Mission Beach information


A taste of the Mission Beach area

Location of Mission Beach

The township of Mission Beach sits on a strip of coastline known as The Cassowary Coast, so called because of the rare and unusual bird that inhabits the area.
There are several small towns that all come under the 'Mission Beach umbrella', these are Mission Beach itself, Wongalong Beach and South Mission Beach.

The township is located between the major Queensland towns of Townsville to the south and Cairns, slightly closer and to the north. The immediate area around Mission Beach is stunningly beautiful with the turquoise Coral Sea in front and World Heritage Area listed rainforest behind.
This rainforest is dense and very lush, and home to an amazing variety of animal and bird life making the area a perfect base for land-based nature lovers, as well as for those wanting to experience the Great Barrier Reef and all that it has to offer.

Mission Beach boasts several large beaches of golden sand, and there are numerous tropical islands situated just off the coast, the most well known one being Dunk Island.
Around these island the Great Barrier Reef can be enjoyed in all its glory, and a day trip (or longer) to any of the accessible islands from Mission Beach is highly recommended.

It's worth noting that the stretch of Great Barrier Reef that runs parallel to Mission Beach is some of the closest to the mainland, reachable by boat in well under an hour, making reef trips from the Mission Beach areas very popular and easily available from numerous tour operators.




Mission Beach accommodation

As with any popular seaside resort, there is a good selection of accommodation in Mission Beach, Wongalong Beach and South Mission Beach as well as in the larger towns further afield.
Choices of accommodation range from campsites and backpackers hostels to private holiday cottages and luxury apartments such as the Ulysses and Montage apartments, depending on your budget.

Most resorts offer or can arrange a very wide range of activities, both sea and land based, to satisfy just about every desire for action.
These include:

...in fact just about anything that you can think of is available somewhere in the Mission Beach area!


Cassowary and warning sign

One thing that you must look out for in the area is the Cassowary. It's a very unusual flightless bird, related to and about the same size as an emu. Cassowarys are only found in tropical rainforest and are very elusive creatures making them difficult to find.
I was fortunate enough to see one cross the road in front of me as I was leaving South Mission Beach on my last day of camping there, and they're an incredible sight! Of course, if you're not lucky like I was then you can always go along to one of the numerous wildlife sanctuaries dotted along the Queensland coastline and see one there.


Mission Beach, in my opinion, is a perfect base from which to explore the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest all in one go. Everything is there that you need for whatever kind of trip you're on. Great access from Cairns or Townsville makes getting to Mission Beach very easy indeed, and even if you don't plan on staying there I recommend that you at least drop by on your way through - although if you do, there's a good chance that you will end up staying!