Explore Queensland on a self-drive

Surf towns, sand tracks and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef – Steve Yates from our Kuoni at Sloane Square store talks us through his road trip across Australia’s Sunshine State.

I’ve been to Australia a number of times – including a year living there – but had never actually made it up the East Coast beyond Sydney. It was starting to feel like an obvious omission. So when a Queensland road trip finally made it out of the group chat, I jumped at the chance to put it right.

From Sydney, we flew up to the Sunshine Coast, picked up our hire car and got straight on the road. Here’s how we did it – the route, the stops and the highlights along the way.

Noosa – eucalyptus & ocean air

Around half an hour from Sunshine Coast Airport, we arrived in Noosa and made our way towards Hastings Street and the beachfront. Hunger called, and loudly, so we made a beeline for Sails Restaurant Noosa. Cold beer, a generously stacked burger and a front-row seat to the surfers of Laguna Bay – we’d dropped straight into the Australian dream.

There was time for a wander and a paddle, before heading into Noosa National Park. The coastal walk is an easy one, but very rewarding, taking you past headlands, quieter beaches and through eucalyptus forest.

Dinner was at Noosa Boathouse, which has a lovely lagoon setting with verandahs and views over the water. After a full first day, we were ready to turn in. For those staying in Noosa, Peppers Noosa Resort & Villas and The Sebel Noosa are both well located close to the action.

K’gari – lakes & shipwrecks

Leaving Noosa, we drove north for around three hours to the ferry at River Heads near Hervey Bay, leaving the car on the mainland before crossing over to K’gari (formerly Fraser Island), somewhere I’d long wanted to tick off.

We checked into Kingfisher Bay Resort, an eco-style resort set among the trees. There’s plenty to do here, from ranger-guided walks and bush tucker tastings to time by the pool and stargazing in the evenings.

A full-day Beauty Spots 4WD tour was a huge highlight of our stay. The drive itself was half the experience, bouncing along sandy tracks through the forest – an Indiana Jones way of travelling if ever there was one. Lake McKenzie was the first stop and lived up to expectations, like an oasis in the middle of the forest, with pure white sand and clear water more like the Caribbean than Australia. From there we emerged onto the famous Seventy-Five Mile Beach, a vast, open stretch of sand that doubles as a road, with waves crashing alongside as you drive – easily one of the island’s standout sights.

There was also the option of a scenic flight, which I would recommend in a heartbeat. Taking off directly from the beach was unusual enough, but from the air you really start to appreciate the scale of the island, with the chance to spot marine life below – we saw a large stingray gliding beneath us.

Back on the ground, we stopped at Eli Creek, a cool, clear stream flowing out onto the beach, where you can float along with the current, before finishing at the wreck of the Maheno, its rusted steel frame emerging from the sand like a giant skeleton.

Bundaberg – local flavours & conservation

After a memorable few days on K’gari, we returned to the mainland, ready to continue the road trip north. Around three and a half hours later, we reached Bundaberg, a laid-back town best known as Australia’s rum capital.

We found some really good food here, with a few relaxed spots focusing on fresh, local produce, and a visit to the Bundaberg Rum Distillery is well worth doing. The tour gives a good look at how it’s made and finishes with tastings – go for the flavoured rums, the Banana & Toffee was my favourite.

Another must-visit here is the Mon Repos Conservation Area, one of the most accessible turtle rookeries in Australia. With a guide, we headed down to the beach to watch a loggerhead turtle laying her eggs, following strict protocols so as not to disturb her. Our guide then asked for help relocating the eggs, as they hadn’t been buried deeply enough. Carrying them across the sand and re-burying them was a great feeling, hopefully helping this threatened species to prosper.

Southern Great Barrier Reef – coral & clear water

The final stop on our Queensland road trip was the Great Barrier Reef, easily one of the main reasons people come here. From Bundaberg, we opted to fly out to Lady Elliot Island, a small coral cay at the southern tip of the reef, set within a protected green zone and known for its crystal clear water – it’s even been named one of the best snorkelling spots in the world by Lonely Planet.

Arriving on the island, the colours immediately stood out – deep blue giving way to bright turquoise shallows. The resort is low-key, with rustic cabins and safari-style tents, and a strong sustainability focus. Of course, most of our time was spent in the water, snorkelling straight off the beach and heading out on dives.

This is one of the best places on the Great Barrier Reef to encounter marine life – Lady Elliot is often referred to as the home of the manta ray. It’s also one of the key spots to see what’s known as the ‘Great Eight’ of the reef, including turtles, reef sharks, giant groupers and anemonefish, reflecting just how much life there is beneath the surface.

You can visit as a day trip or stay on the island itself, but either way it’s all set up to make the most of the surroundings. There are a number of ways to experience the reef like this, whether that's staying on an island in the Whitsundays, heading further north to places like Lizard Island or even spending the night out on the water with Reefsleep.

It’s a very back-to-nature experience, and a rare chance to spend time completely immersed in the underwater world and everything that lives within it. As a way to end the trip, it was hard to beat.

Read about more amazing places to visit in Queensland here.

The information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication.