Conway National Park

Conway National Park Review

Conway National Park, 10 minutes' drive southeast of Airlie, is a 54,000-acre expanse of mangroves, woodlands, rocky cliffs, and tropical lowland rain forest that shelters the endangered Proserpine rock wallaby and other rare species, as well as plenty of sulphur-crested cockatoos, emerald doves, Australian brush-turkeys, and orange-footed scrubfowl. Most walking trails start at the park's picnic area off Shute Harbour Road, 6 km (3½ mi) from Airlie. Mount Rooper Walking Track, a 5.4-km (3-mi) circuit, meanders uphill through bushland to a lookout with breathtaking Whitsundays views. The 30-km (18.5-mi), three-day Whitsunday Great Walk starts at the Brandy Creek carpark and ends in Airlie Beach (with campsites en route). Swamp Bay track follows the creek to a coral-strewn beach with a bush camping area. Campers need permits (A$5.15 per person, per night), as well as water, fuel stoves (open fires prohibited), and all supplies.