Bowen is a small, delightful beach town in Queensland on Australia's east coast home to incredible beaches and a laidback vibe. It's just north of Airlie Beach and the famous Whitsunday Islands, home to less than 13,000 people.
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport.
For thousands of years, the Juru people of the Birri Gubba nation lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived.
The first Europeans to settle the area followed Commissioner George Dalrymple overland and Captain Henry Sinclair by water in 1861, leading to tensions and violence with the Aboriginal people there. Thousands of Pacific Islander labourers were imported between the 1860s and 1900 to work on the sugar cane plantations.
→ Learn more about the Aboriginal and Pacific Islander history of Bowen.
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Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Bowen. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Bowen, the traditional language of the Juru people is Yuru.
→ Learn more about the language of the Juru people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
A few restaurants, cafes and accommodations in Bowen offer free WiFi.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Bowen is located in Tropical North Queensland which gets a pretty intense rainy season from November to April which can often see floods and many tourism infrastructure closed. The best time to visit Bowen and the rest of TNQ is during winter and early spring from May to October for pleasant, warm, sunny, dry days.
If you are in the waters off the coast of TNQ between October and May, it is recommended to wear a protective stinger suit against fatal stings from poisonous jellyfish.
Length of stay: We spent two days in Bowen slowing down and enjoying the beaches after our Whitsunday Islands sailing trip. Bowen is a pretty small beach town and so a few days is the perfect amount of time to hang out.
By flight: The closest airport to Bowen is in nearby Airlie Beach. Proserpine Airport has domestic connections with Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns so if traveling internationally, the easiest would be to get a connecting flight through one of these major cities.
The airport is an hour by car away from Bowen, with rental cars available at the airport. Greyhound and Flixbus also run between Proserpine and Bowen if you prefer not to drive, a coach journey of about an hour and a half.
By car: The best way to get to Bowen is with your own wheels. The most popular way of exploring Australia is by camping - whether with a motorhome, campervan, caravan or a roof tent on top of a car. This gives you the ultimate freedom of going as fast or as slow as you like.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Airlie Beach.
By public transport: The Spirit of Queensland train between Brisbane and Cairns stops in Bowen. A courtesy taxi into town is offered as part of your train ticket; contact Queensland Rail in advance to arrange this transfer.
By coach: You can reach Bowen by Greyhound and Flixbus from 19 different stops along the east coast.
By guided tour: There are a number of guided tours from Airlie Beach which explore the Bowen area if you prefer to go the guided route.
On foot: Bowen is a fairly small beach town and is totally walkable so getting around on foot is a great way to explore.
By car: A car can be useful to get around the area quickly, especially if you want to explore the beaches easily or go down to Airlie Beach, about an hour south. There is plenty of parking around Bowen including at its different beaches and mostly all free.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Airlie Beach.
By bus: Bowen Transit operates four local bus routes around town and to the beaches.
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options in Bowen to suit any budget.
→ Check out all the accommodation options in Bowen.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. The best way to find camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
As there is no free camping near Bowen, we chose to book in for a couple of nights at Horseshoe Bay Resort. It's got the perfect location, just steps from Horseshoe Bay and right across the water from Greys Bay Beach. They have all the facilities including powered and unpowered sites, toilets, hot showers, laundry, a pool and kitchens.
Dinner in our campervan
Greys Bay Beach, across the road from the campsite
We primarily cooked in our campervan while staying in Bowen but there is one place I can recommend:
You can't miss a photo stop at The Big Mango as you arrive in Bowen. It's located next to the Bowen Island Visitor Centre where, aside from learning about what you can do while visiting the lovely beach town of Bowen, you can also purchase delicious locally-made mango sorbet.
Be sure to keep a look up into the rafters of the outdoor seating area in case you spot the resident possums! We even saw a baby possum who had fallen from the rafters and watched as a local reunited the baby with its mother up above.
Bowen is a delightful coastal town. We didn't spend any time in the town itself, so my recommendations are all focused around the beaches.
Take in the view from Flagstaff Hill Lookout
This incredible lookout has 360° views across the town of Bowen and out to the sea, with many islands dotted in the view such as nearby Gloucester Island. You can drive all the way up to the top; there is also an Italian restaurant with gorgeous panoramic views at the lookout.
Enjoy the gorgeous beach at Greys Bay
This was the first beach we visited in Bowen as it's right across the road from the campsite we stayed at, Horseshoe Bay Resort. It's a peaceful little bay, tucked under Coral Cove Apartments, and popular for swimming (with stinger suits recommended from October to May), fishing and walking. It's also at the perfect angle for catching sunset over the water.
Hike up to the Rotary Lookout
Overlooking the idyllic Horseshoe Bay, the Rotary Lookout is a short 15-minute hike up from the Horseshoe Bay parking lot. It's mostly stone steps but totally achievable for all fitness levels and so worth the view from the top.
The Rotary Lookout is the first part of the longer 4km Coastal Walk loop, a hike I'd like to come back and do next time we're in Bowen!
The Rotary Lookout seen from Horseshoe Bay
Go swimming at Horseshoe Bay Beach
The gem of Bowen is the idyllic Horseshoe Bay Beach, a peaceful cove surrounded by gorgeous giant boulders perfect for swimming and hanging out at. Stinger suits are recommended from October to May if spending time in the water to protect against poisonous jellyfish stings.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
