Roadtrip up the Queensland Coast in winter

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
8
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
2
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
7
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
7
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
7
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
72 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
132nd/454
Top 30%
continent
Oceania
country
Australia
Length of time
2-4 weeks
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$120 ($1,250-$2,750 in 2020 prices)
Time of year visited
July
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Beaches Driving Islands
All Tags
4WD Adrenaline rush Adventure Boat trip Camping Ferry Forests Jungle Lakes Partying / Lash Sailing Scuba diving Snorkeling Swimming UNESCO world heritage site Waterfalls
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

A road trip up the Queensland coast is one of the classic Australia trips and includes some of the best beach and ocean experiences in the world.

You’ve got 4WDing on Fraser Island, sailing the Whitsunday Islands, diving the Great Barrier Reef, tropical rainforest, giant waterfalls, and a string of beach towns and islands all the way up the coast. Add in the glitzy, hedonistic Gold Coast and the random giant roadside “Big Things”, and it becomes a very varied and very Australian road trip.

One of the best roadtrips in the world and a must for Australia.

 

 

In a nutshell:

  • Australia’s classic road trip and one of the best in the world
  • Fraser Island and sailing in the Whitsundays are the mega wow experiences
  • Great for beaches, sailing, diving and warm weather
  • Very varied: beaches, rainforest, waterfalls, islands and cities
  • Best done as a self-drive trip from Brisbane to Cairns either supercharged in 10 days or more civilised in 3 weeks
  • Go in the Australian winter (dry season in the north)

 

Table of Contents

Orientation

 

Our top 10 moments from the trip

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#1 4WDing through Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. Driving along the magnificent 100km+ East Coast Beach with ocean on one side and rainforest on the other was magical

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#2 Sailing the Whitsunday Islands. Quite possibly one of the most paradisiacal islands in the world

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#3 Swimming in Fraser Island's Lake McKenzie with its mesmerising coloured waters and perfect white sands

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#4 Snorkelling and scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef

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#5 Laughing every time we pass a town's "Big Thing. Big Barrel, Big Barramundi, Big Bulls, Big Captain Cook, Big Mango and Big Cassowary amongst others!

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#6 The lash on the the hedonistic but oh so fun Gold Coast

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#7 Feeling wet and tropical while camping in the Daintree Rainforest - the oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest in the world

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#8 Getting hit by the power of the waterfalls in the mountainous Atherton Tableland

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#9 Getting bored of world-class beaches that stretch all along the Queensland Coast. In this case Rainbow Beach with its multicoloured sand

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#10 The chilled vibe when glamping on the super chilled out Great Keppel Island

What to prioritise

To help prioritise, this is how I see the Queensland experience:

 

  • Fraser Island – Wow factor ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.   Driving a 4WD along a huge sand island with shipwrecks, lakes and wild coastline.  One of the best travel experiences in the world.  See extra tips on the individual travel entry 4WDing around Fraser Island.
  • The Whitsunday Islands – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.  Arguably the world’s most picture-perfect islands .  The beaches of the Whitsunday Islands.
  • The Gold Coast – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.  Overly commercialised, but there is maybe only Miami that comes close to skyscrapers that tall and a beach like that.
  • Diving the Great Barrier Reef – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.  The world’s most famous reef system and still an excellent diving and snorkeling experience, although not quite as pristine as SE Asia.
  • The Atherton Tableland – ⭐️⭐️. A nice detour inland with waterfalls, rainforest and a cooler mountain climate – worth doing if you’re already heading up to Cairns. Driving through the Atherton Tableland
  • The Daintree Rainforest – ⭐️⭐️. The oldest tropical rainforest in the world and an interesting stop, but more about the atmosphere and setting than specific wow sights. Camping in the Daintree Rainforest.
  • Glamping on Great Keppel Island – ⭐️⭐️.  One of Africa’s best national parks for easy wildlife viewing, with huge salt pans and animals gathering at waterholes. Also don’t miss this. Self-drive Etosha National Park.
  • Noosa Heads – ⭐️⭐️.  Central point of the Sunshine Coast and a cut above the Gold Coast.
  • Magnetic Island – ⭐️⭐️.  Probably one for those with heaps of time, but nevertheless a lovely island getaway.
  • Brisbane – ⭐️.  Got some interesting spots, but its basically a big country town vs the mega wows to be found in the rest of the state.
  • Cairns – GASH. Just use it as the gateway for travel.

 

Itineraries

 

The Route

 

 

28 hours of driving over 2,250km / 1400miles.  Its a chunky one.  You can either try and do everything in 3 weeks, or go supercharged and just focus on the highlights over 10 days.  Naturally, somewhere in the middle will suit.

 

Itinerary #1 – 10 days

Day 1 – 2 – the Gold Coast. Fly into Brisbane or the Gold Coast and give yourself 2 days to settle in, check out the incredible beaches and glam of the Gold Coast and drive up to Hervey Bay or Rainbow Beach for entry to Fraser Island.  3 hours drive.

Day 3 – 4 – Fraser Island.  The highlight of the whole coastline and one of the mega wow travel experiences in the world.  Stay final night in Hervey Bay.

Day 5 make your way up to Airlie Beach for the Whitsundays.  This is a long 10 hours drive, so consider the option of breaking up for a couple of days in the picture-perfect Great Keppel island.

Day 6-7 – sailing the Whitsunday Islands.  Even in a country known for its beaches, the Whitsundays standout.  Stay the nights either on a boat or in Airlie Beach.

Day 8 – drive to Mission beach. 6 hours

Day 9 – diving the Great Barrier Reef.  The UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest reef system in the world Mission Beach is closer to the reef than any other gateway point and is far quieter than Cairns, Townsville or Gladstone.

Day 10 – driving to Cairns to fly out.  2 hours drive.

 

Itinerary #2 – 3 weeks

Day 1-2 – Brisbane and the Gold Coast.  They are the natural starting point where most people fly into and a pleasant place to get yourself settled before the drive.  Head to the suitably names Surfer’s Paradise for and hit the bars to get a feel for this uber commercialised and fake, yet alluring place.

Day 3-4 – drive up along the coast and stop off in the beautiful Noosa Heads.  They give a lovely contrast to the glitz of the Gold Coast.  Make your way on the 4th day to either Hervey Bay or Rainbow Beach for your short ferry ride over to Fraser Island.

Day 5-6 – 4WDing across Fraser Island.  The world’s largest sand island to explore pristine creeks, freshwater lakes, lush rainforest and all interlinked via the magnificent eastern stretch of beach that runs its full 120km / 75mile length.  Lake McKenzie, with its clean mesmerising colours, perfect white sand and backdrop of the rainforest, is worth the trip alone.

Day 7-10 – make your way up to the Whitsundays.  This stretch of the coast is a long 10 hour drive or so, break it up with a stay at Great Keppel Island.

Day 11-13 – sailing the Whitsunday Islands.  Even in a country known for its beaches, the Whitsundays standout.  Islands like emeralds scattered on aquamarine velvet, with whiter than white sand and carol just off the shore.  Take a overnight boat around them.

Day 14 – drive to Mission beach

Day 15-17 – diving the Great Barrier Reef.  The UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest reef system in the world has stunning diving and snorkelling.  Mission Beach is closer to the reef than any other gateway point and is far quieter than Cairns, Townsville or Gladstone.

Day 18 – driving up to the Daintree Rainforest via the Atherton Tableland.  Many just drive along the coast, but don’t miss the tranquil inland spot with its stunning waterfalls littered all throughout the highest point in Queensland.

Day 19-20 – camping in the Daintree Rainforest.  This UNESCO World Heritage listed site is the oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest in the world and it feels like you’re escaping the well trodden tourist path as nature takes control with jellyfish stopping you swimming, the constant sound of birdsong and insects of the jungle, and frogs getting just about everywhere.  A real getting back to nature experience – but prepare to get very wet!

Day 21 – fly out from Cairns

 

Start in Sydney?

You could – and we did.  Starting in Sydney gives you more to see and includes the wow factor highlights like Sydney Harbour (see the individual travel Sydney Harbour for more tips), the Blue Mountains (likewise the travel entry Train ride to the Blue Mountains) and wine tasting in the Hunter Valley.

But these highlights are clustered around Sydney.  The remainder of the New South Wales coastline between Sydney and Queensland is mainly beach towns like Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay.  They’re nice, but very similar to what you’ll get all along the Queensland coast and will be that bit colder in winter.

It makes sense to start in Sydney if you want to see the highlights around Sydney, less so for the rest of the New South Wales coast.

 

Top tip – go in winter

Despite most of the Queensland coast being in the tropics, the majority of people – both Aussies and International – think it’s cold in June and July in Queensland and so stay away.  Whilst it’s certainly colder than normal, the temperatures are very mild in the south and still very much warm enough in the north.

Going in winter means far cheaper prices and heavily reduced crowds.  A far more pleasant experience.

What is the drive like?

Obviously at around 2,200km / 1400miles there is a chunk of driving on this route.  But it feels really manageable because of the quality of the roads, the beautiful views and the spacing out of the highlights.  The longest stint is the Fraser Island to the Whitsundays part at 9-10 hours.  But even with that you have the nice option of stopping off for island paradise at the Keppel Islands.

 

Views from the "beach highway" on Fraser Island, Australia

Views from the “highway” on Fraser Island.  Best to rent a car rather than take your own.

 

The only bit where the road can become difficult is when / if you enter the Daintree Rainforest.  The one below made us change our plans a touch!

 

Daintree Rainforest flooded road, Australia

Daintree Rainforest difficult roads were the rarity on the trip

 

The extra benefit is that there are a heap of interesting towns along the way – each typically with their proud local pie shop and more-often-than-not their “big thing” 😂.  They really do keep you entertained along the way!

 

The big mango, Queensland Australia

The Big Mango in Bowen . . . why not

 

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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