Emerald is a town in the Central Highlands Region, in the state of Queensland, Australia. It is a small town with an area of 39 kilometres-squared. Emerald only has a small population of around 13 thousand people based on the 2016 consensus. Emerald was initially inhabited by the Gayiri Aboriginal group, tens of thousands of years before the European colonisation began in the 19th century. Today, Emerald town is an important service town with a large number of industries such as agricultural and cotton.

Airport in Emerald

1. Emerald Airport

This is a small airport in the town of Emerald. It is located just six kilometres south of the town centre. It only handles domestic flights in Australia, serviced by three local airlines. The small airport has two runways, and with these three airlines, there are, on average, more than 50 return flights to Brisbane per week. In 2014, the airport handled some 200 thousand passengers. Emerald Airport is connected to the town centre via the Gregory Highway. There are short and long-term car parking facilities at the terminal. Taxi services are also available just outside the airport terminal. For those who are looking for car rentals, the booths are in the terminal.

How to Get Cheap Flights to Emerald?

A flight ticket to Emerald town in Queensland, Australia can be expensive. However, the ticket prices can inexpensive especially if one knows where to look for. Traveloka is a search engine for hotels and accommodations that are available around the world, including great deals on flight tickets. Traveloka is accessible via a web browser or using the mobile app. It is easy to use. Simply key in the related keywords into the search bar, set up the parameters on dates and price ranges then let the website do the searching. In seconds, it will show the best deals available on the net. Still not satisfied enough with deals show? Use their price alert feature where the website or app will alert the user when the price drop into the desired range.

When is the Best Time to Fly to Emerald?

Emerald, Australia is suitable to go year-round as the temperature remains even throughout the year. Summer months, from December to February, usually reach just until 31°C though, in recent years, there were some spikes, measuring up to 40°C. Winter months in Australia start from June until August with temperature ranging from 10°C until 21°C. The biggest crowds are usually during the summer months while winter sees a smaller one. For those who are looking for a cheaper deal, opt for the winter months to visit Emerald. There are still plenty of beautiful things to see and enjoy in the town. Festivals and celebrations in Emerald, Australia happen all year-round too. There are a multicultural festival, Easter festival and many more.

What are the 3 Things to Do in Emerald?

1. Cathedral Cave Tour - Soaking in the beautiful sights of caves while trekking inside of them is one of the best things to do in Emerald town. There are two caves, the Cathedral and Capricorn, are a part of the guided cave tour available in town. These two are limestone caves, filled with crooked passages and surrounded with thick rainforest.

2. Central Queensland Sapphire Gemfields - Located just 45 minutes away from the west of Emerald town is this 900 square kilometres of gem field. At the Sapphire Gemfields, the visitors will get the chance not only learn about those beautiful gemstones, but they are also may try their luck to find them. Don't feel like trying your luck? Walk around to experience the real-life of a mining town, or soaking in the beauty of gemstones at the galleries and do some shopping at the jewellers. There are also guided tours of an underground mine. It is one of the best attractions all year round.

3. Van Gogh Sunflower Painting - One of the Van Gogh's popular paintings, the Sunflower, blown into the largest painting in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a symbol of fine art and celebrating Central Highland's reputation as Australian's biggest sunflower producer. The painting is located at Emerald's Morton Park, and it was first shown to the public in October 1999. The giant artwork weighs 4.5 tonnes, and under it, there is a walkway that depicts the 100 years history of Emerald town. The walkway has 21 tiled designs that were created by ten Emerald’s local artists. These tiled designs are made to show the snapshots of Emerald’s history.