Gladstone to Airlie Beach road trip: Distance, driving time & stops
Gladstone to Airlie Beach drive: Clairview, Sarina and Mackay
If skipping Yeppoon, keep going up the Bruce Highway, but stop for one of the impressive cave tours at the Capricorn Caves.
The highway eventually reaches the coast at unsung Clairview, before slicing across Cape Palmerston. A 4WD is required for fishing and camping here.
The sugar town of Sarina is next up. Go on a tour of the Sarina Sugar Shed to learn how those sugar cane fields turn into big money. Or, if you’d prefer some beach time, head to Sarina Beach or Grasstree Beach.
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.
It’s another half hour from Sarina to Mackay, the biggest city in the Whitsundays region.
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.
Things to do in Mackay include the Wildcat snorkelling cruise, which heads to the South Cumberland Islands, croc-free swimming at Bluewater Lagoon, and the rather idyllic Blacks Beach.
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.
Click through for the next section: Mackay to Airlie Beach.