With a name like Hydeaway Bay (note the slightly cryptic spelling) you'd expect the place to be a little corner of paradise a long way from anywhere, and that's pretty well what you get. Locals actually say the best thing to catch in Hydeaway Bay is peace and quiet. It is guaranteed you will hardly see a soul but you could be lucky enough to spot a dugong, dolphin, whale or turtle on your travels.

How to get there: take the Gregory-Cannon Valley Road to Dingo Beach Road and then take the turn to Hydeaway Bay Drive.

This tiny coastal hamlet on Cape Gloucester is set on a long, white, sandy beach on a no-through road about 50 kilometres from Airlie Beach. Originally settled with summer shacks for local farmers, there are now a few hundred houses scattered along the beach and the nearby hills. The beach has five public access points and you can comb for shells on a low tide, swim the fringing coral reef or try your luck fishing from the beach or in a "tinnie". The nearest boat hire and ramp is just down the road at Dingo Beach. There is a small general store both at the Hydeaway Bay Caravan Park and Dingo Beach pub. Boat ramp facilities are available at Dingo Beach 5 mins away.

Montes Reef Resort is the ultimate in beachside dining and fantastic for a sunset drink while Cape Gloucester Eco Resort is famous for its Sunday live music sessions and also boasts a pool. Both resorts accessible by a dirt road, approx 5 mins away.


Dingo Beach

The georgraphical feature on which the settlement stands is actually called Shoal Bay, an open, 8 km wide, north facing bay between Shoal Bay and George Point on Cape Gloucester. The lower slopes overlooking the bay were subdivided in the early 1990s as Hydeaway Bay. The bay has nine beaches, and three small islands. All the beaches face essentially north, with calm conditions or low waves dominating. The Dingo Beach Road reaches the coast at Dingo Beach; from there a western road runs out to Sinclaire Bay and an eastern road to Nelly and Jonah Bays. The eastern four beaches have no vehicle access. At the southern end of the settlement is Black Currant Island, which is joined to the mainland via a narrow strip of sand and mangroves.

The main swimming area is in the tidal enclosure at Dingo Beach. If swimming at other beaches it is always better toward high tide, owing to shallow flats off all beaches, together with numerous rocks. There are numerous rock and reef flats off the beaches that can be fished at high tide. Rock fishing is also possible from the many headlands and rocks.