Skip to navigation

Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Great Journeys: Australia: Queensland Coast

This journey concentrates on the Great Barrier Reef and three of Queensland's most beautiful trekking islands.

Map of the Queensland coast, Australia

Click on the links below to find out more about individual destinations.

Journey Summary

The sights of Queensland need little introduction, and our journey takes in some of the best sights for exploring on foot... or fin. Starting in Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef provides some of the best diving and snorkelling in the world, and a multiple-day trip north from Cairns is highly recommended for scuba divers. Following the coast south, we come to Cardwell, from where a three-day walk on beautiful Hinchinbrook Island is well worth booking. Townsville is our next stop south, but it's worth hopping over to laid-back Magnetic Island as soon as possible. Continuing our drive south down the coast we come to Airlie Beach, where the Whitsunday Islands provide wonderful sailing opportunities and a good excuse to relax, in preparation for the long drive south to Hervey Bay, the access town for Fraser Island. Most people rent four-wheel-drives and spend a few days getting drunk on Fraser's beaches, but for the more adventurous there is plenty of world-class trekking, if you can handle the dingoes. Heading south again, Noosa provides us with plenty of pretty beaches, before the road takes us to the capital of Queensland, Brisbane.

Suggested Itinerary

The following is only a suggested itinerary, and is based round a journey by car, with overnight stops at camping grounds. All roads are suitable for normal two-wheel-drive cars. Important Note: Before setting off on any journey into the outback, it's important to ensure that the car is in good condition, and that you have a week's worth of water and food, in case of breakdown in the outback. It's also worth making sure that you have breakdown cover from a reliable national breakdown company, like the AAA or the RAC. Hopefully you won't find out why it's such a good idea...

Day Suggested Itinerary
1 Fly to Cairns
2 One day in Cairns
3-5 Three days diving the Great Barrier Reef
6 One day in Cairns
7 Cairns to Cardwell
8 One day in Cardwell
9-11 Three days walking on Hinchinbrook Island
12 One day in Cardwell
13 Cardwell to Townsville
14 Townsville to Magnetic Island
15-19 Five days in Magnetic Island
20 Magnetic Island to Airlie Beach
21-23 Three days in Airlie Beach (Whitsunday Islands)
24 Airlie Beach to Hervey Bay
25 One day in Hervey Bay
26-33 Eight days walking on Fraser Island
34 One day in Hervey Bay
35 Hervey Bay to Noosa
36 One day in Noosa
37 Noosa to Brisbane
38-39 Two days in Brisbane
40 Fly from Brisbane