Eungella General Store & Cafe

At the end of the road above the Pioneer Valley, this rainforest-village store is the social and provisions hub of Eungella, the Queensland town billed as the platypus capital. Part cafe, part grocer, part community post office and tourist stop, it pours barista coffee and serves pies, toasties, burgers and homemade apple turnovers, and stocks seasonal local produce including Eungelladale full-cream milk and local beef and garlic grown in the valley. A gift section carries work by local makers, and an old collection of tools and bygones lends the place a museum-ish clutter. For visitors making the hour's climb from Mackay to spot platypus at Broken River, it is the obvious place to stop.