Regions to Visit in Queensland
Queensland is probably Australia's most well known state, in terms of the Barrier Reef, and its island resorts. The following are regions along the coast that are popular tourist destinations, however they are only a handful of what Queensland has to offer, both along the coast, and in the outback.
Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is approximately an hour’s travel south of Brisbane, and is a popular destination for beaches, theme parks and shopping. While the high-rise accommodation stretches alongside the beach, there are towns slightly more rural and quieter, such as Miami Beach, providing a pleasing contrast to the built up strip.
Sunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast starts from Caloundra, an hour's drive north of Brisbane, and stretches a hundred kilometres up the coast to the Fraser Island gateway. The coast has some of the most popular and beautiful beaches in Australia, and is a great way to travel up north, with loads to do and plenty of places to stay.
Hervey Bay and Fraser Island
Hervey Bay is known for the Humpback Whales that use the bay as a resting place on their way to and from the Antarctic. From late July to November, there are whale watching tours available. Hervey Bay is also popular for people traveling to Fraser Island by ferry.
Fraser Island is a world heritage site, and is the largest sand island in the world. Its beaches act as road and runway, and if you feel up to it, you can hire four wheel drives to get about yourself – otherwise there are guided tours that will do the driving and navigating for you.
Great Barrier Reef
The Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world, and runs approximately 2,000 kilometres parallel to Queensland’s coast. Along this area are islands that can be visited for just the day, or to stay for a while, like the Whitsunday's, and offer great tours to view the reef close up.