Mission Beach Region Guide

Mission Beach Review

Travellers Tale!
Submitted By: Jane Hodges - Australia
Updated: 07-May-2007

No one cares who you are or what job you do in Mission Beach. They just want to know whether you've caught any fish, what restaurant you'd recommend and what time the next island water taxi leaves.

Mission Beach is one of those lazy, idyllic little locales you always knew existed along the north Queensland coast, you just didn't know exactly where. If you need respite from crowds, stress, and having to get dressed for dinner, you'll find it just 90 minutes drive from Cairns.

Hugging the coast for about 15km, Mission Beach takes in a handful of villages from Garners Beach in the north to Kennedy Bay in the south. Along the stretch is sleepy Bingil Bay, Mission Beach proper, Wongaling Beach and South Mission Beach. You'll find a range of low key, low rise accommodation, shopping and restaurants, and access to rainforests, beautiful beaches, and the Family group of islands.

And the only traffic jams will be caused by cassowaries crossing. The rainforests surrounding Mission are famous for being one of the few areas the large endangered native birds are still found. Prominent signs warn of the possibility of encountering them and be warned, they dash out of the greenery with little dalliance.

First thing's first. Where to stay. Top of the range is the stylishly understated Horizon Resort, set high on the point at South Mission Beach. Even though it was recently refurbished to the tune of $5 million, the planners were clearly mindful that the view and position remain the attention grabber. Finishes are in timber and natural hues blending well with the environment. The airy main "lodge" houses the reception, lounge, bar and restaurant and overlooks the pool, and breathtaking vista of bushland and ocean beyond. Guestrooms all have "sea and tree" views and are accessed via timber board walks from the pool area. Most people spend a great deal of time poolside, sunning, grazing and taking in the views. If you do want to venture out, there is a coastal bush walk and a 10 minute amble from the resort down to Lover's Beach where you can fish or swim.

Other accommodation options include motel-style beachfront resorts, self-contained units, rental beach houses and you can't go past the camp grounds and caravan and cabin parks that are cheap as chips and afford million dollar views.

Eating is one of the great pleasures of any holiday. Make sure to sample the Zen-like Toba, which specialises in Asian flavours.  For local seafood, try Friends and Blarney's.  Piccolo Paradiso is good for coffee, pizza and gelato.

A healthy dose of resort shopping can be found at Sansusi boutique and a browse in the gallery of local artist Helen Wiltshire may see you taking home a colourful canvas of a nearby beach, rainforest or island.

From Mission there are several day trip options including rainforest walks on the Licuala or the Edmund Kennedy Tracks, whitewater rafting on the Tully River, sailing in the Family Group of Islands or a day at Dunk Island. Dunk is accessed via a 20 minute water taxi ride and you can spend the day using the resort's water sports facilities and Jetty Bar and Café.

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