Road Trip – Things To See Between Gold Coast and Cairns
There’s around 1800 kilometres of stunning coastline between the Gold Coast and tropical Cairns in Far North Queensland, just waiting for you to explore on your road trip adventure. The list of spectacular places to see along the way is endless, but we’ve picked out a few “must see” spots for you to check out along the way.
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Gold Coast – Greenmount Beach
Greenmount Beach is one of the southernmost beaches of the Gold Coast. You’ll find it at the south-eastern end of Coolangatta Beach. Take a walk around Greenmount Point, a coastal headland between Greenmount Beach and Rainbow Bay and check out the view up to Surfers Paradise – as well as the surfers catching waves – on your way. You might even catch a dolphin or two swimming by, or a whale if you’re there between May and October.
A sheltered beach with an Instagram-worthy view, Greenmount Beach is a local favourite. It’s a safe place to enjoy a swim in the surf, with lifeguards patrolling the beach between 8am and 5pm every day, all year round. There’s a surf club and beach showers/toilets nearby, and plenty of cafés and shops across the road, along the main stretch of Marine Parade to help relieve any hunger or retail therapy pains. If a picnic’s more your thing, you can find barbecues, picnic tables, and shade in the parklands above the beach.
Sunshine Coast – Eumundi Markets
A stopover on the Sunshine Coast isn’t complete without a trip to the Eumundi Markets. About 20 minutes’ drive from Noosa Heads, the markets are open on Saturdays between 7am and 2pm, and Wednesdays from 8am to 2pm. By their own admission the Eumundi Markets is “the biggest and the best artisan market in Australia”. You can find anything from arts and crafts to clothing and health products, many locally designed and made.
Take a few hours to browse the dozens of stalls and pick up a bargain or two. When your feet need a break, stop and enjoy some entertainment from one of the many street performers and musicians you’ll find dotted around the markets. Hungry? Choose from an abundance of mouth-watering local and international menus of the on-site food trucks, and don’t forget to take some local produce back to the campervan with you. Top the day off and celebrate your purchases with a couple of drinks at the historical ‘Queenslander’ Imperial Hotel, now also home to the Eumundi Brewery.
Find out how to get there – visit the Eumundi Markets website
Bundaberg – Rum Distillery
Feeling a little thirsty? Want to find out how one of the most popular rums in Australia came to be? Then make Bundaberg a pit stop on your road trip to Far North Queensland.
Surviving periods of economic depression, droughts, floods and fires, the Bundaberg Rum Distillery has been around since the late 1880s. It produces the renowned Bundaberg Rum as well as a variety of rum liqueurs. Take a tour around the distillery to learn about its history, find out how Bundaberg Rum is made and maybe grab a few samples for your road trip from the shop on the way out.
1770 – Paperbark Forest Boardwalk
A hop, skip and a jump up the road from Bundaberg you’ll find the quaint seaside hamlets of Agnes Water and 1770, Queensland’s Top Small Tourism Town of 2021! There’s plenty to do in this small town – pristine beaches with crystal-clear water begging for a swim or a snorkel, fish aplenty in local creeks and the ocean waiting to be caught, and a smorgasbord of walking trails to explore along the coast and in the nearby national park.
One of the must-do walks in this area is the Paperbark Forest Boardwalk. The walk is set in the protected Reedy Creek Reserve, a few kilometres south of Agnes Water off Springs Road. Although it sounds like an easy 400 meter trek through the paperbark trees, there are stepping-stones, water crossings and other obstacles along the way, so you need to be agile and have good balance to make it the whole way. Rest assured, if you’re up for it, this short walk through serene coastal melaleuca forest will not disappoint.
The Paperbark Forest Boardwalk and the reserve it’s located in is managed by Bush Heritage Australia. Find out more about the ecology of the area and the significant species of animals and plants you might see on your walk on their website.
Townsville – Magnetic Island
Located a short ferry ride from Townsville on the mainland, Magnetic Island is a tropical paradise offering something special for everyone. Take your campervan across on the ferry and spend a few days on the island or check out the main things to see and do on a day trip.
For the watersports fan
Magnetic Island is a water sports paradise. Hire a jet ski from Horseshoe Bay, or take a sea kayak tour and explore the coral and sea life around Whitelady Bay. Cruise the Coral Sea on a sports fishing charter boat and catch yourself a Spanish Mackerel, tuna, Cobia or other exotic fish, or simply relax and take in the view – you might even spot a turtle or dolphin (or two). The pristine, deep-blue waters of the island are perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving, too. Whatever your water sport passion – Magnetic Island has you covered!
Sights, hikes and wildlife
If watersports aren’t your thing, there’s plenty of other things to do on Magnetic Island. Take a hike or bike around the national park. Magnetic Island has a distinctive landscape of large granite boulders, surrounded by hoop pines, intertwined with pretty bays overlooking aqua waters and coral reefs. There are many walks to choose from with varying levels of difficulty, ranging from less than a kilometre at Hawkings Point (one way) up to 19 kilometres at West Point (also one way)! The island is teeming with wildlife. Keep your eyes peeled for local inhabitants along the way, such as koalas, rock wallabies, tree snakes and black flying-foxes. If you want to get up close and personal with the island’s allied rock wallabies, head over to the end of the old Arcadia Jetty Road in Geoffrey Bay late afternoon.
To top off your day, take in the view overlooking beautiful Horseshoe Bay and Palm Island while enjoying a bite to eat and a drink or two on the beachfront at Sandi’s restaurant or the Marlin Bar Tavern.
Find more information on how to get to the island and the many things to do when you’re there on the Townsville North Queensland website.
Tully Gorge National Park
Starting just off the Tully exit on the Bruce Highway and finishing 50 kilometres inland at kareeya Hydro Station, Tully Gorge National Park is one of the wettest areas of Australia. It’s part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, so you can expect to see plenty of water flowing gently through rainforest streams or gushing through the gorge.
An unforgettable picnic experience.
Pack a picnic basket and take a refreshing swim in the crystal-clear waters at Alligators Nest – named after a local Scout group, there’s no need to worry, it’s not inhabited by alligators or crocodiles! There’s a swimming platform at the picnic area to make it easy to get in and out of the water. Handy facilities at the picnic area include toilets, picnic tables and barbecues. Tully Gorge day-use area also has picnic facilities and toilets, but estuarine crocodiles and unstable water levels in the nearby Tully River means that swimming there is a “No-no!”
Take a short stroll through tropical rainforest along the Butterfly Walk. Just a375 metres return, you’ll see plenty of butterflies, as the name suggests, especially if you’re there between September and February. Fit, experienced hikers can try out the challenging Mount Tyson track, a 6.2km trail with steep terrain through dense rainforest offering views of Mount Mackay, the Cassowary Coast and the national Park.
For more information about Tully Gorge, including trail maps and camping permit information, visit the Queensland Governments’ Parks and forests website.
Cairns – Kuranda – Cable Car and Train
No visit to Cairns is complete without a trip to Kuranda Village on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or Kuranda Scenic Railway. Take a return trip on one or mix it up and do both – your choice.
Incredible rainforest views
The Skyrail is a 1.5-hour journey that lifts you above and through the canopy of this World Heritage Wet Tropics Area, the world’s oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest. Don’t forget to check out the sensational view down to the coast while you’re up there.
On your way, take time to stop and explore the rainforest up close at the two stations, Red Peak and Barron Falls. Learn more about this ancient rainforest and its indigenous inhabitants by joining a complimentary guided ranger tour and visiting the Discovery Rainforest Zone at Red Peak station.
Barron Falls
Check out the ‘gorge-ous’ views of Barron Falls, known as Din Din to the Djabuganydji people, from The Edge Lookout. While the views are amazing year-round, it’s a particularly spectacular sight during the wet season, between December and March, when the Falls are at their most powerful. Make sure you immerse yourself in the rainforest stories and history of the area at the Historical Precinct and Rainforest Interpretation Centre while you’re there.
Kuranda village
The final destination is Kuranda village. Take a stroll around its eclectic mix of shops and market stalls, from the rock candy making store to indigenous arts and crafts, there’s plenty of retail therapy to be had. Enjoy a Devonshire Tea or a delicious snack at one of the many cafés and restaurants.
When you’re ready, head back to the station and make the return journey, enjoying those fabulous views over the rainforest and down to the ocean once again.
A train trip like nowhere else
If you’d like to experience the journey on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, one of the most unique rail journeys in Australia, you can park your campervan and begin or end your day at Freshwater Railway Station. There’s a free bus transfer to or from the station to the Skyrail terminal at Smithfield. The Kuranda Scenic Railway has been in operation since 1891. Take a seat in an original timber carriage and absorb the stunning scenery as it rolls by.
The train departs Freshwater Railway Station at 8.55am and 9.55am each day, meandering past waterfalls, interesting rock formations and a 180-degree curve on its way to Kuranda Village, with a photographic pit-stop at Barron Falls.
Make the most of an unforgettable day on your Gold Coast to Cairns road trip – find a useful journey planner on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway website.
