Queensland Attractions

Stretching around 2,300 kilometers along the northeastern coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the Earth’s largest living organism. It’s home to more than 600 types of hard and soft corals, together with a staggering array of tropical fish, mollusks, turtles and sharks.

Set within North Queensland’s Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Daintree National Park is renowned for its exceptional biodiversity, home to a prolific birdlife and a number of endemic species found nowhere else on earth. It is also home to the oldest rainforest on the planet and the closest living example of the rainforests that once covered the ancient supercontinent of Gondwanaland.

The largest sand island in the world, UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fraser Island is situated just off the Queensland coast between Bundaberg and Brisbane. It is protected within the Great Sandy National Park and boasts spectacular landscapes that include untouched beaches, crystal clear lakes and sacred Aboriginal sites to explore.

Famed for its endless stretches of beach, legendary surf and family-friendly theme parks, the Gold Coast is one of Australia’s favorite holiday destinations. It centers around the high-rise hub of Surfers Paradise, stretching north from here to Southport and south to Coolangatta.

Scattered between the northeast coast of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays include 74 idyllic islands that are ringed by picture-perfect beaches and colorful coral reefs. These continental islands are part of a subsurface coastal range, with all but five declared national parks, and the Great Barrier Reef provides them with naturally protected waters.

Nestled within the Atherton Tableland to the northwest of Cairns, Kuranda is a charming rainforest village on the edge of beautiful Barron Gorge National Park. It’s famed for its rainforest markets that take place every day and feature a range of locally-crafted produce, handicrafts and clothing.

Stretching from Caloundra in the south to Noosa Heads in the north, the Sunshine Coast is one of Queensland’s premier beachside getaway. It’s renowned for its charismatic beach towns and great surf, as well as a lush hinterland that provides a worthy diversion from the coast.

Situated within the McPherson Range on the Queensland/New South Wales border, Lamington National Park features magnificent tracts of subtropical and tropical rainforest, steep gorges and more than 500 waterfalls. This World Heritage Area is deservedly one of Queensland’s most popular national parks and within easy access of both Brisbane and the Gold Coast.