FROM ROCKY TO CAIRNS

Queensland: beautiful one day, perfect the next. The residents’ self-assured catchphrase could be a PR banana peel if it didn’t deliver, but it does — day in, day out. With 6967km of mainland coastline, and as much jaw-dropping hinterland behind the beaches, the Sunshine State steals the hearts of all who enter.

As the dry season sets in, the time is ripe for a coast-hugging northward journey. If you’re venturing above the popular Sunshine and Gold Coasts, skip the piles of marketing brochures and libraries of tourist information by reading this guide. In this article, we take you to the must-not-miss highlights of the well-travelled 1065km road between Rockhampton and Cairns.

1. CAPE HILLSBOROUGH

Fifty kilometres north of Mackay, Cape Hillsborough extends as a mountainous spur into the ocean. Its plant-laden hills drop off abruptly towards the glinting mica-laced sand. Ancient hoop pines sway in the breeze, the faint woody smell of their needles mingling