-
Brisbane, Australia
Queensland’s capital city is a hub of culture and culinary delights, with plenty to see and do to kick off your Brisbane to Cairns itinerary. You could easily spend a week or more here but in the interest of seeing more of Queensland, I’d recommend staying a day or two.
-
Noosa Heads, Australia
The term ‘Sunshine Coast’ refers to the area of Queensland from Caloundra (just past the Glass House Mountains) up to Great Sandy National Park, and Noosa is the most popular resort town in the region.
-
Hervey Bay, Australia
Hervey Bay is best-known for two things: being the gateway to K’gari, and being the whale watching capital of Australia.
Set aside a day or two to enjoy Hervey Bay itself before heading over to the island. A day trip will suffice but to experience the best of Fraser you’ll want to spend at least one night there.
-
K'gari, Australia
World Heritage-listed K’gari (which means ‘paradise’ in the Butchulla language) is the world’s largest sand island, coming in at a whopping 120km by 15km. The island is unlike anywhere else in the world; it has rainforest growing through sand, crystal clear freshwater dune lakes that make perfect swimming spots, and ever-moving sand dunes.
-
Lady Elliot Island, Australia
Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort runs all the island’s accommodation, the restaurant and the land and water activities. There are units, cabins and glamping tents to choose from, and your overnight stays also include breakfast, dinner and some water activities (lunch at your own cost, choose from a la carte of buffet).
Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort runs all the island’s accommodation, the restaurant and the land and water activities. There are units, cabins and glamping tents to choose from, and your overnight stays also include breakfast, dinner and some water activities (lunch at your own cost, choose from a la carte of buffet).
-
Agnes Water, Australia
Awarded the title of Queensland’s top small tourism town in 2021, Agnes Water and its neighbour 1770 are the perfect place for a chilled out beach holiday on your way up the coast.
They’re less touristed than other hot spots on this Brisbane to Cairns road trip (although they have definitely grown in popularity in recent years), which means fewer organised (and expensive) activities and more freedom to explore the beaches and tracks at your own pace.
-
Seventeen Seventy, Australia
-
Yeppoon, Australia
The main tourist centre of the Capricorn Coast is Yeppoon, so you could choose to use it as a base while you day trip to nearby spots like Byfield or Great Keppel Island, or opt to stay overnight in those destinations instead.
-
Airlie Beach, Australia
You’ll want to spend at least three days here, ideally more, but not because Airlie Beach itself is a nice place to be (more on that in a moment…). There’s just too many things to tick off in this part of the coast to try and squeeze it into a day or two, and you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment if you plan on making a whirlwind visit.
-
Whitsundays, Australia
-
Townsville, Australia
Townsville was a really interesting destination for me. I hadn’t heard great things before I went (I was told there’s nothing to do and that crime rates are high), however I was actually pleasantly surprised at the vibe and I really enjoyed my two days there.
-
Magnetic Island, Australia
Lovingly known as ‘Maggie’, this charming little island made such an impact on me! I only had two days here but I would love to go back for much longer next time, so much to see and do.
Maggie’s landscapes are just mind-blowing, there are gum-tree lined historic walks with koalas sitting in trees watching tourists go by, magnificent sunrise and sunset spots with rock wallabies watching along with you, and unspoiled hidden beaches only accessible from the water that look like they’re straight out of a movie.
-
Mission Beach, Australia
One day for Mission Beach itself, more if you want to see the Atherton Tablelands
Mission Beach is a really relaxed beach town that’s nowhere near as commercialised as the rest of the coast, which means lower prices and less tourists.
If you’re keen to get amongst the waterfalls, lakes and rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands then consider making Mission Bay your base rather than Cairns, it’s about the same distance but accommodation is much cheaper.
-
Cairns, Australia
You’ve made it to the end of your Brisbane to Cairns road trip itinerary! Cairns is jam-packed with enough activities and experiences to keep you entertained for days on end, but you’ll need to book ahead as this is one of the busiest tourist hot spots in the whole of Australia.