Cape Hillsborough

Cape Hillsborough is a rocky volcanic headland where rainforest, eucalypt woodland and mangroves meet a beach facing east across the Coral Sea, and it has become known for one specific event: eastern grey kangaroos and agile wallabies come down onto the sand around dawn to feed on seed pods washed up by the tide, silhouetted against the sunrise. Rangers supervise the gathering in peak periods to keep people at a distance. Beyond the beach, walking tracks climb the headland to lookouts and run through the Diversity Boardwalk, and at low tide a sand causeway lets walkers reach Wedge Island, though returning before the tide turns is essential.

What you actually see

• The sunrise kangaroos - macropods feeding on the beach at first light.
• The headland tracks - walks to lookouts over the Coral Sea and the coast.
• Wedge Island - a tidal causeway crossing, timed to low water.
• The mixed vegetation - rainforest, woodland and mangroves in close range.

When to go

April to October for the dry season; the kangaroos come down at dawn year-round, but the sunrise position varies with the season and winter gives the best light. Arrive well before sunrise, since the animals leave once the sun is up.

Honest expectations

The kangaroos are wild and their attendance is not guaranteed; feeding them is prohibited and enforced. Sunrise means arriving in the dark. The Wedge Island crossing strands people who mistime the tide, and the return window is short.

Nearby

Mackay lies south; Eungella and the Pioneer Valley are inland.