Enjoy the Clear Blue Waters of Bowen's Horseshoe Bay

The waters are clear, blue, sparkling, and the beaches are golden. Close to Queensland's Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday resort islands, the seaside town of Bowen is a place for lazy beach holidays with a spot of snorkeling and scuba diving and barbecues in the park.

Pristine beaches (such as the popular Horseshoe Beach), picnic grounds and parks are popular Bowen attractions.

The town itself stood in for Darwin in the Baz Luhrmann film, Australia, which was filmed in Sydney, then in Bowen, Queensland, and Kununurra in Western Australia. Australia, with Aussie stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, hit cinema screens last year.

Bowen portrayed 1940s Darwin in the period leading to its bombing by the Japanese during World War II.

Photo: Swimming at Bowen's Horseshoe Bay © Tourism Queensland