Road trip: Brisbane to Cairns in a week

Drive along the Sunshine Coast past Noosa Heads and the Great Sandy National Park where a detour to the Cooloola Recreation Area could have you enjoying Noosa River in a canoe or on a wilderness cruise, or discovering a freshwater lake in the sand dunes.

Keep moving through the gold-rush town of Gympie on the Mary River, “the town that saved Queensland” from bankruptcy when gold was discovered here in 1867. Learn all about it at the Gympie Gold Mining & Historical Museum. And if you’re a country music fan, time your visit to coincide with the Gympie Muster in August.

Get back on the Bruce and drive to Childers where you take Highway 3 through sugarcane country to Bundaberg, home of Australia’s iconic Bundy rum. Check out its grand colonial buildings, enjoy a cruise on the Burnett River or visit the Bundy Distillery for research purposes. Take a day trip to snorkel the coral reefs of Lady Elliot, home of the manta ray, have a swim at Bargara Beach or check out the sea turtles at Mon Repos Turtle Centre just out of town.

The journey continues west on Highway 3 to join the Bruce at Gin Gin, in “Wild Scotsman Country” – named in reference to the capture of bushranger James Alpin McPherson here in March 1866. Gin Gin now holds a Wild Scotsman Festival every March. If fishing is your thing, you’re pretty much guaranteed of hooking a barramundi at Lake Monduran 20 minutes north of Gin Gin.

At the day’s halfway mark in Gladstone, one of Australia’s largest commodity ports, The Outlook Café is a pit stop with a view at Auckland Point Lookout.

Back on the road, it’s about 90 minutes to Rockhampton. Train spotters will love the Archer Park Rail Museum while fans of large animal statues will have a field day checking out Rocky’s six big bulls. Mount Etna Caves National Park has some of Australia’s most cavernous limestone formations, dry rainforest and more than 100,000 bent-wing bats. Mount Archer National Park is Darumbal country and includes glossy black cockatoos among its inhabitants. The Edge Bar & Restaurant and Ribs and Rumps both have river views, while the The Goat Café & Bar is popular with locals.

North of Rocky, take a short tour of the Capricorn Caves and meet some more tiny bats. Back on the road, the coastal community of Clairview is the halfway mark. Its waters a sanctuary for the endangered dugong, this is a popular fishing and mud-crabbing spot.

It’s all sugar cane and fruit up this way and just south of Mackay is the Sarina Sugar Shed, Australia’s only miniature sugar mill and distillery. They distil and bottle their own Sugar Shed Rum. Nearby Hay Point has one of the largest coal loading jetties in the world – 3.8km long.

Eat at Ban-Na Thai, Marque Bar & Grill or for a more religious dining experience, the Church on Palmer.

At Cape Hillsborough National Park, 50km north of Mackay, the rainforest literally does meet the reef. Get here early enough and you’ll see eastern grey kangaroos and wallabies hanging out on the beach. The park also has about 25 species of butterfly.

At Proserpine, take the turnoff to Airlie Beach, the jumping-off point for every water-based activity you can imagine – from sailing to eco-tours to snorkeling magical coral reefs. From Airlie you can make day trips to the Whitsunday Islands.

Back on the highway, next stop the laid-back tropical town of Bowen, where time seems to have stood still since the 1950s. Check out the Big Mango or take a ferry ride to nearby Stone Island.

This last stretch is known as the Great Green Way, with some 12 national parks and 25 tropical islands in the region. Standout attractions include the Tyto Wetlands near Ingham, home of the eastern grass owl. Check out the historical Chinese temple and colonial architecture in Innisfail. Get your thrill-seeker on whitewater rafting down the Tully River. The sugar town of Tully is the wettest in Australia. Be sure to check out the Golden Gumboot. The Golden Gumboot Festival and Gumboot Games are held here every June. Relax on the golden sands of Mission Beach, surrounded by World Heritage rainforest, which offers easy access to the Great Barrier Reef.

There is much to see and do in and around Cairns. The World Heritage Daintree Rainforest is a two hour drive north. Take a cruise and spot a crocodile. Beautiful Mossman Gorge is 90 minutes away, just past Port Douglas, and great for swimming and bushwalks. Take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway above the treetops across the Barron Gorge to the mountain village of Kuranda with its vibrant arts community. Return to Cairns on the historic Scenic Railway and check out local produce, especially coffee, fruit and seafood, at Rusty’s Markets from Friday to Sunday. Unfortunately experiencing an authentic experience at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park is not available with the park closing early 2021.