Australia’s ‘Sunshine State’ is home to some of the icons of Australian life; the long sandy beaches of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, Fraser Island and the cosmopolitan city of Brisbane. Then there are the true delights in the north; the Atherton Tablelands where the platypus is found, the tropical rainforests running down to the Coral Sea and the gem of them all, the Great Barrier Reef. No visit to Australia can be complete without a trip to this multi-coloured paradise.
QUEENSLAND COASTAL DRIVE
One of the iconic Australian road trips, this itinerary showcases some of the best that the Queensland coast has to offer, as you visit Fraser Island, Airlie Beach and cruise to the Great Barrier Reef on your way from Brisbane to tropical Cairns on this spectacular Australian self-driving tour.
BEACHES, REEFS & RAINFORESTS
Explore the Sunshine State’s glorious beaches, stunning reefs and amazing rainforest on this self-drive motorhome tour of Australia from Brisbane to Port Douglas.
5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU COULD DO IN QUEENSLAND
1. Sleep on the reef
If you’ve ever dreamed of sleeping underwater well now’s your chance, Cruise Whitsundays offer guests a once in a lifetime opportunity to stay in a private all-inclusive Reefsuite. This exciting experience is set on a pontoon moored offshore at Hardy Reef which hosts day visitors and on-deck Reefsleep guests spending the night on the top deck of the pontoon. The experience begins with a morning transfer from the Whitsunday Islands to Hardy Reef where you can enjoy lunch followed by an afternoon snorkel, dive, swim or scenic helicopter flight to see the famous Heart Reef. Once the day visitors have departed you can enjoy a starlit dinner and drinks before relaxing in your suite as the reef comes to life outside your floor to ceiling windows.
2.Swim with whales in Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast
One of the coolest experiences you could have is swimming with whales out in the open ocean and Sunreef offers guests just that. With daily departures over the season from July to October you will never get the same experience twice as each whale encounter is as unique as the day. A friendly crew will take you out on a boat and begin searching for whales based on surface activity and even ask you to help with spotting them too, as a bonus you may even sight some dolphins or turtles. This organic experience is completely uncontrolled so a whale may even swim under or around you. The experience allows you 4 hours in the water with these magnificent creatures so you can soak up as much time as you like making memories to last a lifetime.
3.See an underwater art museum in Townsville
A fantastic new attraction is opening in 2020 which will see the launch of a brand-new art museum with a twist, its completely submerged underwater. The Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) was conceived in 2017 and took 2 years to reach completion although it has 4 locations opening at varied stages in the next few years. In Townsville you will find the first installation called ‘Coral Greenhouse’ on the John Brewer Reef which features a large-scale skeletal greenhouse planted with 2000 coral fragments from marine nurseries to help generate a marine ecosystem over the coming years. The museum will feature large sculptures and is naturally protected by coral walls and a flat sandy base allowing guests to dive under and through for a unique tour opportunity.
4.Spot the purest breed of Dingoes on Fraser Island
A much beloved iconic Australian animal is the dingo but what most people won’t realise is there are not many places in the world you can find the purest breed of this endangered species. One protected area you can see these playful hunters is on Fraser Island, here there are said to be about 30 packs of dingo each consisting of around 3-12 dingoes. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and offers visitors a host of experiences from 4WD tours to camping safari’s and many dingo spotting opportunities. Being separated from the mainland means the dingoes here have not crossbred with domestic or feral dogs resulting in pure bred packs making Fraser Islands conservation efforts nationally significant in the ongoing survival of this treasured species.
5.Drive on the beach between Noosa & Rainbow
We all love a good road trip, between the passing scenery and making pit stops to explore the local attractions but what if you could road trip on a beach? Because that’s exactly what you can experience on ‘The Great Beach Drive’. Stretched between Noosa on the Sunshine Coast and Rainbow Beach this track takes travellers through National Parks, World heritage listed areas and some of Australia’s most stunning beaches. One of the biggest perks of this drive is the abundance of wildlife you may spot including kangaroo’s, whales, and a variety of bird species. The drive from Noosa to Rainbow takes roughly 2 hours but if you were game enough to undertake the whole route to through Fraser Island and Harvey Bay it can take 2 to 3 days, but you are welcome to go as short or far as you like. This is more than your average road trip allowing yourself extra time is important as you can hike, swim, trek, birdwatch or go off road driving making this truly an unforgettable experience.
