RV TRAVEL
An east coast low saw me held up in Mackay , Qld , for a few days , until it passed further north and out to sea . I ’ d never explored the Mackay region before and until now it was only to pass through , heading to the Cape . It ’ s a busy place where industry meets the tourism sector , and with a nearperfect climate , the Mackay region is growing fast .
Cook passed by in his 1770 voyage but it was in 1860 that explorer John Mackay reached the Pioneer River with horses and cattle from New South Wales . The town was established by the river and in 1865 the first sugar cane was planted , making the region boom , and over the next 100 years it has grown to have the largest sugar refinery in the southern hemisphere .
The town itself has beautiful buildings dating back to the late 1800s . It has a busy port and marina area , surrounded by national parks , and claims to have the longest stretch of sub-tropical rainforest in Australia .
HEADING TO EUNGELLA
With Mackay behind me , I headed an hour north to Cape Hillsborough National Park , where steep mountains meet the sea . Around 30 million years ago , lava poured out from a nearby volcanic plug called Pinnacle Rock . The jagged rocks , the result of eons of geological upheaval and weathering , can be seen on the drive to Cape Hillsborough .
Amazing campsite at the Eungella Dam .
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