Top 4 scenic drives in the Mackay and Isaac Region

Looking for something to do in the Mackay and Isaac Region? Now is a great time to take to the road and explore some of the fantastic destinations in the region. Here at Ezy Mechanical in Mackay and Moranbah, we’ve put together a list of our top 4 scenic drives in our beautiful region. Before you head off on your trip, remember safety first and book in for a 30-point vehicle safety check or have your Automatic Transmission serviced before you tow.

1- Cape Hillsborough National Park

Cape Hillsborough National Park is located at the tip of a volcanic peninsula within the Central Mackay Coast Bioregion. Cape Hillsborough is where the rainforest meets the beach.

The first part of the drive to Cape Hillsborough National Park takes you along the Bruce Highway, then you take a turn down Yakapari-Seaforth Rd. This long country road will take you on a scenic journey past luscious cane fields, rustic cottages and farm machinery, creeks and a beautiful backdrop of mountains. A very enjoyable and relaxing drive. Next, take a right turn down Cape Hillsborough Rd where you’ll drive by a mangrove swamp. Here you can stop in at one of walking trials called the Diversity Boardwalk where you can wander through a Melaleuca woodland, a mangrove community, eucalypt open forest and vine thicket.

Keep on driving and you’ll reach the destination’s world famous attraction…. the beach, where you can see the friendly Agile Wallabies and Eastern Grey Kangaroos hopping around at sunrise. It’s certainly a picturesque moment, a must do for your bucket-list and well worth the early rise in the morning.

Here you can also venture through the rainforest along one of the many walking trails and admire the view at one of the many scenic lookouts. Along the Andrews Point track you can find Twin Beach Lookout and Turtle Lookout, this is the perfect location to spot turtles or whales (during migration season). Read more about the walking tracks here.

You can stay overnight camping, in cabins or beachhuts by the beach at Cape Hillsborough Nature Tourist Park, enjoy the serenity of the area, kick back and relax.

DRIVE DISTANCE: Cape Hillsborough National Park is located approximately 50 km north of Mackay City.

2- Eungella National Park

Do you want to try freshwater scuba diving? Maybe mountain biking between the high eucalyptus trees? You can do this and more at Eungella National Park. It is also home to the Araluen Falls, Broken River- home of the iconic platypus, a magnificent subtropical rainforest with 22km of bush walking tracks. Eungella National Park is one of Queensland’s most ecologically diverse parks, a visit to Eungella is both an exciting adventure and an escape to tranquillity. Follow walking tracks ranging from 30 minute easy walks to half day and day walks and enjoy spectacular views down the Pioneer Valley, along with rainforest gullies and river pools. Enjoy a picnic at Broken River and then wander along the banks watching the platypus in the gently-flowing water. Camp overnight in a tranquil river-side camping area.

The drive inland to Eungella is a beautiful scenic drive with stunning views of the green surrounds of the Pioneer Valley. Mackay Eungella Road takes you past sugar mills and small country towns, fields of sugar cane surrounded by hills either side. The road eventually leads to winding climb up Clarke Range to the Eungella Township.

While you are there, why not drive and explore more of the Eungella and Mackay Highlands. View map. Drive through lush rainforest, farming communities to open woodland. Find out more about these great drives at Eungella.

DRIVE DISTANCE: Eungella National Park is approximately 80 km west of Mackay City

3- The Peak Range Park

Travel along the Peak Downs Highway for panoramic views of the Peak Range. The Peak Range is a chain of prominent and picturesque mountains between Moranbah and Clermont and consists of various sharp peaks visible from a considerable distance across the flat country plains.

Many of the formations are popular climbing challenges for locals and visitors. Wolfang Peak, at 572 m is the most popular and takes about an hour to summit. You could spend hours on the mountain exploring the many cave systems there. Please note: there are no defined walking trails so it’s best it be prepared with Protective clothing , a First Aid Kit and enough water. Ensure someone knows where you’re going. A good level of fitness is required as it is quite steep with some loose rock, it can be challenging.

DRIVE DISTANCE: The Peak Range Park is located approximately 280 km from Mackay City.

4- Theresa Creek Dam

After you’ve checked out The Peak Range Park, keep on driving through the historic town Clermont and admire the many magnificent old buildings including churches, an old style hotel and Railway Station. Read more about Clermont here. About 22 km south west of Clermont, you will discover an oasis in the outback… Theresa Creek Dam, one of the most idyllic camping spots in The Isaac Region. Here you can enjoy swimming, canoeing, water skiing, jet boating, and fishing… or just sit back and relax.

Theresa Creek Dam is well worth a visit, with a couple of toilet blocks, showers, shaded picnic tables, bins, BBQ’s, 6 x 6 camping shelters and plenty of spots to access the dam for land based anglers and red claw hunters. Red claw crayfish are the main target species in the dam however; you can also chase Barramundi, Golden Perch, Eel-Tailed Catfish, Sleepy Cod, Silver Perch and Bony Bream. So don’t forget to pack your fishing gear!

DRIVE DISTANCE: Theresa Creek Dam is located approximately 310km from Mackay City.

You can find more things to do in the Mackay and Isaac region, including tourist attractions, local events and great restaurant deals on the www.letsdosomething.com.au website / app. This is a great new platform to make it EZY to find things to do in just five seconds.

Safety First – Book a Vehicle Safety Check

Think Safety First. Before you head off on your road trip to discover the region, make sure your vehicle is all good to go. Here at Ezy Mechanical, we are offering a 30-point vehicle safety check to our customers in both Mackay and Moranbah to help ensure that there won’t be any issues while you’re travelling. There’s nothing worse than being stranded broken down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere… Although if that does happen, we have a 24/7 towing service too. We can tow it back to our workshop to make any repairs and get you back on the road again asap, or we can tow to a workshop or location of your choice.

Contact our friendly team on 07 4952 3500 or book online for a 30-point vehicle safety check today.

Before you tow…

If you are towing a caravan, a trailer or a boat with an Automatic vehicle, then it is a good idea to have more regular Automatic Transmission Services than normal as towing can put a strain on Automatic Gearboxes. The oil can break down over time, and with high temperature, and its efficiency is reduced. Have regular services to help avoid costly repairs and prolong the life of your transmission.

DID YOU KNOW…. Over 90% of all Automatic Transmission failures are due to overheating and fluid contamination. The minimum cost of repairing a modern automatic is about $1500, and can be much higher. Don’t allow this to happen to you.

Ezy Mechanical has the advantage of an Automatic Transmission flush machine that fully flushes the transmission, including cleaning the torque converter. Contact our friendly team on 07 4952 3500 or book online today.

Need a car? Hire one

If you are visiting the region, for those flying or taking the train, why not hire a car and discover these great scenic destinations for yourself? Ezy Vehicle Rentals have vehicles for hire, available at their branches in Mackay and Moranbah.