Apollo Jewel Mission Beach
The Apollo Jewel beachfront holiday apartments offer affordable Mission Beach accommodation at its best, situated on the foreshore of South Mission Beach. Accommodation options comprise two 2 bedroom apartments with views to the beach, the Coral Sea and Dunk Island and a studio-style apartment with outdoor sitting area. Upstairs there is a 4 bedroom apartment also offering views to the beach, the Coral Sea and Dunk Island.
Being in the midst of World Heritage Listed rainforest and on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef, we are lucky to encounter some of the wildlife that inhabits this part of Far North Queensland. The endangered Southern Cassowary is a frequent visitor to our tropical gardens, as is our namesake the Apollo Jewel butterfly. We are sometimes even fortunate enough to sight whales on their migration north as they pass between the mainland and Dunk Island.
Our Mission Beach accommodation will provide you with the experience of a true Far North Queensland holiday. Walk from your accommodation onto the magnificent Mission Beach sands, or take a relaxing stroll through the adjacent rainforest in search of the cassowary.
Our Butterfly
Our Mission Beach accommodation’s namesake is the Apollo Jewel butterfly.
This beautiful butterfly is native to only a handful of places in tropical North Queensland from Cooktown to Ingham. The butterfly suffers from being a highly specialised species in that it only resides in coastal paperbark swamps and mangroves with Ant Plants. Fortunately, South Mission Beach still offers these conditions for the butterfly so we are blessed with its presence.
The butterfly is further restricted by its interaction with native ants in the Ant Plants. The caterpillars share galleries in the Ant Plants with small ants that feed on fluid produced by the larvae. The caterpillars, meanwhile, feed from the flesh of the Ant Plant until full grown when the larva cuts an exit hole and pupates inside the plant. Unfortunately, introduced species of ants that do not interact with the caterpillars and harvesting of Ant Plants by collectors is harming this delicate natural balance.