On the coast 205 km south of Townsville. This small town dates back to 1861, and is now a centre of the fruit and vegetable industry. Its economy relies mostly on agriculture, mining, fishing and tourism. There are some fine beaches in the bays north of town, good for swimming when they aren’t closed off because of jellyfish and crocs. There is some great Scuba diving and snorkeling to be done here with some great fringing coral reefs around, try Aussie Reef Dive (www.aussiereefdive.com.au; +61 7 4785 1415; info@aussiereefdive.com.au). There are also some good walks to be done around the area, and an hours drive away Collinsville has some interesting mining museums.

Alike many places along the Eastern coast of Australia Bowen also has a ‘big thing’, their pride is The Big Mango, its supposed to represent the famous Bowen Mango. For more information and to visit the mango head to Bowen Visitor Information Centre, 4 km south of Bowen on the Bruce Highway (www.tourismbowen.com.au).