Mackay and surroundings

With our wheels firmly back on the bitumen again it seemed fitting to indulge in a little luxury and as we headed down the coast towards Dolphin Heads, near Mackay, watching the sugar cane harvesting in progress.

The sugar cane factory chimneys

Sugar cane harvesting

Sugar cane mulch loading onto the train

Sugar cane train

The road down the coast is regularly transected with small gauge railway lines that are used by sugar cane farmers to transport cane or mulch to and from the processing factories. We witnessed plenty of activity with harvesting in the fields, loading and movement of the trains and the processing factory chimneys puffing away, indicative of the industry inside.

Dolphin Heads Resort

In Mackay we stayed at the beautiful Dolphin Heads resort for a few days lounging by the pool, relaxing.

View from beach of Dolphin Heads

We drove to Eungella National Park looking for platypus in the pouring rain. We found plenty of birds including the particularly colourful scarlet honeyeater there but only one platypus in Broke River.

We explored Blacks Beach, Eimeo and the city of Mackay but it was a time for winding down and relaxing.