Bowen, Queensland, Australia

Post Office in Bowen, Queensland
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Post_Office_Bowen.jpg
Author: Ian Sutton
Bowen is a small town along the coast in Queensland, Australia. Located between Townsville to the north and Mackay to the south, it has a population of around 7,500 people (2012 estimate).

The first European to pass through the area of Bowen was Captain James Cook in 1770. He gave the name Cape Gloucester to what turns out to be an island, renamed Gloucester Island later. The headland pointing to Gloucester Island takes the name Cape Gloucester. The island is off the coast from Bowen, separated by a bay, and is today the Gloucester Island National Park.

In 1859, Captain Henry Daniel Sinclair discovered the bay behind Gloucester Island. Finding it to be an excellent port area, he named it Port Denison, after the then Governor-General of New South Wales, Sir William Denison. At that time, the colony of Queensland was just about to be established. In 1861, Sinclair led a party of settlers by sea, while George Elphinstone Dalrymple led another by land from Rockhampton. They regroup at Port Denison, and established the town of Bowen on 13 April 1861, naming it after the newly appointed colonial governor of Queensland, Sir George Ferguson Bowen.

As with many of the coastal towns in Queensland, Bowen has developed today as a tourist town. It is blessed with excellent beaches. Situated on a peninsula, it faces the ocean on three sides. From Kings Beach, one can get great views of Gloucester Island.

Visiting Bowen

Take a flight to Townsville then rent a car to drive down to Bowen. It is on the coast after Ayr.

Places of Interest in Bowen

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