Is this Tropical North Queensland’s most exciting new island stay?
The wait is over. Dunk Island has officially started welcoming overnight guests for the first time since Cyclone Yasi tore through it in 2011, with the launch of the new Beachfront Eco Tents in April marking a huge milestone in one of Queensland’s most anticipated island revivals.
Sitting just four kilometres off the coast of Mission Beach – the picturesque Cassowary Coast town roughly halfway between Cairns and Townsville – Dunk Island (known to the Djiru people as Coonanglebah, meaning “island of peace and plenty") has long held a special place in Australian travel lore. For over a decade, it has sat largely dormant, its former resort still a ruin. Now, the Dunk Island Group is carefully and intentionally bringing it back.
The Beachfront Eco Tents
The King Eco Tents are perfect for couples.
Families are accommodated for in the Queen Twin Eco Tents.
Single Twin Eco Tents are great for you and a friend.
Available from Wednesday to Sunday, the Beachfront Eco Tents are designed for guests who want the experience of sleeping on the island without fully roughing it. The tents come in three configurations: Single Twin, Queen Twin (two queen beds), and King. Each tent includes linen and towels, a lantern, a fan, a charging dock with a power outlet, and an esky stocked with ice.
It’s honest, well-considered comfort rather than ostentatious luxury. The tents are unpowered (the portable charging dock handles devices, fan and lights), there is no ensuite or air conditioning, and the shared amenities block handles bathroom needs, so guests who come expecting a five-star resort will need to recalibrate. Those who arrive in the spirit of the place will find it near-perfect.
The rest of the island experience
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The Dunk Island Restaurant is open 8am to 8pm.
Book a Bayside Campsite from $60 per night.
The ferry doesn't operate on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Dunk Island Restaurant is open Wednesday to Sunday from 8am to 8pm, with a full cocktail bar and à la carte menus built around locally sourced ingredients. You can also hire beach umbrellas, sun lounges, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.
Roughly 970 hectares of the island is national park. Four walking trails of varying difficulty wind through it, including the climb to the Mt Kootaloo lookout. Snorkelling is excellent at Muggy Muggy Beach and Coconut Beach, and for a full Great Barrier Reef experience, local tour operators can get you out to the Family Islands or Beaver Reef.
Getting there is newly straightforward. A twice-daily ferry service runs from Mission Beach from Wednesday to Sunday, with departure times of 8.45am and 12.30pm from the mainland. The return ferry service departs at 10.30am and 3.30pm.
Alongside the Eco Tents, six Bayside Campsites remain open year-round for those who prefer a more traditional bring-your-own-tent experience, accommodating groups of up to six people. Just note that the ferry doesn’t run on Mondays or Tuesdays, so plan your arrival and departure days accordingly.
One important seasonal note: swimming at the beach without a full-body stinger suit isn’t recommended from November to May, so the peak season window of June through October is the sweet spot for those who want to get in the water freely.
The bigger picture
Stand up paddleboard at Coconut Beach.
What’s happening on Dunk isn’t a flashy resort relaunch, and that’s exactly what makes it compelling. The Dunk Island Group has been deliberate about keeping accommodation numbers small to protect the island’s environment and ensure the atmosphere stays calm rather than crowded.
The development operates under a lease with the Cassowary Coast Regional Council and an Indigenous Land Use Agreement with the Djiru Traditional Owners, ensuring cultural and environmental stewardship sits at the centre of the island’s future.
“We are proud to be stepping into this new phase at Dunk Island, to further showcase the beauty of the region and invite guests to experience one of Queensland’s most extraordinary island environments in a low-impact way," Dunk Island Group owner, Annie Cannon-Brookes, said.
For Australians who grew up reading about Dunk Island or who visited in its resort heyday, like I did on a family holiday circa 2005-06, it’s a triumphant return. For a new generation of travellers discovering it fresh, it offers a Great Barrier Reef island stay that feels wild and relaxing.
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Details
TNQ’s only beachfront island glamping is now open.
Price: From $260 per night for the Single Twin Eco Tent, and from $311 per night for the Queen Twin and King Eco Tents.
When: Beachfront Eco Tents are available Wednesday to Sunday, with a two-night minimum stay.
Getting there: The ferry departs Mission Beach twice daily from Wednesday to Sunday. Return tickets cost $66.30 for adults or $41 for children. Families with two adults and two children can receive a 10 per cent discount.
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Emily Murphy is Australian Traveller's Email & Social Editor, and in her time at the company she has been instrumental in shaping its social media and email presence, and crafting compelling narratives that inspire others to explore Australia's vast landscapes. Her previous role was a journalist at Prime Creative Media and before that she was freelancing in publishing, content creation and digital marketing. When she's not creating scroll-stopping travel content, Em is a devoted 'bun mum' and enjoys spending her spare time by the sea, reading, binge-watching a good TV show and exploring Sydney's vibrant dining scene. Next on her Aussie travel wish list? Tasmania and The Kimberley.
Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.
While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.
Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.
Getting there
Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)
You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.
Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.
Best accommodation in Clermont
Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)
All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.
Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.
One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters, Four Mile, Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings. To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting. They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.
Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum. Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.
The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.
See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)
For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.
Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services. Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.
Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs. The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.
Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont
Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.
Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.
Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.
For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.
Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.
