IT HAS to be said: Communing with nature takes time. But it’s a great moment when you feel the cares of the day drop away. An even greater reward awaits you when you have this experience at Eungella National Park - a glimpse at Australia’s shyest and most unusual mammal, the platypus.

Considered the most reliable place in the world to see platypus, Broken River is in the cool mountains overlooking the Pioneer Valley. Just getting there is a feast for the eyes. From Mackay, you travel 90km west through the beautiful changing landscape of the valley and the scenic range.

If you’re towing a van, it is a very steep and windy climb, however, many people do it all the time. If in doubt, unhook and drive it first. The view is worth the few minutes it takes to get there.

As the best time for platypus viewing is early morning or sunset, it’s wise to plan on staying a few days to get the most from your trip.

At Eungella Holiday Park, you can book a cabin, powered site or campsite. The cabins have en suites and on cool nights you can keep toasty warm with a fire. A spectacular view of the Pioneer Valley is yours as soon as you wake up in the morning.

If camping is more your style, the camping grounds offer views of the valley as well as the lovely gardens closer at hand.

Postal services and a convenience store help make life easier, and at Angie’s Cafe you can bring a new meaning to morning or afternoon tea with home-made scones or a slice of cheesecake. Or try their sumptuous melt-in-the-mouth mango icecream.

The Eungella Holiday Park is surrounded by the Eungella National Park, making the tranquil setting a perfect holiday haven. It is close to the start of the Pine Grove bushwalking track and 5km from the platypus viewing platform at Broken River.

Eungella National Park is one of Queensland’s most ecologically diverse parks as well as being one of the largest national parks in the State. Although much of the 49,000 ha park is incredibly rugged and virtually inaccessible, the southern part of the park is well developed.

Every year, thousands of visitors travel to Eungella and the Finch Hatton Gorge just for the thrill of viewing the duck-billed platypus. Discover the walking tracks, the waterfalls and unusual wildlife including the Eungella gastric brooding frog, the Eungella honeyeater and the Eungella spiny cray. While you’re in the region, make sure you see the Sky Window, a view that is part of a short circuit accessed from the Sky Window picnic area. Part of your whole experience should be Finch Hatton Gorge. On a short walk you can see Araluen Falls or continue on a longer walk to see the Wheel of Fire Falls.

The park consists of wilderness intersected by gorges and spans subtropical and tropical regions. It has 860 plant species ranging from eucalypts to rainforest trees.