Discover a hidden gem at the top of the Whitsundays

 

With secluded beaches, beautiful bushwalks and lookouts, an historic jetty and nine caravan parks to choose from, Bowen is a great place for a family holiday. If you're planning to take this trip, download our suggested itinerary here.

We are a family of four from Victoria (2 kids aged 8 and 10), and we decided to take a “gap year”, renting out our home in Victoria and home-schooling the kids for a year while we are on the road. 

We were doing the “Big Lap” when we took a detour just 5km off the highway and discovered Bowen – a hidden gem at the top of the Whitsundays. 

This gap year may be extended as we spent four weeks right here. 

With a tropical climate, the weather in winter averages 24-26 degrees – certainly a nice change for us. 

Bowen is halfway between Townsville and Mackay in North Queensland and is at the top of the Whitsundays. 

Just south of the town is the Big Mango standing 10 metres right beside the Bruce Highway. 

It represents the region’s mango industry and is a replica of the Kensington Pride variety of Mango - known for its sweet taste and perfect texture. 

It is also known as “The Bowen Special”. 

Right next door to the Big Mango is the Bowen Visitor Information Centre where the friendly staff and volunteers know everything there is to know about Bowen. You can get all the information you need, and you can even book your tours to the Whitsunday Islands from nearby Airlie Beach. The kids certainly loved the mango sorbet and all the different flavours of ice cream. 

Bowen has beautiful beaches, and they never seem crowded. 

The most famous of these is Horseshoe Bay where you can snorkel directly off the beach aand see fringing reef, coral and fish. There is an underwater sculpture only about 50 meters from the shore. 

There is a café right there and a caravan park with powered sites and cabins overlooking this beautiful bay. 

Other beaches include Grays Bay, Rose Bay and Murray Bay which are all suitable for snorkeling and you can discover fringing reef right there. The kids went paddle boarding and kayaking at Gray’s Bay. 

Kings Beach is an off-leash area for those travelling with their furry friends. 

With nine caravan parks, we were spoilt for choice, so we had a couple of weeks at the Horseshoe Bay Resort and then a couple of weeks at the newly-refurbished Rose Bay Beach Caravan Park which has even introduced a glamping tent. 

We had our own van but if the kids had their way, they would have chosen that. 

Bowen has a rich history as it was proclaimed a town in the 1860s. 

The jetty at Bowen’s Front Beach is more than 150 years old and is a great place for a stroll. We even saw turtles. And there’s a free waterpark for the kids right on the foreshore. 

Bowen is home to Queensland’s oldest cinema, Summergarden Theatre. 

This art-deco building has been operated by the same owner for more than 60 years. Ben is an absolute delight and took us for a tour. 

He spoke of the famous movie stars who have been there over the years – including Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman when part of the movie “Australia” was filmed in Bowen. 

For those interested in street art, Bowen has 28 murals on buildings throughout the town – depicting the town’s history and culture. The kids loved checking out all the paintings and we incorporated these into the day’s history lesson once back at the van. 

We love bushwalking and really enjoyed the Cape Edgecumbe Walking Trail from Horseshoe Bay to Rose Bay. The track is well-maintained by the Whitsunday Regional Council and offers breath-taking views. You can even check out a World War II radar site. That gave us another topic for the kids’ history lesson. 

From Rotary Lookout, you can admire the view of Horseshoe Bay from above and it was the perfect spot for a family selfie. 

There’s also plenty on offer in Bowen for food lovers. As well as being Australia’s Mango Capital, it is the salad bowl of the north with tomatoes, capsicums and beans. We bought fresh produce – and used it as a platform to give the kids a lesson on nutrition. 

Bowen’s seafood is deliciously fresh and Bird’s Seafood has an outdoor area looking straight across the local marina. 

There’s also a kids’ playground. Don’t forget to try the delicious Coral Trout or Spanish Mackerel while looking directly at the boats who brought the catch into the marina for you. 

Bowen has wide streets and a real country charm about it. 

We highly recommend it and we will be back. 

For more information, you can download the Bowen and Collinsville Visitor Guide here Visit Bowen, Queensland - Bowen Holiday Planner.