Rockhampton to Mackay: The Coastal Highway Drive
Rockhampton to Mackay: The Coastal Highway Drive. Cityville Apartments & Motel is the central Rockhampton base for visitors building a Rocky-and-Capricorn-Coast trip — 21-23 Bolsover Street, central CBD, two minutes' walk from the Fitzroy River and Quay Street's heritage dining strip, with self-contained apartments, motel rooms and townhouses suited to families, FIFO workers, corporate stays and weekenders alike.
The Bruce Highway from Rockhampton to Mackay covers approximately 335 kilometres of sealed highway — four hours of driving through the coastal plain country that transitions from the pastoral and mining landscape around Rockhampton into the sugar-cane country that Mackay's tropical latitude and its proximity to the coast produce. The drive is functional rather than scenic for much of its length, but the midpoint stop at Marlborough or St Lawrence provides the break that the four-hour distance requires, and the sugar-cane landscape approaching Mackay provides the visual change that announces the tropical coast whose character is distinct from the Capricorn Coast's subtropical zone. Mackay provides the beach access, the Eungella National Park day trip for the platypus viewing, and the northern gateway to the Whitsundays that the onward drive to Airlie Beach provides. The Rockhampton-to-Mackay drive works as the northward transit on the Bruce Highway itinerary that the coastal Queensland road trip follows from Brisbane to Cairns.
Where to stay in Rockhampton
Cityville Apartments & Motel sits in the heart of Rockhampton CBD on the Fitzroy River. The property combines compact motel-style studio apartments for solo travellers and FIFO workers, larger 1 bedroom apartments and 2 bedroom apartments for couples and small families, and riverfront apartments for premium stays. Free undercover parking, on-site pool and BBQ, reception staffed during business hours with after-hours key-box pickup arranged by phone, and walking distance to Quay Street's restaurants and the Fitzroy foreshore.
For trip-type guidance see the family rooms guide, the FIFO accommodation guide, and the long-stay accommodation page; or browse all rooms on the accommodation comparison page.
Related reading
- Things to do in Rockhampton
- Rockhampton dining guide
- accommodation
- Rockhampton events calendar
- three-day Rockhampton and coast itinerary
- Capricorn Caves visitor guide
Book direct at Cityville
Book direct at cityville.com.au for the best available rate — no booking fees, no third-party markups. Or phone reception on (07) 4922 8322. Group bookings (5+ rooms) and corporate enquiries to bookings@cityville.com.au.