Queensland

The state of Queensland is situated in the north eastern part of Australia. It is also known as the Sunshine state and the inhabitants are often referred to as banana benders. Queensland is divided into 15 regions.

Brisbane Brisbane is the capital of Queensland. The Brisbane River snakes through the city. This is a vibrant city with a huge variety of experiences and places on offer. This region includes Ipswich, Fortitude Valley, North Stradbroke Island, Moreton Island, Woodford and Bribie Island.

Gold Coast So much spring to mind when you think of the Gold Coast: Surfers Paradise, theme parks and wild life sanctuaries to name but a few. A few great destinations for this area are Mount Tamborine, Springbrook, Beaudesert, Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta.

Sunshine Coast The sunshine coast starts just north of Brisbane encompassing Caloundra right up to Rainbow Beach as well as the hinterland. Places to explore are Noosa, Mooloolaba, Nambour, Tin Can bay and Pomona.

Fraser Coast South Burnett One of the gems of this region is World Heritage listed Fraser Island. As if being the largest sand island in the world isn’t enough, this is the only place on earth where rainforests grow from sand. From July to November Hervey Bay is the place to be for whale watching. Inland from Maryborough is the South Burnett region.

Bundaberg and Coral Isles Bundaberg is the heart of the sugar cane country. You feel the sense of history throughout this region and not surprisingly if you consider that the northern town of 1770 is the first place James Cook landed in Queensland.
Australia’s largest mainland turtle rookery is found at Mon Repos Beach. Then of course there is the great wonder to explore: the Great Barrier Reef.

Toowoomba and Golden West Toowoomba is situated on the crest of the Great Dividing Range 800m above sea level overlooking the Lockyer Valley. This city boasts more than 240 parks and public gardens. Follow the tourist drives through Crows Nest, Rosalie, Jondaryan, Dalby and the Bunya Mountains. The expansive Golden West region includes the shires of Chinchilla, Murilla, Taroom, Tara, Waggamba, Balonne, Bendemere, Bungil, Wambo, Waroo, Millmerran and the towns of Roma and Goondiwindi.

Western Downs This region is found inland of the ranges. It offers quite a few interesting country towns to explore, e.g. Thallon, Surat, Roma, St George and Taroom.

Southern Downs This region offers you the opportunity to buy your fresh stone fruit directly from the farmer, tour award winning vineyards or explore spectacular National Parks. It is diverse in geography. It varies from fertile rolling hills, to high granite rocks and then onto wide open plains.

Tropical North The Tropical North is the region where it all comes together: The Great Barrier Reef, Tropical Rainforests and the Outback. Must see destinations for this region includes Cairns, Daintree National Park, Port Douglas, Mossman Gorge, Cape Tribulation, Cape York Peninsula, Gulf Savannah and Kuranda.

Townsville This region’s National Parks specialize in rare butterflies, platypus and ancient trees. Townsville’s (city) rich history is evident in colonial architecture, historical pubs and museums displaying the history of gold mining in the area. Be sure to visit beautiful Majestic Island.

Whitsunday This region displays the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef best. The Whitsunday Islands consist of 74 tropical islands of which only 8 is inhabited. Whitehaven Beach with its white silica sand is a must see destination. Other destinations: Airlie Beach, Bowen, Proserpine, Shute Harbour and Whitsunday Islands.

Mackay Mackay region is located midway between Brisbane and Cairns. Favourite destinations include the palmed fringed city centre of Mackay, Pioneer River, Pioneer Valley, Eungella National Park, Regional Botanic Gardens, Cape Hillsborough National Park, Sarina, Midge Point, Clermont, Nebo and the local islands like Brampton and Keswick.

Capricorn This region consists of the Capricorn coast, the Keppel group of Islands and inland to the Central Highlands. It is also home to lake Maraboon, the Southern Hemisphere’s second largest man made lake. A special mention must go to the limestone caves just north of Rockhampton and the Aboriginal Rock Art at Carnarvon Gorge and Blacktown Tableland.

Gladstone This region stretches from the Southern Great Barrier Reef of the Miriam Vale Shire to the hinterland of the Banana Shire in the West. Interesting places to visit include Lady Musgrave Island, Wild Cattle Island, Deepwater National Park, Kroombit Tops National Park, Eurimbula National Park, Isla Gorge National Park, Masthead Island, Cania Gorge National Park, Northwest Island and Curtis Island. Outback Queensland Because of the vast distances this region is ideal for touring. It offers diverse landscapes, opportunities for gem fossicking and a variety of National Parks. Just one of the great destinations in the Outback is Muttaburra. It is situated in the heart of dinosaur country and is one of the world’s richest repositories of fossilised dinosaur bones.