
Lychee Love – Little Jewels of the Tropics
The lychee capital of Hinchinbrook lies just south of Ingham, around Toobanna, Helen Hill and Coolbie. The fertile volcanic foothills and warm nights give Hinchinbrook lychees their perfume and snap. For a few brief weeks in December, branches sag under bunches of ruby-skinned fruit. Peel one open and you’ll find pearly flesh that smells faintly of rosewater and honey. Locals chill them in esky ice, or freeze them for cocktails when the wet rolls in. Lychee season is short, sweet, and impossible to forget — much like a North Queensland summer fling.