Cassowary Coast Region

Where the rainforest meets the reef in northern Queensland, featuring tropical beaches, canyon rafting, and a dreamlike castle.

The Cassowary Coast Region is located in northern Queensland, Australia, between Cairns and Townsville, and is named after the cassowaries that inhabit its rainforests. Mission Beach is the main holiday destination, from where you can take a boat to Dunk Island. Mount Bippy and the Licuala Fan Palm Walk offer great ways to explore the tropical rainforest. The Tully River Gorge is famous for white-water rafting, the Spanish-style castle ruins of Paronella Park offer unique charm, and Etty Bay is a popular spot to encounter wild cassowaries. May to October is the drier and cooler season, while summer brings heavy rain and marine stingers. Visitors can drive south from Cairns Airport along the Bruce Highway or arrive by train.

Destinations

• Mission Beach
• Ingham & Hinchinbrook

Itineraries

• Townsville to Cairns Great Green Way – Head north from Townsville, spot koalas on Magnetic Island, and drive through waterfalls and rainforests via Mission Be…
• Cairns Reef, Rainforest and Waterfall Day Trips – A week based in central Cairns, with day trips radiating out to the outer reef, the Daintree, Kuranda, the Tablelands l…
• Brisbane to Cairns East Coast Road Trip – Drive approximately 1,700 km north along the Bruce Highway, connecting sand islands, the Southern Reef, the Whitsundays…
• Cairns Rafting, Islands and Gorge Adventure – Self-drive and stay in Cairns: white-water rafting on the Tully River, snorkelling at the Frankland Islands, rainforest…