Set in tropical rainforest is the sparkling jewel of the Cassowary Coast...Mission Beach
Set in tropical rainforest is the sparkling jewel of the Cassowary Coast...Mission Beach. A small town with over 14 kms of sandy beaches. Laze under the shade of a palm tree and soak in the true tropics. Best of all, none of the beaches are crowded – if you are looking for peace and tranquility, then your search is over!!
Just off the coast, a mere 5 kms away, are the beautiful Family Group of islands including the famous Dunk and Bedarra Islands, and just south is the largest island National Park in the world, Hinchinbrook Island. The Great Barrier Reef is only 38 kilometres away making Mission Beach the closest mainland access to the Great Barrier Reef - a mere 50 minutes.
Mission Beach is home to the regal Southern Cassowary, a gracious but elusive flightless bird, which unfortunately is on the list of the World's Endangered Species. These huge birds are so important to the rainforest, as they are only animals capable of distributing the seeds of more than 70 species of trees whose fruit is too large for any other forest dwelling animal to eat and relocate. The area is also home to dozens of butterflies, the most famous being the iridescent blue Ulysses Butterfly.
So, why come to Mission Beach ?? It is a quiet town, with perhaps 3 or 4 thousand residents. No trouble parking your car here. No annoying aircraft noise that is on offer at larger towns. There is a fantastic selection of restaurants offering a wide range of cuisine from true blue Aussie, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Thai. Plenty of takeaways and coffee shops can be found. Of course, all the retail outlets that you could expect to see - supermarkets, butchers, newsagents, greengrocers, liquor stores, Post Office, hairdressers, art gallery, hardware store and service stations. A market operates on the 1st Saturday and 3rd Sunday each month, catering for locals and tourists (haggling essential), and a Monster Market takes place on the last Sunday of each month (Easter - November).
For all adventure seekers, Mission Beach has many adrenalin activities. Scuba diving and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef is just an hour away. White water rafting addicts can have a fix at the Tully river, and for those with a head for heights Tandem Skydiving is here. Sea kayaking for those who like to exercise a little, or maybe a day's fishing is more to your liking, or perhaps a round of golf. And if you want to do just nothing - then this is the place to do it. Mission Beach has something for everyone.
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