Queensland | Great Barrier Reef: Brisbane, Cairns, Gold Coast, Whitsundays & More Maps

Highlights

Brisbane
Bike ride in the City Botanic Gardens or cruise down the Brisbane River spotting pelicans. Laze next to the gardens and lagoons of South Bank or explore Fortitude Valley’s cafes and boutique shops. For an adrenalin-pumping view of the city and its surrounds, you can do a bridge climb, abseil down Kangaroo Point Cliffs or coast over in a hot air balloon. On the clear waters and islands of nearby Moreton Bay, you can fish, boat, feed wild dolphins and toboggan down the world’s tallest sand dunes.

Gold Coast
Frolic on the sand or in the world-class nightclubs of Surfers Paradise. Then trek the World Heritage-listed rainforest of the Gold Coast hinterland, where you can swim in crystal-clear rock pools, explore rainforest retreats like Mount Tamborine and see Australia’s largest glow-worm colony. Of course, you can’t miss the Gold Coast’s famous themed attractions. See dolphin and sea lion shows at Sea World, ride the world’s tallest and fastest thrill rides at Dreamworld or jump in a giant wavepool at Wet 'n' Wild Water Park.

Sunshine Coast
Soak up sunny sophistication on Noosa’s Hasting Street or meet koalas in the coastal rainforest of Noosa National Park. Ride a mountain bike, abseil the volcanic peaks of Glasshouse Mountains or trek through rainforest in Kondalilla National Park. Browse cafes, country pubs, art and antique galleries in the sleepy mountain villages of Montville and Maleny, atop the Blackall Ranges. Feast on seafood on the Mooloolah River in Mooloolaba and relax on the wide beaches of Maroochydore.

Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef
Base yourself in cosmopolitan Cairns and take a day trip to the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. Snorkel or dive in warm tropical water with rainbow coloured coral, sponges and fish. Or head to the magical, primeval Daintree Rainforest. Here you can cruise the Daintree River past birds, animals and crocodiles or cross it on a ferry to the four wheel drive country of Cape Tribulation. See a performance by the world-famous Aboriginal dance theatre Tjapukai, then ride the Kuranda Scenic Railway to the rainforest village of Kuranda. Fish from tranquil Mission Beach, where the rainforest meets the reef, or sip cocktails in the vibrant resort town of Port Douglas. Pamper yourself in a Palm Cove spa or camp, fish and four wheel drive in the remote wilderness of Cape York Peninsula. Explore the world's longest lava tube system in Undara Volcanic National Park and a 1930s Spanish-inspired castle in Paronella Park.

Whitsundays
You can sail, swim, snorkel, dive or just relax in the Whitsundays - 74 pristine, palm-fringed islands tucked inside the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Enjoy five stars of resort luxury on Hayman Island and party on Daydream or Hamilton islands. Visit Whitsunday Island and walk the pure white, silica sands of Whitehaven Beach. Camp on the wilderness of Hook Island or get a natural holiday on South Molle Island. You can stay in the carefree, backpacker town of Airlie Beach or take in the tropical islands from a chartered sailboat.

Central Queensland
Enjoy a mouth-watering steak in Rockhampton, Australia’s beef capital. Then venture north to the Capricorn Coast, which has 13 stunning beaches stretching from Yeppoon to Emu Park. Inland, you can see Aboriginal rock art in Carnarvon National Park and the picturesque Rainbow Falls in Blackdown Tableland National Park. Paddle along the Byfield River in Byfield National Park and fossick for gems in the Sapphire Gemfields, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest. Around the pretty port of Gladstone, you’ll find rainforest gorges, lakes and long white beaches stretching to the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Fish for barramundi at Lake Awoonga and camp and four wheel in Mount Castletower National Park at its base. Discover the majestic cliffs of Kroombit Tops or do a day trip to Fitzroy Lagoon, where you can dive, snorkel, fish and even walk on the reef.

Outback Queensland
See fossils dating back 25 million years in World Heritage listed Riversleigh Fossil Fields and the world’s best-preserved dinosaur stampede near Winton. Canoe the emerald waters of Lawn Hill Gorge in Boodjamulla National Park. Fossick for opals at Opalton, Quilpie and Yowah, amethyst near Cloncurry and moonstone at Moonstone Hill. Four wheel drive famous outback tracks like the Birdsville Track or Plenty Highway. Or tackle on-road adventure on the Matilda Highway, which stretches more than 1,700km from Cunnamulla to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria. See bucking broncos at the Mount Isa Rodeo or learn to muster and shear on a cattle or sheep farm.