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Bowen - Queensland
The small town of Bowen is located in the northern region of the Whitsundays, 1160 kilometres north of Brisbane. This picturesque seaside town on the shores of Edgecumbe Bay has beautiful beaches and fascinating street art and is home to the Big Mango.
Bowen was officially declared a town in 1861 and is North Queensland’s oldest town. The town centre has several stunning heritage buildings, including the heritage-listed Court House.
On our recent visit to Bowen, we watched the sunrise from Horseshoe Bay, found the Big Mango, and saw the murals around the town centre. We wandered along the foreshore, found the mini mango and admired the heritage buildings. We watched the birds at Mullers Lagoon and finished the day watching the sunset over Murray Bay.
Horseshoe Bay is one of Bowen’s most iconic beaches; it has a stunning sandy bay protected by two granite outcrops, providing spectacular views at sunrise. Horseshoe Bay is also a popular spot for swimming, diving and snorkelling. From Horseshoe Bay, there is access to the Cape Edgecombe walking trails and the Rotary Lookout.
We found the 10-metre-high Big Mango at the visitor's centre on the southern side of town. Mangoes have been grown in Bowen since the late 1880s, and the Big Mango was constructed as a tourist attraction in 2002 for $90,000.
More than 20 colourful murals, located within the town centre, showcase Bowen’s diverse history, from early settlement through the various industries of the region to the present.
At the end of the main street is the foreshore with walking tracks, a fun water park, playgrounds and picnic tables, As we wander along the foreshore, we see the Mini Mango near the Visitor Kiosk and some information boards about Baz Luhrman’s film Australia, which was filmed in Bowen in 2007 and starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
Further along the foreshore is the Catalina Memorial, an interpretative centre commemorating the Catalinas and honouring the Bowen residents who served Australia during historical conflicts.
The Bowen Court House was built between 1880 and 1913 and was the first Supreme Court outside Brisbane. The heritage-listed building is large and impressive and dominates Williams Street in the centre of town.
The Bowen Shire Council offices were built in 1937 and have been used continuously as government offices since that time. The Summergarden Theatre is a purpose-built picture theatre constructed in 1948 at Queens Beach near Bowen; you can still watch a movie here today.
The Grand View Hotel was used in Baz Luhrmann’s Hollywood film ‘Australia and has an interesting history; having been destroyed twice by fire and twice by cyclone, it has recently been fully renovated. The Bowen Post Office was constructed in 1936 and is still used as a post office today.
Mullers Lagoon is a 23-hectare garden and wetland in the centre of Bowen and is home to more than 176 bird species.
Grays Bay is a lovely sheltered bay with a sandy beach; it is a popular spot for jet skiing, stand-up paddle boards, kayakers and swimmers; it also offers the perfect vantage point for a sunset over the water.
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