R&H Suburb Profile BOWEN

Bowen is a town in the northern region of the Whitsundays, Queensland, halfway between Townsville and Mackay and 1130km from Brisbane by road.

Bowen is in the dry tropics and enjoys the warm sunny weather of a tropical climate but less rain than the wet tropics further north. It sits on a peninsula with ocean on three sides and has a total of seven beaches.

The town has a diversified and prosperous economy based on agriculture, fishing, tourism, and mining. Bowen's unusually dry tropical climate, plus its fertile alluvial soil, makes it ideal for growing a wide variety of small crops including tomatoes, rockmelons, and capsicums. Outside the alluvial plain, much of the Bowen Shire is used for beef cattle.

Bowen has a cinema, several hotels, a memorial club, motels and caravan parks. There is also a golf course that overlooks Queens Beach.

There are several schools including Queens Beach Preschool, Bowen Preschool, St Mary's Primary School, Bowen Primary and Bowen High School.

Bowen Hospital is in Gregory Street, with more hospitals in Proserpine and Mackay.