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Travel Story

Mission Beach: From extreme to relaxed<
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Blue ocean, white beaches, secluded tropical islands and rainforest hideaways less than two hours from Cairns

My skydiving instructor’s name is Wildman. It brings me little comfort.

We’re harnessed together at the open door of a small plane and we’re soaring to some obscure point about 12,000 feet into a huge expanse of sky that will be host to my D-Day.

Or that’s how it feels right now, hours after tentatively signing up for a tandem skydive back at a relaxed beach shack between the palm trees at Mission Beach. It seemed like a great idea back then, a chance to conquer one of my fears, which was a New Year’s resolution of sorts.

Now I’m kneeling at an open plane door, arms crossed as the countdown begins, my body rocking gently while my mind lurches. Three, two – it’s too late to even think it’s too late – one.

We’re tumbling, almost somersaulting – then flying.

And it’s all exhilaration from here on in. The only sound is rushing air as a clear blue ocean, reefs, islands, beach and rainforest emerge below clouds and we hurtle into 40 seconds of freefall.

It feels like precious minutes.

When the parachute finally opens with 4,000 feet still below us we cruise slowly down to the palm-tree lined beach, legs dangling and mind blown.

I’m invincible. A ridiculous grin is plastered across my face all day and I feel like I’m on the best high possible.

My instructor, Wildman, laughs and heads up for another jump. That’s Mission Beach for you. There’s levels of extreme and, on the other hand, plenty of latitude for simple indulgences.

Skydiving is Day One in an "extreme package" that includes sea kayaking to tropical Dunk Island and white water rafting through World Heritage rainforest on the nearby Tully River. Adventure junkies can also dive or snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef about one hour offshore, jet ski around much closer islands and hike in rainforested mountains.

The beauty of Mission Beach is its diversity, nestled between rainforest and palm-tree beaches, and its relatively untouched wilderness that brings the endangered southern cassowary into residents’ backyards and the rainforest right to the beaches in many spots.

Two hours south of Cairns – Australia’s international gateway to tropical Far North Queensland and the renowned Great Barrier Reef – Mission Beach remains one of the region’s best-kept secrets despite its close proximity and the escalating tourism in the small beachside town. While tourists spot celebrities in Cairns’s popular northern destination of Port Douglas, they’re more likely to see cassowaries and double-plugger thong-wearing locals in Mission Beach.

A casual beachside charm pervades from the best restaurants in town to the unattended roadside boxes where locally grown bananas and mangoes are up for sale. It’s all part of a small coastal town that was nothing more than a row of beach shacks about 50 years ago but now boasts a low-key yet bustling village hub and plenty of low-built accommodation ranging from backpackers to forest sanctuaries and luxury resorts.

While many tourists come seeking adventure, plenty find the perfect place to relax and unwind. Tranquil Dunk Island Resort, just four kilometres from the mainland, offers spa treatments, massages and facials at the Spa of Peace and Plenty, while luxury resort The Horizon at Mission Beach is high on a rainforest hill enjoying sweeping views of the islands from its central pool and bungalows.

Dunk is the most popular island retreat for both tourists and locals, the island offering visitors a myriad of activities from game fishing, Barrier Reef diving, guided jet ski island tours, horse riding and sunset wine and cheese sailing trips to simply lazing on the beach front’s deckchairs between snorkels and swims.

A leisurely sea kayaking trip from South Mission Beach to Dunk Island opens up opportunities for turtle, dolphin and dugong spotting before snorkeling with the fish off Coconut Beach, and stronger paddlers can opt for three-day guided trips around the unspoiled wilderness of nearby Hinchinbrook Island, a drawcard for hikers world-wide with its three- to six-day trek from southern to northern tip.

Mission Beach is also a launching pad for more than 130 km of newly opened walking trails, unveiled late last year as the Misty Mountains network. Hikers can opt for half-day or multi-day walks, some along old forestry roads and others through virgin rainforest past as yet little-seen waterfalls.

The project is part of an eco-tourism push that includes work to further protect the native cassowary, a large and endangered flightless bird seen only in small pockets of Far North Queensland. The birds are increasingly being killed off by motorists and dogs, a trend that has led Mission Beach residents to build an informative cassowary education centre and campaign successfully for government funds to protect the town’s Big Birds‚ for future generations.

Fauna lovers can also catch a glimpse of crocodiles on daily Hull River evening croc-watch boat tours that explore a mangrove river just south of Mission Beach and offer the chance to see the reptiles in the wild.

WHEN TO VISIT: It’s summer all year-round in this part of the world but the best time to visit is between May and November in the tropical dry season when temperatures range from 18 to 26 degrees Celsius, the sky is often cloudless and the ocean is free from marine stingers. Wet season temperatures escalate to a humid 32 degrees Celsius.

HOW TO GET THERE: International and domestic flights touch down daily in Cairns, a two hour drive from Mission Beach. The coastal town is about 20 minutes off the Bruce Highway and can also be reached on buses arriving regularly from Cairns and from Townsville, situated about three hours drive south of Mission Beach.