Unique places you didn’t know were in Queensland – but need to visit

Fancy a dip? It's not only Queensland's famous beaches that provide bucket list-worthy swims. Let nature do the soothing as you sink into Cardwell Spa Pool, just a few hours’ drive south of Cairns. This naturally fed seasonal creek (best visited May-September) has science to thank for its milky blue waters, caused by chemical reaction between the rocks and water.

If you want something warmer, 65 million-year-old Talaroo Hot Springs offers a unique cultural experience with the Ewamian Aboriginal community. Take a tour, then bathe in a private pool by the river. Healing for both body and soul, you'll sleep like a baby in the accompanying campground and caravan park, or one of two eco-tents onsite.

You can even head to a sheep station for a soak. In the outback near Cunnamulla, Charlotte Plains will give you an authentic look into outback station life: set up camp or check into the Shearer's Quarters, and then settle into an outdoor bathtub with water from an artesian bore. 

An underwater art museum

Just when you thought the Great Barrier Reef couldn’t get any more spellbinding, the Museum of Underwater Art opened in Townsville. This series of installations by world-famous underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor can be found above and below the water, bringing attention to reef conservation, restoration and education. The Coral Greenhouse at John Brewer Reef is particularly enchanting – and the first site for the project’s coral planting program.

If you're more of a snorkeller than a diver of the deep, MOUA's latest installation, 'Ocean Sentinels' also at John Brewer Reef, is only a short swim from the Coral Greenhouse and resides just five metres under the surface. Float above to witness coral growing on eight sculptures, each 2.2 metres tall, representing different marine scientists and conservationists.

After a day of diving, snorkelling, art appreciation and citizen science rolled into one, rest your head at Magnetic Island's Selina, Australia's only resort that can boast its own wildlife park. Want to sleep under the sea? You can also stay in an underwater hotel in The Whitsundays.

A spot to see snow

Anyone wanting to feel more than just a little crisp in the air should head south to Stanthorpe: the go-to for a cosy weekender, cabins with roaring fireplaces, and flavours of the food bowl that surrounds it.

Unique accommodation experiences in the region abound, from ultra-luxe glamping at Alure Stanthorpe to the rustic charm of a Pioneer Hut at Diamondvale B&B Cottages, or sleeping literally beneath a blanket of stars at Twinstar Guesthouse and Observatory in nearby Maidenwell.

In winter you can even expect a dusting of snow every now and then, the icing on the cake of the country landscape as you explore national parks, farm stands, restaurants and cellar doors at the country’s highest-elevation wine region, the Granite Belt. Looking for a one-of-a-kind dining experience? Book a table at Essen, a family-run charmer where no two weeks are the same due to its revolving, ultra-seasonal menu.

Where the outback meets the sea

Red dirt gives way to the big blue in Karumba, on the edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland’s rugged tropical north. It’s known among keen fishermen as the best spot to catch barramundi on the planet – so definitely book that fishing charter on your visit – but there’s much more here than what lies beneath the surface, from wildlife tours to waterfront pubs with sunset views.

Head off on a Croc and Crab Tour, or do a deep-dive into everything barra at the Les Wilson Barramundi Centre, a state-of-the-art multi-million dollar interpretive centre, souvenir shop of barramundi leather goods, and the guaranteed chance to catch and release barramundi year-round. In relaxation mode? Wash down fresh prawns with a chilled glass of bubbles on the Ferryman Sunset Cruise as you take in some of the most spectacular skies of your life.

The landscapes alone will leave a lasting memory, especially when the natural phenomenon of the wave-like Morning Glory Cloud spans across the sky from September to November.

Remnants of a dinosaur stampede

Prehistoric history is yours to discover in Outback Queensland, the only known location of a dinosaur stampede worldwide and the Australian Dinosaur Trail will let you literally follow in its footsteps. Stand right where it happened some 95-million years ago at Lark Quarry Conservation Park near Winton, where you can marvel at more than 3,000 dinosaur footprints moulded into rock.

At Kronosaurus Korner in Richmond, dino devotees can take a self-guided adventure and be transported back 110 million years in time to when the region was underwater, and meet the creatures that reigned over the submerged world.

Meanwhile, World Heritage-listed Riversleigh is a treasure trove for fossil lovers, ranking in the top 10 fossil-finding spots worldwide. It might be tucked away in the off-the-beaten-path corners of North West Queensland, but trust us, it's worth the adventure. Like nowhere else on earth, it's an incredibly detailed  time capsule of creatures that used to roam our land, but are now extinct – think Tasmanian tigers, marsupial 'lions', and even a platypus that dates back 15 million years.

One of the only everglades on the planet 

Florida might have made the Everglades famous, but we have our own right here on the Sunshine Coast. Tucked away in the Cooloola area of the Great Sandy National Park, the Noosa Everglades UNESCO biosphere is one of only two everglades environments in the entire world. A masterpiece of shimmering untouched waterways and wetlands that link up with the Northern Noosa River system on the Sunshine Coast, you can camp or glamp, canoe with the likes of Kanu Kapers or eco-cruise to discover its nooks and crannies and hundreds of bird species.

Make more than just a day of it with a stay at Habitat Noosa Eco Camp, set among 65 acres of National Park and nestled on the edge of the Noosa River. Tours of the Everglades depart daily, or take advantage of waterfront activities like stand-up paddleboards, canoes, kayaks and tinnie hire, or frisbee golf in a bushland setting.

A restaurant in the middle of the Daintree

If there’s one meal you’re going to remember, it’s a night of dining at Flames of the Forest: a unique candlelit experience under the canopy of the Daintree – one of the world’s oldest surviving tropical rainforests. You can expect dishes fitting of an immersive rainforest dining experience, created from lush tropical produce and unique native ingredients.

The energy here is palpable in an evening that blends local cuisine with rich Indigenous culture and storytelling. The experience is made even more deeply magical with an increased connection to the local Kuku Yalanji people – who have been living in harmony with their rainforest and reef environment for over 50,000 years – via Dreamtime stories and songs performed each Thursday night.

Ancient volcanic lava tubes you can walk through

See a new side to Cairns & Great Barrier Reef as you step into Undara Lava Tubes. These are some of the longest lava tube cave systems in the world, formed around 190,000 years ago when a volcano erupted. While you’re here, you can stay in converted train carriages, Pioneers Huts or Swags Tent Village and have a campfire Bush Breakfast at the Ringers Camp at Discovery Resorts Undara. Take the Undara Experience lava tube tour, or wildlife sunset tour to witness thousands of micro-bats take to the sky to feed.

A ghost town in the middle of the outback

Mary Kathleen is an eerie site. Once a thriving town thanks to a nearby uranium mine, it now lies abandoned, its streets deserted and town square empty. Located half way between Mount Isa and Cloncurry, it’s well worth a stop – you can also see the vibrantly blue dam of the dormant uranium mine close by. 

Australia's largest island national park