Drive

The Great Barrier Reef, World heritage listed rainforests and world-class beach resorts: Queensland is famous for big attractions - but when you’re travelling it’s often the little things that make all the difference.

Meeting friendly faces in a country pub, driving through an endless field of sunflowers, lingering in a vineyard restaurant or capturing a breathtaking outback sunset.

Queensland is a great fly/drive option. Pick up your vehicle at Brisbane, Townsville or Cairns international airports, or statewide domestic and regional airports, and journey on one of Queensland’s fabulous touring routes, connecting Queensland’s coastal icons with a range of hinterland experiences. Hire a four wheel drive or join a safari to explore Queensland’s spectacular wilderness. Fraser Island, Cape York and the Outback provide some of the world’s great four wheel drive adventures.

Campervans (2-3 berth) and motor homes (4-6 berths) give you complete independence. These can be hired in most major centres. Caravan parks and camping grounds in prime locations are abundant. This is the only way to stay in some of the secluded destinations and Queensland offers over 400 well appointed caravan parks.

Great Tropical Drive
The Great Tropical Drive is a self-drive route that will take you from Cairns and Townsville to some amazing places in tropical north Queensland.

The touring route winds its way from palm-fringed beaches, to ancient rainforests and the golden outback of North Queensland.

Follow the Great Tropical Drive for 12 days and 2,079 kilometres to some of Australia’s best known attractions - the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, Hinchinbrook Island and Undara Lava Tubes - and be prepared for many unexpected discoveries along the way.

Or take a shorter Discovery Trail. You can choose from 13 Discovery Trails - each one a unique itinerary that will give you a taste of tropical Queensland: from overnight drives onto the Tablelands, to week-long 4WD and campervan adventures into the goldfields.

Visit www.greattropicaldrive.com.au and plan a driving holiday you will never forget.

The Great Sunshine Way
The Great Sunshine Way is a new international touring route that affords visitors of all kinds - whether travelling by car, rail, coach or boat - to experience the best of all the Australian experiences in Southern Queensland. Southern Queensland could well be Australia’s best holiday experience. Breathtaking natural places, cosmopolitan cities and a warm welcome typify the appeal of this unique part of the world.

Holidaying in Southern Queensland is a bit like choosing from the menu at the best restaurant in town. Some of Australia’s premium holiday experiences are laid out before you - pristine beaches, luxury resorts in exotic locations, clean cosmopolitan cities, food and shopping to rival anywhere in the world, and a range of adventures in untouched wild environments that you simply can’t find anywhere else on the planet.

In fact, some of the earth’s most treasured natural wonders like World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, and the ancient rainforests of the Gold Coast hinterland are found here. You can even access the Southern Great Barrier Reef with ease.

And it’s not just the trappings of sophistication or the natural beauty that makes this region so desirable. It’s the feeling you get when you’re here. It’s one of freedom and possibility. Add to that sublime weather and warm, friendly people, and travel takes on an easy relaxed rhythm.

You’ll discover it’s the perfect touring destination with a range of options radiating from the state’s cruisy capital, Brisbane. From here you can easily access the other key locales of the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, and the Fraser Coast where you’ll find a fascinating mix of cities, country towns, coast and hinterland.

You can of course experience the essence of Southern Queensland within a few days, but to truly savour it, ten days are recommended.

Touring is an easy self-drive experience following some or all of the Great Sunshine Way or you can join organised tours that take in the highlights. There is so much on offer and it really is like selecting from a good menu. You can tailor an itinerary to suit your time, personal tastes and budget. Accommodation caters to the full range from luxury seekers requiring five-star stays to outdoorsy types who will love camping under the stars in simply gorgeous natural surrounds.

Pacific Coast Touring Route
The Pacific Coast Touring Route stretches between the main gateways of Sydney and Brisbane through the Fraser Coast and to Cairns.

It’s one of Australia’s great driving holidays - the ultimate combination of magnificent coastline and spectacular hinterland plus a year-round temperate climate makes it the perfect holiday any time of year.

Stick to the route or slip off the main highway. You can personalise your trip and do as much or as little as you feel like.

If you driving from Sydney through to Cairns, highlights in Queensland include:

• Enjoy the pristine beaches of the Gold Coast including beachfront markets and restaurants.
• Explore highlights on the Brisbane to Fraser drive, as detailed above.
• North of Fraser Coast you’ll discover Lady Elliot and Lady Musgrave Islands in the Bundaberg region. Visit nearby Mon Repos Beach, Queensland’s largest and most accessible turtle rookery.
• Access Heron Island from Gladstone or Great Keppel Island from Yeppoon and Rosslyn Bay. Explore underwater beauty of coral reefs, or the intrigue of limestone caves.
• Pass through cattle stations and canefields on your way up the coast.
• Explore the Whitsundays - cruise the islands, charter a boat, snorkel, scuba dive or just enjoy the beautiful beaches.
• Travel through Bowen and Townsville - don’t forget to visit Magnetic Island.
• Discover World Heritage rainforests and plunging waterfalls in north Queensland.
• Take the time to enjoy Cairns, including Kuranda Scenic Rail or Skyrail. Take a trip to the Northern Beaches including Palm Cove or Port Douglas.

Visit Pacific Coast Touring Route for more information.

Savannah Way
From the colourful corals of the east to the pristine pearls of the west, The Savannah Way leads you across the vast tropical savannah grasslands of northern Australia on absolutely one of the best adventure drives in the country.The capital of the Tropics, Cairns, with World Heritage-listed reef and rainforest surrounding it, is where we begin the 1138 km section of the Savannah Way spanning north Queensland to the Northern Territory border.

The tropical savannahs of northern Queensland are internationally recognised as a refuge for hundreds of native animals, many not found anywhere else in the world.

However, it's not just the scenery that makes this drive a special one. Say 'gidday' and yarn with the locals. They are sure to tell you some of the hidden secrets, share their experiences of life in the north and you'll be rewarded with friendly smiles and many a story to tell back home.

There's really no better time than now to venture forth, and discover why this drive is coined one of Australia's ultimate adventure drives!

Visit Savannah Highway on Drive Queensland which will provide you with maps, suggested itineraries and all the things to see and do along the way.