Rockhampton to Mackay road trip: Distance, drive time and stops.
The Rockhampton to Mackay drive is 336km in distance, with a driving time of around three hours and 35 minutes. Road trip attractions to add to the itinerary include the Capricorn Caves and Sarina Beach.
The Rockhampton to Mackay leg of a Queensland road trip, whether heading from Brisbane to Cairns or Hervey Bay to Airlie Beach, is something of a slog. There is, frankly, not an awful lot to see on the way.
Rockhampton offers fascinating history walks and cave tours. To source the best Rockhampton accommodation deals, go here.
Mackay offers excellent Whitsundays snorkelling cruises. To choose from the best Mackay tours and experiences, head this way. To select the right Mackay accommodation for you, book here.
The best thing to do in Mackay is a snorkelling cruise around the South Cumberland Islands.
Rockhampton to Mackay distance and driving time
Without stopping, the Rockhampton to Mackay drive is 336km in distance. That leads to a Rockhampton to Mackay driving time of around three hours and 35 minutes.
Top experiences to book in and around Rockhampton
- (Highly recommended ✅) Great Keppel Island day trip – with lunch.
- Cathedral Cave tour at Capricorn Caves. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- 90 minute Deep Vault Cave and Flower Pot tour at Capricorn Caves.
- Time Safaris walking tour.
There are, however, some detours you can make on the journey, should you wish to turn this into a road trip. Yeppoon, gateway to Great Keppel Island on the coast, doesn’t really count as you have to come back through Rockhampton when you leave.
The number one thing to do in Yeppoon is a Great Keppel Island day trip.
Rockhampton to Mackay road trip stops: Attractions and beaches
The first obvious stop on the Rockhampton to Mackay drive is the Capricorn Caves complex. The caverns have more than their fair share of impressive cave decorations and Cathedral Cave tours can be booked online. The Capricorn Caves are handily just off the Bruce Highway. They’re arguably top of the list of things to do between Rockhampton and Mackay.
From here, pickings get slimmer as the Bruce Highway heads further inland from the coast. It passes through the entirely unremarkable Kunwarara, Marlborough and Ogmore before rejoining the coast at Clairview.
If you’ve got a 4WD and sense of adventure, you may want to wrangle your way to Cape Palmerston. There’s good fishing and basic bush camping here. The turn-off is at Ibilibie, before you get to Sarina.
Click through to the next section: Sarina attractions.