Eungella National Park | Mackay Region

By Roberto – (Updated Jan 23)

⏱ 5 min

The Mackay Region is a big area in Queensland, comprised of well-known regions like Eungella National Park, Mackay City, Cape Hillsborough, and Isaac Region. It is a must stop when doing the East Coast in Australia, because it is the home of the picturesque platypus and some tropical hikes. Moreover, Cape Hillsborough offers one of the best experiences in the world to see kangaroos at the beach.

We decided to visit the Mackay Region to hike the Finch Hatton Gorge, to explore the Broken River area to see the famous platypus, and to experience an amazing sunrise with kangaroos at Cape Hillsborough. In this post, we cover the first two places, leaving the kangaroos at the beach for a separate post. 

After spending one day in 1770 & Agnes Water, we drove some hours directly to Finch Hatton, skipping Mackay City. We enjoyed the drive in this region because the rainforest starts to grow massively thanks to the humidity. Here, the green mounds at the background contrast with the dry infinite roads. 

We spent one night and one day in this region. One important detail to note is that we strongly suggest doing first the Broken River area, and later the Finch Hatton Gorge. In any case, we detail our experience here, in the order we completed the stops.

Finch Hatton Gorge in Eungella National Park, a tropical hike with waterfalls

We will always remember the town of Finch Hatton. We stayed with our van in a solitary camping – we were the only guests. That night there was a storm that started a fire in a nearby mound, plus we had dinner at the picturesque Criterion Hotel. This interesting place offers dozens of pies and good food in a traditional bar restaurant where the locals all know each other.

This little town is famous for the Finch Hatton Gorge, a great hike in Eungella National Park, that starts after driving for 15 minutes from Finch Hatton. Whereas this hike is well known, we found the parking at the entrance totally empty at 9 am, and on our way back, we crossed paths with only two couples and a small group. 

The map below shows the entire track we did, which visits the 2 waterfalls in a 5 km walk. The first section welcomes you with a wet rainforest, a path plagued with frogs – and some little snakes 🐍 – in a bountiful green environment. In this hike we saw the most wild animals, so watch your step! 

The first waterfall, Araluen Waterfall, offers a beautiful spot for a picnic, swimming – in extreme cold water – or just to take photos of the water flowing. The second part of the track is more demanding, with uphill segments and stairs, but the tropical-forest scenery is well worth it. 

Towards the end, you’ll find a sign telling you about the danger of the rocks and water in the Wheel of Fire. In this thin but long waterfall, falling among rocks, five people – males between 20-30 years old – died here. I just dipped my legs in the water and everything was slippery. Don’t try to climb for your own safety.  

After having a snack in this solitary pool, we went all the way down to the parking lot to get the van, and drive to our next destination. 

Looking for platypuses at Broken River, Eungella National Park

We were a bit hungry and decided to head the Platypus Lodge Restaurant & Café, that is right in the area to start the different walks along Broken River. A short 30-minute drive through a winding road from Finch Hatton, will bring you to this area.

When we arrived… the restaurant was closed because they took a 3-week break for Christmas. Sad! Instead, we had a super simple lunch in the van and examined the different routes and lookouts to see the platypus. 

In this area there are walks for everyone and all levels. From 8 km walks to 250 meters walks to the wood platforms to see the platypuses. We went to the right where there are two lookouts to wait for the famous animal. After 10 minutes, we waited for another 10 minutes, and we did not see any of them… Then we decided to do one short hike: Granite Bend Circuit, to explore the area before another attempt to see the platypus.

When we came back to the observation platform, we waited for another extra 10 minutes without success. We observed waves in the water, bubbles, and saw multiple turtles and fish, but the platypus wasn’t there. Ellen was quite disappointed, because we didn’t know the most important thing to spot the platypus: They are active from 4 to 8 am and from 3 to 9 pm in the evening. Outside of these intervals, it is so rare to see them. Wistfully, it was 1 pm for us that day. 

On a last try, we went to the other wooden platform, and waited for another 15 minutes, and!!… nothing. We saw nothing. Disillusioned, we went back to the van, knowing that we lost our – probably – unique chance in life to see a wild platypus. 

Leaving the area

Undoubtedly, Eungella National Park is a place to remember. The sub-tropical rainforest, the humidity, and the possibility to spot one of the rarest animals in the world, make this area an authentic destination. We really recommend visiting this region of Mackay. From here, we drove 1.5 hours to the next destination: Cape Hillsborough, where the idea of sharing a sunrise on a paradisiacal beach with kangaroos, awaited us.

Would be able to enjoy this experience? Or would we miss some important information, like in this case with the platypus? Find it in the next post: A sunrise with kangaroos in Cape Hillsborough.

Further reading

More posts of our 5-week road trip along the East Coast: