Island Resort
is located in the tropical North Queensland coast,
midway between Townsville and Cairns, neighbouring
the Dunk Island. During leisure, you can indulge
in various activities in the surrounding area. The
Resort boasts 16 guestrooms, all of which are comfortable,
well furnished and equipped with modern amenities.
Enjoy a drink at the bar and dine at the in-house
open terrace restaurant that serves a variety of
delicacies. Recreational facilities include a spa,
swimming pool, gymnasium as well as a tennis court.
Other services offered are internet access, currency
exchange, safe deposit box and fax.
More
info and reservations.... |
|
Dunk Island
Dunk Island is only just off the coast of Mission
Beach. You can go to Dunk Island on a day trip and hang out at
the resort or do the walking track around the island, or make
it an overnight stay;
Dunk
Island Resort |
|
Situated on Dunk Island,
one of Australia's most beautiful tropical rainforest
islands, the Dunk Island Resort offers comfortable
rooms including suites equipped with all necessary
modern amenities. Dining options include the Beachcomber
Restaurant, EJ's on the Deck as well as wining options
like the Plantation Bar and Lounge, Cascade Pool
Bar and the BB's on the beach cafe. Other facilities
include reception, laundry, safe deposit box, two
swimming pools, gym, a squash court as well as facilities
for the disabled.
More
info and reservations.... |
|
Scuba diving
Tour operators! Put your business in this spot!
Skydiving
Paul's
Parachuting has been operating for over 14 years
in Tropical North Queensland, they offer a range of different
jumps and you can land onto the spectacular Mission Beach. You
have the choice of freefall heights from 10,000ft through to the
massive 14,000 ft, which gives you an amazing 60 second freefall.
More
info....
Walking
The Visitors Information Centre has a Walking Track Guide showing
you some great walking tracks around the Mission Beach rainforest,
varying in length from half an hour to several hours. They include
Bicton Hill Lookout, Edmund Kennedy Walking Track, Lacey's Creek
and Licuala Walking Track, this is the one to do if you like the
majestic fampalms. If you want to learn more about this ancient
ecosystem you can also join a guided tour.
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.
White water rafting
R
'n' R Rafting has a good choice of rafting trips,
ranging from 1 to 4 days, and on different rivers. More
info...
Standby
rates -
Mission Beach backpacker / budget accommodation - Mission
Beach B&B -
Mission
Beach eco lodges - Mission
Beach camping -
Tours and things to do - Transport
- Street map
