Cala

Beaches and coves of Mackay

The 8 beaches and coves of Mackay, Australia, as recorded in Cala. The details come from the app's records; today's wind, sea temperature and shelter are in the Cala app.

Records last updated: October 8, 2026

  • Sandy: 8

Places to stay around Mackay

Hotels, guesthouses and holiday homes across the area. We open the search at the centre of the area on Booking.com, Expedia and Vrbo.

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  • Belmunda BeachSand

    Belmunda Beach is a sandy Coral Sea shoreline on Sand Bay in the Mackay region.

  • Blacks BeachSand

    Blacks Beach is a long sandy beach on Mackay’s Northern Beaches, about 15 minutes north of the city centre.

  • Dawson BeachSand

    Dawson Beach is a long, quieter sandy shoreline on Queensland’s Mackay coast, set within the natural coastal landscape around Ince Bay.

  • Dewars BeachSand

    Dewars Beach lies on the Mentmore coast in the Mackay region, opening onto the Coral Sea as a long sandy shore of roughly 2.1 kilometres.

  • Illawong BeachSand

    Illawong Beach near Mackay is a quiet sandy shoreline extending for kilometres, with broad rippled sand surfaces appearing at low tide.

  • Iluka BeachSand

    Iluka Beach, long known locally as Town Beach, is the sandy Mackay foreshore beside Iluka Park.

  • Lamberts BeachSand

    Lamberts Beach is a sandy surf beach at Slade Point, north of Mackay and close to residential areas.

  • Smalleys BeachSand

    Smalleys Beach lies on the Central Queensland coast within Cape Hillsborough National Park, about 50 kilometres north-west of Mackay.

Which beaches in Mackay are sandy?

Sandy beaches on record include Belmunda Beach, Blacks Beach, Dawson Beach, Dewars Beach and Illawong Beach.

Which coves in Mackay are sheltered from the wind?

It changes with the day's wind direction, so there is no fixed list. Cala works it out for each cove by comparing the cove's orientation with today's wind forecast; open Mackay in the app to see which coves are sheltered right now.

Explore this coast in the app

Cala puts hundreds of beaches and coves on one map, each with its own record. Free on iOS.

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