Stretching along Mackay’s coastline there are more than 31 glorious beaches all fringed by the turquoise tropical waters of the Coral Sea and The Great Barrier Reef.

These beautiful scenic gardens highlighting flora of the Central Queensland Coast bioregion. They also feature over 3 km of walking and cycling trails, wildlife filled lagoons, themed gardens, a café and gallery, making this an enjoyable free recreational experience for all ages.

Channel your inner Tom Sawyer and visit these impressive rock formations inside the Arikok National Park. Between stalagmites hanging over your head and natural limestone columns, you will also catch a glimpse of cave art by the Arawak indigenous people, dating back to the first millennium BC. Visitors are only allowed to explore the entrance area, but the cave spreads for miles inside the rocks. A short guided tour is available.

In the middle of the Øresund strait, right between Sweden and Denmark, lies the idyllic island of Ven. The astronomer Tycho Brahe was gifted the whole island by King Fredrik II after he discovered a new star in the Cassiopeia constellation. Here he constructed one of the most interesting buildings of the time: the Uraniborg castle, a subterranean observatory called Stjerneborg and a renaissance garden. The New Church of Ven has now been turned into a museum, the garden has been renovated, and in the observatory you can watch a light and sound show. The light in Ven is said to have a unique quality, which has attracted many an artist and ceramist to the island. Take a tour among the studios and workshops, and meet with sculptors and silversmiths along the way. Ven is a small island, and the best way to get around is by bike, which you can easily rent when you get off the ferry.