Queensland
Brisbane - Cairns
16 Days
We planned our two-week trip to coincide with Sydney’s winter. Heading north to Queensland in search of warmer weather, we were excited to take on this epic road trip. Starting in Brisbane we followed the Bruce Highway over 1,700km to Cairns, gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.
Overview
01
Sunshine Coast,
Glass House Mountains
02
Sunshine Coast,
Noosa
03
K'gari (Fraser Island)
04
K'gari (Fraser Island)
05
Bundaberg - Airlie Beach
06
Whitsunday Islands
07
Whitsunday Islands
08
Hamilton Island
09
Hamilton Island
10
Airlie Beach -
Magnetic Island
11
Magnetic Island
12
Magnetic Island - Cairns
13
The Great Barrier Reef
14
The Great Barrier Reef
15
The Great Barrier Reef
16
The Great Barrier Reef
Travel Route
01
Sunshine Coast, Glass House Mountains
Morning
With not a moment to waste we took the early morning flight out of Sydney and were on the road leaving Brisbane airport by 8:30am. Our first stop was the Glass House Mountains National Park, 70km north.
With twelve different mountains in the national park, there are plenty of different hiking options. We had been recommended and chose the Mount Ngungun trail, which took us about an hour to reach the summit and offered the best 360 views of the area.
Afternoon
It’s not for everyone but I’m a bit of a sucker when it comes to animal parks. So how could I not stop at the world-famous Australia Zoo? Only a 10-minute drive from the base of Mount Ngungun, we decided to follow the crowds to the ‘Koala Experiences’ and ‘Crocoseum’ for an afternoon at the home of the renowned crocodile hunter Steve Irwin.
Evening
There is plenty of accommodation throughout the Sunshine Coast, but opting for something a little different, we headed inland to the sleepy mountain town of Montville. It had a pretty ‘American style’ high street with some great food options and we eventually decided on the Montville Bar and Grill beer garden for a quick bite and a nightcap to round off our first day.
Mount Ngungun
Australia Zoo
02
Sunshine Coast, Noosa
Morning
Day 2 saw us head to arguably the Sunshine Coast’s' most famous beachside town, Noosa. Situated on a headland, Noosa Heads is the perfect mix of jaw-dropping coastline and picturesque river estuaries.
We started at Noosa Woods and around the Botanic Gardens, before following the boardwalks towards the headland and the start of the Noosa National Park walk. We passed Boiling Pot Lookout, and Dolphin Point, making it as far as Hells Gates, before picking up the inland Tanglewood walk which brought us back to our starting point at the day-use area (roughly 8-9km).
Afternoon
There are plenty of boats for hire along the river towards Noosaville and you don’t require a license. With hire options starting at an hour, it’s something a little different and offers you a different perspective from the river.
Evening
We headed back to our base in Montville ready for a quiet night before our early start the next morning.
Accommodation: Altitude at Montville.
Distance Travelled: 111km (1hr 50 min).
Noosa Headland
Noosa River
03
K'gari (Fraser Island)
Morning
Back on the road, we drove roughly 200km to Riverhead (approx. 2.5hr), where we picked up our temporary 4WD ready to tackle the world's largest sand island. Our wheels also doubled as our accommodation for the night – with Fraser Dingo Hire offering a ‘couples 4WD camper’. With the briefing completed; we boarded the 10:30am ferry to K’gari ready to do some serious off-roading.
Afternoon
Driving around K’gari isn’t for the faint-hearted and progress can be slow, with deep sand and track roads. Much of your route around K’gari will be dictated by the tides, with the Seventy-Five-Mile beach the only major ‘road’ and only a limited number of beach access points. We had missed low tide on the first day so remained inland where we drove between Lake Mckenzie and Basin Lake (access via a 5km return walk from Central Station).
Evening
.Central Station Campground.
4WD Hire: Fraser Dingo Hire.
Accommodation: Central Station Camp Ground.
Distance Travelled: 270km.
Lake Mckenzie
Lake Mckenzie
04
K'gari (Fraser Island)
Morning
With an early morning low tide, we were up before sunrise and made our way to the main beach access point in the small east coast town of Eurong. With the low tide clock ticking we headed for Cathedrals, our furthest point north, covering around 35km of empty sand highway: one of my highlights of the entire trip. The seventy-five-mile beach also has some of K’gari’s main sights; S.S. Maheno Shipwreck, Eli Creek as well as the Lake Wabby walking circuit (approx. 5km).
Afternoon
With only an afternoon before our evening ferry back to the mainland, we headed back to Lake McKenzie for a final relaxing swim in the crystal-clear waters.
Evening
Our accommodation for the evening was Bundaberg, another 150km north of the ferry port and it was to be only the briefest of stops ahead of the longest drive of our trip.
Accommodation: Koola Apartments Baraga.
Distance Travelled: 230km.
Seventy-Five-Mile Beach
Eli-Creek
05
Bundaberg - Airlie Beach
Morning
There is no way of avoiding it. With 1700km to cover in two weeks, there were going to be some long drives. Today was a day we had circled as the longest of them all; a 750km marathon that took us across the Tropic of Capricorn to Airlie Beach. Nine hours of the Bruce Highway and plenty of sugar cane.
Afternoon
With literally minutes to spare we arrived at the Coral Sea Marina in Arlie Beach ready to board our new home on the Whitsundays Getaway 2 days and 2 nights cruise. With 4 double cabins and en-suites, it was a small catamaran crewed by a skipper and a hostess. In truth, we didn’t know exactly what the next few days would hold for us, but after chatting about preferences our skipper pulled together personalised itineraries to suit all guests.
Evening
Our first evening anchorage was at Apostle Bay, where we had dinner and spent the evening getting to know our new shipmates.
Accommodation: Whitsunday Getaways 2D2N.
Distance Travelled: 750km (driving).
Apostle Bay
Whitsundays
06
Whitsunday Islands
Morning
Shortly after sunrise, to beat the crowds, we sailed to Tongue Bay, the start of a short walk to the famed Whitehaven Beach. With lookouts and access to the beach, it was absolutely worth the early morning start for a unique and special experience with no one else around.
Whether it’s to admire the views of the low tide sand banks, watch the stingrays and lemon sharks or simply relax, Whitehaven Beach fully justifies its billing as one of the world’s most famous beaches.
Afternoon
10 am and it was our cue to leave, as the day tripper crowds had well and truly taken over Whitehaven beach. A short sail took us to our first snorkel destination; Cateran Bay at Boarder Island, before we headed to a second stop at Luptan Island.
Evening
Our second anchorage took us closer to Hamilton Island at the Gulnare Inlet. Dinner, drinks, good conversation and star gazing made for a wonderful last night on the boat.
Accommodation: Whitsunday Getaways 2D2N.
Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven Beach
07
Whitsunday Island
Morning
The last morning on our boat, we headed to the abandoned South Molle Island. Anchoring off Bauer Bay we headed out on a 45-minute walk to the highest peak on the Island, Spion Kop for easily the best views of the Whitsunday Islands.
Afternoon
Arriving back at Airlie Beach, we jumped across town to the Port of Airlie terminal where we boarded our ferry to Hamilton Island (Cruise Whitsundays Ferry) – approx. 1hr.
Evening
A short stroll, and it didn’t take us long to orientate ourselves with Hamilton Island. The harbour and Catseye Beach are the main hubs of activity.
South Molle Island
Accommodation: Whitsunday Apartments.
08
Hamilton Island
Morning
So, I’m going to say it… I really don’t understand the golf buggy craze on Hamilton Island. We didn’t bother as most of the accommodation was central and the best beaches were accessible only on foot. I would suggest skipping the crowds and doing your own thing.
We headed to the Scenic Trail Entrance and towards Saddle Junction – the intersection of all walks on the island. It’s impossible to get lost with all the trails clearly signposted. First, we visited Escape Beach, a secluded cove with no one around where we happily spent the next couple of hours sunbathing and swimming.
Afternoon
Instead of retracing our steps we made it a circular walk and followed the track towards the Southeast Head Lookout, and Passage Peak both of which provided sweeping views of the Whitsunday Islands. Back to the Resort Trail Entrance, the 10km circuit will take about 3.5 hours.
Evening
We headed out for dinner at Coca Chua, a casual Southeast Asian restaurant situated on the main beach at Catseye – a great spot for an evening cocktail or two.
Escape Beach
Southeast Head Lookout
Accommodation: Whitsunday Apartments.
09
Hamilton Island
With everything from water sports and day excursions to go-karting, there is something for everyone on Hamilton Island. But, after a busy few days, we opted for a quiet morning on our balcony, followed by an afternoon walk to Coral Cove (approx. 6km – 2hr), we took our own picnic and enjoyed the sunset.
Accommodation: Whitsunday Apartments.
Catseye Beach
10
Airlie Beach - Magnetic Island
Morning
Back to the mainland and back on the road, this time to Townsville – approx. 3hrs (273km) ahead of our final ferry of the trip. We arrived in Townsville with an hour to spare so, drove up to the Castle Hill lookout, which gave us an early view of Magnetic Island.
Afternoon
Only a short ferry crossing, this time we could take our car with us. Arriving at Nelly Bay, our accommodation was conveniently across the road, allowing for a quick bag drop-off before making the short thirty-minute walk across to the neighbouring bay of Arcadia to see the island's rock wallabies.
Arcadia Bay - Rock Wallabies
Accommodation: Absolute Waterfront, Nelly Bay.
Distance Travelled: 275km..
11
Magnetic Island
Morning
We started with a recommended 4km Fort Walk (1.5hr), winding up the hill through World War II relics with stunning views and were rewarded by seeing a koala in the wild. Pretty pleased with our efforts we headed to Early Bird Café at Horseshoe Bay for a bite of breakfast.
Afternoon
We decided to walk from Horseshoe Bay, on a coastal path to the secluded beach, Balding Bay. The steep 3km return (1.25hr) was worth it. On arrival, we quickly established this was one of the island’s nudist beaches but having the beach to ourselves it didn’t bother us. For those wanting even more exercise, you can continue around the headland towards Radical Bay.
Back to the car, we popped into Magnetic Islands remaining few towns, Alma Bay, Picnic Bay and finishing at Cockle Bay to see the S.S City of Adelaide Shipwreck at low tide. Surrounded by mangroves, the shipwreck was slightly harder to reach than anticipated and could probably be better seen from a higher viewpoint.
Accommodation: Absolute Waterfront, Nelly Bay.
Fort Walk
Balding Bay
12
Magnetic Island - Cairns
Morning
Back to the mainland, today was our last long drive, 270km (approx. 4.25hr) on the final leg to Cairns. This section of Queensland is known as the ‘Great Green Highway’ and is a road trip in itself, with plenty of stops and beaches along the way including Babinda Boulders, Paranella Park, Mission Beach and Cardwell Spa Pools.
Afternoon
After arriving at our hotel, we went for an evening walk along the Esplanade boardwalks, ending at Salt House for an evening cocktail and Dundees Waterfront for dinner. I was impressed by Cairns. I wasn’t sure what to expect but could easily have spent another day here with plenty of day trip options including’ Port Douglas, Daintree National Park, and Cape Tribulation to name but a few. However, for us, it was an early night to prepare for the final and perhaps most exciting stage of our whole trip.
S.S City of Adelaide Shipwreck
Accommodation: Oak Cairns Hotel.
Distance Travelled: 271km.
13 - 16
Great Barrier Reef
As a keen diver, the Great Barrier Reef has always been high on my bucket list, and I didn’t want to skimp on the experience; so had opted for the three-day and three-night liveaboard dive boat.
Our home for the next few days was the ‘Spirit of Freedom’, as we dived the outer Barrier Reef. With twelve crew and toughly twenty-five guests, we spent our time diving along the Ribbon Reefs and towards our final destination Lizard Island.
With 11 dives available in total (see overview below), my first experience of a liveaboard was fantastic. The crew couldn’t have been better, with easy gear set up and detailed briefings before each dive we always felt in safe hands. We also had a staggering five meals prepared a day!
There were so many highlights but for me, it was snorkelling with the Dwarf Minke Whales, and diving with the resident Potato Cod at Cod Hole. With some of the most vibrant and colourful coral I’ve ever seen, this whole experience would honestly not be out of place in a David Attenborough documentary.
Day 13
-
x2 dives at Norman Reef – Troppos (Outer Barrier Reef)
Day 14
-
x1 dive at Lighthouse Bommie (Ribbon 10)
-
Snorkelling afternoon with Minke Whales at Lighthouse Bommie (opted for snorkelling instead of x2 more dives as a better opportunity to interact with the Whales)
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x1 dive at Challenger Bay (Ribbon 10)
-
x1 night dive at Challenger Bay (Ribbon 10)
Day 15
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x1 dive at Pixie Pinnacle (Ribbon 10)
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x1 dive at Platetop Bommie (Ribbon 10)
-
x2 dives at Cod Hole (Ribbon 10)
Day 16
Our final day was spent exploring Lizard Island, the most northern resort on the Great Barrier Reef. Known as an exclusive playground for the wealthy, we walked from Watsons Bay across the mangrove boardwalks up to Chainman’s Ridge for an impressive view of the northern side of the island.
A few drinks at Marlin Bar before boarding our scenic flight back to Cairns rounded off our trip nicely!
Accomodation: Spirit of Freedom Liveaboard.
Lizard Island
Cod Hole
Cod Hole
Lighthouse Bommie
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Queensland: Brisbane - Cairns | 16 Day Road Trip.
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