Brisbane to Cairns road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
Brisbane to Cairns road trip attractions: Rockhampton to Airlie Beach
No-one is going to pretend the Rockhampton to Airlie Beach drive is the highlight of their east coast road trip. There’s a lot of basically uninhabited forest, military land and sugar cane to pass, especially on the Rockhampton to Mackay leg. But there are a few worthwhile stops on the way. These include tours of the Capricorn Caves just north of Rockhampton, kangaroos on the beach at Cape Hillsborough and platypus-spotting in the Eungella National Park. The more adventurous can veer off in a 4WD to go camping and birdwatching at Cape Palmerston or for some beach time at Sarina Beach or Grasstree Beach near Sarina.
Top Sarina experiences worth booking in advance
- Learn how sugar is grown and processed on a sugar mill tour – with sweet treat tastings.
- Find out how rum is made on a rum distillery tour – with rum sampling.
Best Sarina accommodation options.
The best places to stay in Sarina, Queensland, are:
- For beachside location with an outdoor pool: Sandpiper Motel.
- For air-conditioned caravans and cabins: Sarina Palms Cabins & Caravans.
- For palm trees and beach holiday vibe: Sarina Beach Motel.
Three great Mackay experiences to book in advance
- (Highly recommended ✅) Whitsunday Islands boat cruise – with snorkelling and paddleboarding.
- Cape Hillsborough sunrise tour – meet wallabies on the beach.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Finch Hatton Gorge waterfalls tour.
Best Mackay accommodation options
The top places to stay in Mackay are:
- For attractive apartments by Blacks Beach: The Shores Holiday Apartments.
- For a cheap, but surprisingly good, motel: Cool Palms Motel.
- For apartments with kitchenettes by the marina: Mantra Mackay.
- For a holiday park with lot of family-friendly facilities: Big4 Mackay Blacks Beach Holiday Park.
- For fully furnished apartments in prime position next to Bluewater Lagoon: Riviera Mackay.
You can, however, be forgiven for bombing it through to Airlie Beach. The Whitsundays cruises and small boat island tours are the main attraction here. But there are also Whitsundays kayaking tours, Airlie Beach Lagoon and Proserpine River crocodile cruises from Proserpine to enjoy. The Hamilton Island ferry also departs from Airlie Beach.
9 memory-making Airlie Beach experiences to add to your visit
- Whitehaven Beach day cruise – with plenty of snorkelling thrown in.
- Glass bottom boat tour – see coral and marine life without getting wet.
- Heart Reef flight – see the islands and Great Barrier Reef from above before flying over Australia’s famous heart-shaped island.
- Proserpine River crocodile safari – see the big crocs from a boat.
- Whitsundays sunset cruise – with free snacks and sparkling wine.
- Sailing on the Camira – glide around the Whitsunday Islands under sail.
- Whizz around the islands on a guided jetski tour.
- Waterfall explorer day tour – with swimming in Hinterland rock pools.
- Enjoy high speed thrills on a jet boat ride.
Airlie Beach accommodation picks
Specialist Australian booking site Wotif offers Airlie Beach accommodation for from $114 a night. You can look through the best deals here.
However, some Airlie Beach accommodation options are worth highlighting:
- On a budget: Tasman Holiday Parks Airlie Beach.
- For families: Big4 Adventure Whitsundays Resort.
- For waterfront apartments: At Marina Shores.
- For pampering: Coral Sea Marina Resort.
- For great value: Colonial Palms Motor Inn.
Click through for the next section: Airlie Beach to Townsville.