Queensland Coast & Reef

Welcome to Cairns, a tropical city with a healthy dose of sunshine and long and lazy summer evenings. Cairns is the gateway to the natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and the lush Daintree Rainforest, but there’s plenty to entertain without venturing far from this laid-back city. Walk along the breezy esplanade and soak up the sea views or perhaps cool off in the public lagoon. Or why not while away a lazy afternoon at an outside table in a sunny spot at one of the city’s many cafes and watch the world go by.

Set sail on a 7-night island-hopping cruise adventure, and discover the very best of the Great Barrier Reef, taking in the kaleidoscopic corals and fish, spectacular rainforest trails and lazing on perfectly white sandy beaches. Starting in Cairns you’ll board your boat and head straight to Thetford Reef for a glass-bottomed boat trip with a marine biologist. You’ll visit the mangroves of the Hinchinbrook Channel, home to crocodiles, turtles and dugongs and you’ll have time to laze on the soft sands of Fitzroy Island.

Board your flight to Brisbane, a lively riverside city with a vibrant restaurant scene. Brisbane is an unashamedly outdoorsy city, with plenty of parks, playgrounds and a man-made beach to choose from. The locals love to get outside for sporting events, swimming or a simple picnic, but there are also a number of galleries and museums to look around if you want a spot of shade. While you’re here you’ll head off on a Dolphin Adventure Tour to Tangalooma to feed the friendly local bottlenose dolphins as they come to the shore.

Arrive in ever-popular Noosa, filled with boutique shops and sheltered beaches. The area is surrounded by forest and the natural delights of Noosa National Park, filled with beautiful scenery and an array of walking tracks for you to try. While in town, you’ll spend the day driving the spectacular 70km-long Great Beach Drive, passing dramatic canyons, coloured sands, lush rainforests and glittering lagoons at every turn.

Drive to the glorious Sunshine Coast, a collection of beautiful beaches and coastal towns north of Brisbane. You’ll spend one night in the Hinterland, where you can relax for the evening in the natural surrounds of your luxury accommodation at the peaceful Spicers Tamarind Retreat & Spa. For your second night you’ll be in Mooloolaba, a relaxed beachside town with year-round sunshine and some of the safest swimming beaches around. Don’t forget to check out the furry residents of the world-famous Australia Zoo as well.

Sail across to Fraser Island, a 76-mile long World Heritage Site formed from sand. Discover Fraser’s colourful lakes and towering sand dunes on a 4X4 tour along the island’s sandy road network – its main highway also doubles as a landing strip. You’ll swim in crystal clear creeks, trek through lush rainforest and bathe in natural rock pools, keeping an eye out offshore for dolphins, sharks and rays.