Stories from Bowen, Top of the Whistundays

It's the event on everyone's lips – the Annual 'Walk to the Lighthouse' in beautiful Bowen, Top of the Whitsundays. But although the walk itself is a once a year experience, if you plan right you'll have a once in a lifetime experience!

Step 1: Find the perfect place to stay

Bowen really has it all, from budget to luxe. If you're roadtripping with the van or tent, book yourself a site at one of the beachfront caravan parks and get ready to relax.
Like the idea of more comfort after all that outdoor adventure? If you want to stay close to the walk location at Dalrymple Point (and the afterparty at the Grandview Hotel!) choose from some of our town centre accommodation.

What does art have to do with reef recovery?

Reef Ecologic had a BIG idea – to engage with visitors and communities through the medium of artwork, reduce our impact on the marine environment and start conversation around what we can do to support the health of the reef. So, what does this look like?

Reducing impact and engaging visitors

Artists imagined and created amazing large-scale pieces, from giant coral polyps to oversized turtles. Through each piece themes of conservation, nature and indigenous heritage are interwoven to tell the story of our Whitsunday community. These pieces will become submerged and intertidal art at locations throughout the Whitsundays, creating new visitor experiences, reducing the footprint and pressure on existing reef as well as providing new substructure for coral growth. Imagine snorkeling over a giant sculptural polyp, 20,000 times actual size, while fish dart in and around the piece and new coral growth colonizes the surface!

Ahh Bowen, beautiful beaches, fringing reef, offshore islands... the hidden gem of the Whitsundays coastline!

But there's more than just beaches on offer at the Top of the Whitsundays. It's the perfect venue to get out and play, attracting motor sport, water sport, family fun events and turning on the weather for the best outdoor venues to be found. Find your thrill and discover your chill in Bowen this year:

Easter in Bowen is looking lively! We've got all the tips on where to go & what to do to make your Easter weekend the best one ever. Let's 'hop' to it:

Thursday 

Arrived early for the weekend? Make sure you packed your walking shoes. A short hike from Horseshoe Bay will take you to the rotary lookout for a super view down on the bay - great for planning your attack on the weekend! (There's where I will lay my towel, that's where I'll eat my fish and chips, that's the reef I'm going to snorkel...)

The Whitsundays is a diverse region. Famous for sailing through pristine waters and offshore islands, the region also has laid-back beachside communities, rainforest trekking and even a taste of the quintessential outback. Join our Bowen Information Team Member Glenn, as she discovers our own backyard on a day-trip to Collinsville:

We started our adventure inland with a quick visit to a local organic mango farm, just one of the many farms on the way to Collinsville. We were greeted by the hard-working owner operator Jenn, who treated us to a tour through the plantation in the 4x4. Some trees are over 20 years old but still producing delicious organic mangoes. Jenn explained to us how they can monitor how and when their trees drink via an app that they can check from their offices at the house!

Queensland is a diverse and wonderful natural wonderland, with off-shore islands, miles of gorgeous coastline, forests, rivers, dams and waterfalls. But all that 'nature' is of course subject to Mother Nature herself.

Sometimes, despite the best laid plans, your holiday in paradise can go from sunny beaches to tropical downpours -not quite what the brochure advertised! That doesn't mean you have to scrap your holiday and sit around in your tent / cabin / hotel room staring at the walls. There's plenty of fun indoor - and outdoor - activities to enjoy in the Whitsundays when it rains.

There's nothing like a local's perspective on the top spots to visit! So we got our collective heads together and compiled our insider's Top 5 reasons that Bowen's Horseshoe Bay should be at the Top of everyone's Bests Beaches List!

WARNING: images in this article are ridiculously good-looking and will lead to serious envy and immediate holiday planning.

It's summer in North Queensland - and that means one thing: It's warm!

Authentic country racing and fashions inspired by the beautiful Top of the Whitsunday landscape are a draw card for visitors to the Bowen Cup.

Quiet beach hideaway Bowen is inundated with keen race goers every year who come to soak up the gorgeous spring weather and show off the latest in spring racing fashion... and of course catch all the racing action!

Wotif are celebrating their 18th Birthday in style by launching the hunt for the perfect location for Australia's next 'Big Thing'. Of course, Bowen certainly knows a thing or two about Big Things; after all we are the home to THE Big Mango (check out our entry on Wotif's top Big Thing List) but did you know about some of our other big things?

Let's count them down!

In Bowen we're very fortunate to have easy access to a wonderful range of sea life, from hard and soft corals and an abundance of fish when you snorkel our reef right from the beach – to sea cucumbers, giant red star fish and feather stars when you walk to our lighthouse.

They're the big friendly giants we've all got on our bucket-list to see or get up close and personal with – and we've got the top spots to spot our favourite Winter visitors and all the interesting facts about our biggest visitors.
Humpback Whales make an annual migration during Winter from the cold Antarctic waters to the warm sub-tropical waters of Eastern Australia. During their epic journey they delight tourists and locals in the whale watching hot-spots of Eden in New South Wales, Hervey Bay and of course the Whitsundays!

Travellers throughout Australia know that their trip isn’t complete without a collection of selfies with the 'Big Things' synonymous with the great Aussie road trip! The top pick – of course it’s the famous BIG MANGO in Bowen at the Top of the Whitsundays!

The 10-metre-high roadside sculpture is a great photo opportunity not to be missed. Erected in 2002 it cost almost $90,000 to design and build and was part of a community campaign to revitalise the local community and boost tourism. The giant piece of fruit is located at the Bowen Visitor Information Centre at Mt Gordon, 5kms south of the town.

With eight stunning beaches within 10 minutes' drive, Bowen, at the Top of the Whitsundays, is fast becoming the tropical getaway of choice. And it's not only families & couples that are running away to paradise!
Our reputation as the perfect beach paradise has caught the attention of organisations big and small, from the Australian Mango Industry Association in 2017 to now an even juicier group, the Australian Naturists' Society!

Hands up who has those golden memories of the family holiday on the beach – endless days of warm summer sun, splashing in the waves and making new friends in the campground? Bowen, at the Top of the Whitsundays, provides the perfect spot for the next generation looking to recapture those halcyon days with their own children.
But, there's a catch: although Mum and Dad are just happy to sit and 'chill' away from the hassle of modern life, we all know that your dream family getaway can dissolve quickly into the repeated mantra of 'what's there to do?!'.

Never fear, we've got our top 5 must-do go-to's, researched and at the ready, just in time for the school holidays!

#visitbowen with your dog!

These days the most loved member of the family is often the furry four-legged buddy sitting at your feet (or in your lap) So it's no wonder that more and more 'Rover' is going roving with the family on holidays!

1. Flagstaff Hill

Pick your sunset buddy because this is one wow of a sunset spot! Elevated 360-degree views stretch from the top of Flagstaff Hill, encompassing the wetlands, expanse of windswept King's Beach, offshore islands and rich farming lands inland of Bowen. Just perfect for relaxed romance – grab that takeaway and front row seats for a view made for love. As the sun settles over distant Roma Peak and the Clarke range watch the golden light settle upon Port Denison and Bowen Marina. As the stars start their dance across the sky turn around to catch gorgeous pastel hues as night descends over the Whitsunday waters and Gloucester Island. BLISS.

Best for: no fuss dates

Visitors to Bowen can step back in time and discover the past by visiting the Catalina tribute erected on the original concrete hardstand base on Santa Barbara Pde. During the battle of the Coral Sea, construction of a slipway was commenced on the Bowen foreshore to maintain the Catalina Flying Boats and from 1942 this was the site of the various RAAF operational and maintenance units. Local buildings were commandeered to house the influx of servicemen & ground crews.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between, Bowen's range of dining options and cuisines will leave everyone in your family satisified!

Each year the Bowen Superboats shines a spotlight on Edgecumbe Bay, the Bowen Marina and Foreshore area. It is the largest on-water event in Bowen, and is free for the community to attend. 10 boats will compete and reach speeds of in excess of 200 km/hr. The teams bring with them a cast of hundreds – from pit crews to family and friends and loyal supporters – all with a need for speed and all keen to soak up the best the region has to offer.