Member Articles

Nestled on the eastern coast of Queensland, Mackay offers some of the most exceptional four-wheel drive (4WD) experiences in Australia. With its diverse landscapes, rich history, and abundant wildlife, Mackay is a paradise for 4WD enthusiasts. This article will take you on an adventurous journey through Mackay's top 4WD spots.

Cairns Creek is a unique creek in Paluma Range due to the overflow of Gold Creek in flood.

This is historical little gem and great for the short 'Urban Explore'. The old hydro station was built in 1935 and was an industry marvel considering the tools available at the time.

Townsville has a large range of destinations to paddle, whether it's a day, an overnighter, or a multi-day trip - sea or river.

This waterfall is a massive waterfall located next to the Palmerston Highway. A rough track takes you to the top of the falls and we describe how to get to the bottom of Cowley Falls to see the cave-like feature.

Located near Oak Beach in Far North Queensland, this set of seasonal waterfalls can be seen from the Captin Cook Highway on the slopes of Mount Garioch (635m).

Upper Gold Creek is a long circuit but you are rewarded with a lush rainforest walk through a flat sandy creek bed. This off-track walk showcases some of Paluma's highlights, such as Foxlee's Lookout, Gold Creek Falls, and Crystal Creek Falls.

This fern-filled creek is in the heart of Paluma Range National Park and best done during or just after the wet season when there's a bit of flow in the creek. There are no large waterfalls in this creek but there are several small cascades.

On this hike you will see both Dolby and Crystal Creeks, Dolby's and Johnstone's huts, an array of water races, and several mines of varying sizes. So, whether you are a history buff or nature and landscape enthusiast, there is something for everyone here. This is a fantastic full-day hike!

There's something special about this place. It's a wall of waterfalls where you can see six waterfalls in one spot. We call it the 'Wall of Waterfalls'.

Mount Westminster Abbey rises 926 metres above sea level in the Broadwater area. A large cliff at the top provides views across views of Hinchinbrook Island, Hinchinbrook Channel, and Dalrymple Gap.

Located in the Mount Surround area (near Giru), it's yet another beautiful spot inside Cape Bowling Green Bay National Park. Just next to the highway, you'll find Double Creek with fresh water running straight down from the Elliot Massif, this is a perfect place for a summer's weekend day trip.

Mount Paluma rises to an elevation of 322 metres on Magnetic Island. It's only rival there is Mount Cook (493 metres), and together, these two peaks are the only official mountains on the entire island. Many did not even know this peak - Mount Paluma - existed!

This canyon has grand views and some unique rappels. Raspberry Falls is an open creek where that water cascades down the terraced, bare granite rock cliffs. The landscape is open and rugged. It's one of the larger systems that drop off the Sea View Range.

The Terraces is an idyllic trip with stunning waterfall after waterfall located in the Palm Creek area of Bowling Green Bay National Park.

The Cascades is just that! Cascading water over rocks, waterfall after waterfall. They are located in the Palm Creek area of Bowling Green Bay National Park.

This route takes you down the lower part of Crystal Creek via one of three routes. Rock hopping skills will afford you spa-like pools, swimming, and waterfalls along the way.

Forgotten Falls is located near the boundary of Paluma State Forest and Paluma Range National Park. Take a short stroll, and enjoy a swim at the bottom of the waterfall.

Mount Diamantina rises 955 metres above sea level and is located within the Hinchinbrook Island National Park in Far North Queensland. Although Mt Diamantina may be considered the easiest of the four main mountains to summit, it is also desirable by many due to its unique boulders on top.

Killymoon is a pretty little creek to the south of Alligator Creek and is located within Bowling Green Bay National Park, near the Saddle Mountain, and Mount Storth. It is not a long nor hard walk but has all the aspects of a typical creek walk.

Explore the creeks around Townsville with old tractor tubes. Here's a list to the top creeks around Townsville to float down on a tube with your friends.

On one stormy morning in 1942, a B24 Liberator slammed into Mt Straloch exploding on impact and killing all 12 people on board. The heavy storms around Ingham and Cardwell hide the big peaks of Hinchinbrook Island which the crew were not expecting while flying over the sea.

Located in Bowling Green Bay National Park, this creek has one of the largest collection areas on the mountain (excluding Alligator Creek). Much of the lower reaches of the creek are sandy and flat, the upper reaches are full of palm trees and smaller boulders.

Hillary Creek is quite a beauiful creek when it's flowing. Mt Houston is similar to Mt Leach and doesn't have a view to offer. The summit's vegetation turns into bushland instead of rainforest.

Located in the region of Townsville, near Black River and out near Hervey Range at the southern end of the Paluma Range, Mt Black is at an elevation of 410 metres with its counterpart, Notch Peak 146m, right next to it at its base.

The eastern ridgeline offers an easy assent and provides views of the surrounding countryside as you gain in elevation. The summit of Mount Cataract is at an elevation of 721 m but doesn't not offer any views.

Gold Creek Falls is worth a visit alone but the entire Gold Creek is comprised of waterfall after waterfall. This creek showcases beautiful, untouched scenery with mossy rocks and large king ferns.

Crystal gorge is the closest thing to a real canyoning experience Townsville has to offer and it's super beautiful! Big drops, gorges, and large waterfalls.

Out the back of the Ross River dam is Round Mountain. It's almost a part of the Frederick's Peak mountain range. From the Townsville side, if you look at the mountain with a creative mind, you can see a woman laying down facing upwards. The summit is her forehead and the lower peak is her nose.

Located out past Frederick's Peak, Wild Horse Mountain is not very well known. It's name may be it's best feature as the summit does not have much to offer.

The Jacobsen Track provided access from Ingham to the mining town of Ewan. It passed near Mount Jacobson to Hidden Valley and was one of the earliest tracks of the Mt Spec area.

Waterfall Creek is the massive waterfall that you can see from the highway on your way back to Townsville from Ingham. It's a beautiful creek full of waterfalls, I guess that's why it's named Waterfall Creek!

Abseiling down waterfalls and into pools of water is one of the closest things you can get to a canyoning experience in North Queensland. Another great place is down Crystal Falls to the Intake plant.

In 1903, Roberts Foxlee planned and cut the route up to the tin mines near Mount Spec instead of using Bullocky Tom's Track due to their falling out. This track takes you from Paluma Dam area down to Volk Road next to the Bruce Highway.

Circle View Mountain is quite different to the other mountains in the area as it is an unusually very steep mountain.

Ollera Creek offers many great waterfalls, with most beautiful being Big Ollera Falls. This area also has many rock slides, gorgeous swimming holes, and Lizard Gorge to enjoy.

The old Hervey Range Road, now known as Page Road, is one of the few surviving examples in the region of a roadway dating from early European settlement. This was the initial route from the port of Townsville to the hinterland.

The abandoned Greenvale Railway Line transported nickel from the Greenvale mine to a smelter at Yabulu near Townsville. This area has become increasingly popular with social media of photos of Palm Tree Lookout and the Train Tunnels.

Puzzle Creek and Deception Creek flow into Running River and provide waterfalls and deep gorges to explore. This dry, yet picturesques area has much history and natural beauty to find.

As one of the three points of interest of the Palm Creek area, this waterfall is truly hidden, as its name suggests. Rock hop up the creek to reveal a secluded waterfall you're guaranteed to have to yourself.

The Terraces is another wonder of the Palm Creek area, arguably the better of the three to see. The other two points of interest are Hidden Falls and The Cascades.

This is one of the classic Palm Creek walks featuring a massive cliff where the water cascades down the face of it. The other two points of interest are Hidden Falls and The Terraces.

The Palm Creek rock slides are a seemingly lost treasure. Getting there only requires a relatively short walk, at which point you will find fantastic swimming holes and slides that make for a perfect place to take your family.