Car hire Mackay Airport

Mackay Airport is the usual first stop for Queensland tourists on their way to the legendary Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands. Mackay's city centre lies just three miles away with car hire in Mackay Airport. In 2009, nearly 950,000 visitors entered this airport, which is Australia's 14th busiest. Brisbane can be reached directly from the airport via Virgin Atlantic, Qantas or Jetstar Airways.

Mackay Airport facilities

Northern Queensland's famed barramundi fish frolic in a pond next to the airport's scenic outdoor observation area. Six booths allowing passengers to compare car hire are open during departure and arrival periods. The Flavors Café and the departures lounge's kiosk both sell beverages and light meals, but hot beverages cannot be taken into passenger security screening.

Mackay Airport excursions

Although many of Mackay's annual 750,000 visitors immediately head for the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef, no fewer than 31 small beaches lie close by with car rental in Mackay Airport. Australia's oldest and longest subtropical rainforest towers over Eungella National Park, among the world's few places where platypuses swim in the wild.

Best time to visit

Pioneer River floods and cyclones during the December to April cyclone season are the biggest weather dangers Mackay visitors will face. Afternoon sea breezes from the northeast add welcome coolness during hot and wet summers, while southeast winds travel along the coast during late summer and autumn. The late winter months of August and September are Mackay's driest and coolest, but still provide pleasant beach weather.

Car rental in Mackay Airport

Mackay's two main roads are the A1, otherwise known as the Bruce Highway, and the Peak Downs Highway, also called Highway 70. The Bruce Highway leads south to Brisbane and Rockhampton as well as north to Cairns and Townsville. The Peaks Down Highway travels southwest to Emerald, Clermont and Moranbah. Driving in Mackay is set to become easier once the city's four major road construction projects are complete.