How to see kangaroos on the beach at Cape Hillsborough, QLD

At sunset and sunrise, the Cape Hillsborough kangaroos can usually be seen on Cape Hillsborough beach. This is 53km north of Mackay in Queensland. Check the Cape Hillsborough tides, and you can also walk out across the temporary causeway to Wedge Island.

Cape Hillsborough is on the stretch of Queensland‘s east coast that most tourists skip through quickly . 53km north of Mackay, and 130km south of Airlie Beach, the cape is at the eastern end of a hilly, forested, coastal national park.

kangaroo on the beach at Cape Hillsborough, near Mackay in Queensland — The best place to see kangaroos on the beach in Queensland is Cape Hillsborough, between Mackay and Airlie Beach. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

There are several walking trails, many of which are short and easy enough to count as journey-breaking leg stretches. But the real reason to divert off the highway and come to Cape Hillsborough National Park is the wildlife.

The beach at Cape Hillsborough might not have the glamorous white sand, yachts and sea kayaks of the nearby Whitsunday Islands (officially the Cumberland Islands). But, Whitsundays weather permitting, it has an attractive setting. The National Park headland is to one side and Wedge Island to the other. At low tide, a causeway opens to Wedge Island – check the Cape Hillsborough tides if thinking of walking out there.

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.

Kangaroos at Cape Hillsborough beach

Around sunset and sunrise, however, the beach goes from being quite nice to one of the best wildlife beaches in Australia. This is when the agile wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos emerge from the bush to have a bit of time on Cape Hillsborough Beach.

Get lucky, and you can share the beach with more than a dozen of the Cape Hillsborough kangaroos and wallabies. They’re fairly docile and accustomed to humans being around. This is partly because of the neighbouring Cape Hillsborough Nature Tourist Park. Here, dozens of holidaymakers stay in cabins and caravans.

Staying for a night is the best way of seeing the Cape Hillsborough kangaroos on the beach, as there’s no rush to get away. It also allows you to avoid driving along country roads in the dark – when hitting a kangaroo is a real danger.

Airlie Beach to Cape Hillsborough

The distance from Airlie Beach to Cape Hillsborough is 130km. The Airlie Beach to Cape Hillsborough driving time is around one hour and 34 minutes.

Other underrated tropical Queensland national parks include platypus-spotter’s favourite Eungella National Park, and the Danbulla National Park in the Atherton Tableland.