The ultimate itinerary of must-do things in Queensland

Brace yourself, because two of the five World Heritage-listed wonders in Queensland are about to come hard and fast at you.

First stop: Head to the Cairns Marina to launch your adventure into the first World Heritage-listed site in this list of must-do things in Queensland – the Great Barrier Reef.

There are so many different ways to experience the Great Barrier Reef. However, if you’re travelling as a family, consider diving into the reef a different way… such as whizzing down a giant, theme park-worthy slide.

Forget what you know about pontoon experiences – Sunlover Reef Cruises’ pontoon at Moore Reef takes a day out on the reef to a whole new level. Expect an all-inclusive experience that caters to swimmers and non-swimmers alike, and plenty of activities for little kids like glass-bottom boats, semi-submersibles, an enclosed ocean pool and a 30-metre spiral slide. What’s more, all reef cruises return via Fitzroy Island, so you can easily add in a bit of island time to your day on the reef.

For more ways to see the best of the Great Barrier Reef, check out these epic experiences.

Overnight: BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut

Back on the mainland, set up for the night at BIG4 Cairns Coconut on the outskirts of the city for a taste of family-friendly tropical life on the mainland.

This holiday park is so much more than just a place to stay. Just ask any local with kids and they’ll tell you they visit Cairns Coconut on the weekends. Expect a giant aquatic playground (aka Water Splash Park), jumbo jumping pillows, and an all-weather playground in case Cairns decides to put the ‘tropical’ in North Queensland.

Looking for somewhere more couple-friendly to stay the night? Try these top Cairns accommodation options.

If you’re not self-catering, be sure to check out these places to eat in Cairns.

Day 2: Cairns to Mission Beach and the Wet Tropics (140km)

Get your morning started in Cairns with a coffee at one of these tried and tested spots, before packing the car to hit the road south from Cairns to Mission Beach.

With the reef to your left and the World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics to the right, today you’ll be entering the Cassowary Coast. In case you were wondering, it’s no coincidence this coastline is named after cassowaries! (Learn more about this strange and curious bird here.)

With no buildings taller than three stories, Mission Beach is the dictionary definition of ‘quiet beach holiday’. Not surprisingly, the best way to discover an area filled with natural beauty is to ground yourself in it, and a range of short walks will deliver just that.

For little legs, try the Ulysses Link trail, which is approximately 1.5km long and takes around 30 minutes to complete. You’ll find the regional history told through a series of cultural artworks; that is, if you have time to read the interpretive signage in between chasing its namesake butterfly, the brightly blue-coloured Ulysses.

For kids that are a little bit older, make the most of the flat paths and wide beaches and take a cycle down to South Mission (you can hire a set of two wheels from Mission Beach Dunk Island Water Taxi).

Of course, if you’re looking for more things to see and do, don’t forget to check out this guide to the sleepy seaside village.

Overnight: BIG 4 Beachcomber Coconut Holiday Park

It doesn’t come more waterfront than BIG 4 Beachcomber Coconut Holiday Park to throw down the caravan legs (their cosy villas and cabins are also great options for holidaymakers who prefer four wheels).

From your room, you’ll be able to make out a view of Dunk Island. But it’s not just about the beach views; this park packs a punch with a tropical rainforest and cassowary conservation area right at its back door.

Day 3: Mission Beach to the epic Wallaman Falls and Paluma (174km)

Hitch up and hit the road south for Wallaman Falls in Girringun National Park, the highest permanent single-drop waterfall in Australia.

Located within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, the walk to the bottom of the waterfall – which stands at 268m tall – is roughly a four-hour round-trip. If that’s above the attention span of your family, stay cliff side for the best views of the plunging waters. From the top, you’ll still have a great vantage over the misty waterfall, which has its own rainbow bursting through it, especially in the early mornings and late afternoons.

From Wallaman, follow the sugarcane road south towards Paluma, your pitstop for this evening. This drive is voted one of Queensland’s most scenic.

Overnight: Crystal Creek Caravan Park

Don’t dismiss its Bruce Highway address as a negative, because the Crystal Creek Caravan Park is the most convenient to the Paluma Range National Park. Set on a quiet seven-hectare family owned park, it’s also the best jumping off point for waterfall chasing the highly-accessible Crystal Creek Cascades.

For those who aren’t staying in the cocoon of a caravan, you’ll be happy to know cabins are also available.

Day 4: Paluma’s lesser-known national park to Townsville (90km)

Wake early to discover Paluma, a rainforest village in the Townsville hinterland, and enjoy the swimming holes uninterrupted. From your accommodation, it’s a 40-minute drive to the national park, where Little Crystal Creek and Big Crystal Creek standout in the lush landscape.

Next up, swap the creeks for the (NRL team) Cowboy’s hometown and take the Bruce Highway an hour and a half to Townsville.

For the kids, a trip to Reef HQ Aquarium is essential. Not only is it one of the best ways to see the Great Barrier Reef without getting wet, but it just happens to be the largest living coral reef aquarium in the world. Time your visit for 2:30pm for the shark feeding show to watch as predators of the deep enjoy their lunch.

For dinner, a picnic on The Strand is the perfect way to absorb the 320 days of sun this sunshine city yields each year. As the sun sets, the Museum Of Underwater Art’s newly-added ‘Ocean Siren’ sculpture off the shore lights up the night sky. Modelled after 12-year-old Takoda Johnson, a member of the local Wulgurukaba people, the sculpture’s 202 internal LED lights change colour according to the ocean’s temperature.

If you’re looking for more things to do and places to eat in Townsville, check out this guide.

Overnight: BIG4 Rowes Bay Beachfront Holiday Park

With pristine beachfront views towards Magnetic Island and walking distance from The Strand, Big4 Rowes Bay delivers a taste of the Townsville tropics with a resort pool, waterslide, tennis court, and playground. With everything covered from unpowered sites through to ensuite cabins, the onus here is on quality family time – and those ocean blues.

Day 5: Townsville to real cowboy country in Charters Towers (140km)

Get ready for your first taste of the outback as you make 140km of tracks from Townsville to Charters Towers, a town most famous for digging up 200 tonnes of solid gold in its early history.

Since it’s red dirt you seek, make the first stop Texas Longhorn Tours to meet the Bethels, who’ve turned their property into the largest breeder of Texas Longhorns in Australia. Meet the 2013 Guinness World Record Texas Longhorn steer, JR, who was certified to have the longest horns measured tip-to-tip out of all cattle in the world.

If you’re looking for more ways to discover the town, check out these must-do things in Charter Towers.

Overnight: BIG4 Aussie Outback Oasis Holiday Park

The epicentre of family fun is BIG4’s Aussie Outback Oasis, where you have the choice of 20 cabins or powered and unpowered sites across 10 acres of parkland – catering for rigs of all sizes. Relax in the lagoon pool, kick back on the deck, and meet and greet fellow adventurers during themed meal nights and pancake breakfasts. This holiday park is also pet friendly.

Day 6: Charters Towers to Hughenden (aka dinosaur country) (250km)

Charters Towers is like a gateway to what’s coming next: red dirt, blue skies and the kind of hospitality that makes Outback Queensland so famous.

This 2.5-hour journey brings together Charters’ comparatively modern history with Outback Queensland’s ancient history. And by ancient, we’re referring to the prehistoric kind.

Be sure to stop into Torrens Creek along the way to break up the drive with a bite to eat at the local pub and a visit to the nearby White Mountains National Park for a stroll along the walking tracks.

By mid-morning, arrive at Hughenden, which packs more into its borders than some cities – it’s home to four national parks, mountainous volcanic basalt country, sweeping black soil plains and rich fossil and dinosaur areas. And all that is before you’ve visited “Hughie”, the seven-metre-tall Muttaburrasaurus, and an impressive fossil collection at the Flinders Discovery Centre.

Enjoy the fresh outback air with a 1.2km walk around the base of Porcupine Gorge National Park, which is Queensland’s answer to the Grand Canyon.

Overnight: Hughenden Allen Terry Caravan Park

Check into the leafy Hughenden Allen Terry Caravan Park, which offers powered and unpowered sites to suit caravanners, while air-conditioned cabins take care of the rest.

Day 7: Hughenden to digging dinosaurs in Richmond (116km)

Get up early to make the drive to a fellow town that digs dinosaurs, Richmond. Make the first port of call the obligatory tourist snap at Kronosaurus Korner, with a dinosaur so big it’s worthy of a place on this list of ‘Big Things’.

Up next, check out the free dedicated fossicking sites for the chance to uncover a bone. After all, that’s how it’s done out here – one minute it’s a simple trip, the next minute you’ve unearthed the entire jawbone of a dinosaur. What’s more, once you find a dinosaur, your discovery is often named after you!

If you have more time, don’t stop the dinosaur trail here. Keep on digging with this itinerary of must-do things on Queensland’s dinosaur trail.

Overnight: Ammonite Inn

Stretch those caravan legs and stay in a quintessential Queensland motel for the night.

The Ammonite Inn is a popular pit stop on the Overlander’s Way, catering for travellers with air-conditioned rooms, a large swimming pool, and even conference facilities.

Finding somewhere to eat is just a matter of walking to the dining room to let the motel’s licensed restaurant ‘Rivers’ show you what outback hospitality is all about.

Day 8: Richmond to the heights of Blackbraes National Park (180km)

It’s been action, action, action thus far, which is why today is all about relaxation on a four-hour drive through some of the most epic terrains in Outback Queensland.

Head north from Hughenden to Blackbraes National Park. The park actually straddles two bioregions – the Einasleigh Uplands and Gulf Plains – which guarantee pretty special scenery as you put just shy of 200km between you and Hughenden. With an elevation of 850m above sea level, you’ll want to pack your woollies because this park is much cooler than the rest of the outback.

Try your luck fossicking for gem-quality moonstones inside the volcanic crater of Moonstone Hill Resources Reserve. You’ll need a permit to fossick in the area, which you can purchase from the Flinders Discovery Centre or online.

In true national park style, set up your caravan among undulating ranges surrounded by basalt outcrops, basalt plains and seasonal swamps.

Overnight: Blackbraes National Park

Those with their own camper trailer or tents (sorry, no caravans allowed) can stay within the national park at the designated campground, Emu Swamp.

Alternatively, nearby accommodation can be found back in Hughenden or Lynd Junction, which is incidentally home to the smallest pub in the world (allegedly).

Day 9: Blackbraes National Park to the wonder of Undara Lava Experience (230km)

From one ancient history site to another, swap dinosaur country for volcanic at the Undara Lava Tubes.

This complex network of pipes at the Undara Experience was formed over 190,000 years ago when this system of volcanoes was so busy spewing lava it could have filled Sydney Harbour three times over. One of only 23 countries around the world to have a lava tube system, Undara is also believed to be the longest in the world.

If the thought of going underground makes you claustrophobic, there’s plenty to see above ground, too. Pay a visit to the Kalkani, another volcano in the national park, where there is a fairly easy walk up to and around the crater rim. Looking down, you’ll gain an understanding of just how epic this landscape would have looked with lava bubbling away in a crater-cauldron. The walk is rewarded with 360-degree views around the park.

Be sure to secure a spot on the ‘Wildlife at Sunset’ tour. The tour winds its way to Barker’s Tube, where you can see thousands of micro-bats as they leave to feed for the night – all that stands in their way are the pythons who show up in time for their evening buffet. It’s the ultimate game of cat and mouse.

Catering for its remote coordinates, Undara Experience cooks up meals which can be enjoyed in old train carriages. All you need to do is pull up a stool at the bar and watch the sunset fade into a sky full of stars.

Overnight: Undara Caravan Park and Campground

Immerse yourself in nature at the Undara Caravan Park and Campground where there are 38 powered caravan sites. Alternatively, cabin-style accommodation like the Pioneer Huts allow you to explore this country in comfort.

For something a little different, cosy up in a railway carriage, restored to perfection while also keeping original features like stainless steel drop-down basins.

Day 10: Drive from Undara to the waterfall wonderland of the Atherton Tablelands

You’ll get the complete bush life experience as you wake up to a chorus of kookaburras laughing. All guests can tuck into a complimentary bush breakfast cooked over the campfire in true outback style.

From Undara, hitch up the van to swap the outback reds for lush rainforest greens, with a visit to the Atherton Tablelands, the hinterland that shadows Cairns.

The road winds its way through towns worthy of pit-stopping, including Mount Garnet, Millstream and Queensland’s tallest town, Ravenshoe.

For something worth taking a break for on this 2.5-hour drive, call in at the Innot Hot Springs. Rumour has it the hot water bubbling out of Nettle Creek has beauty benefits, so much so that it was shipped to Europe as a health treatment over 100 years ago.

While the jury’s out on that one still, the Innot Hot Springs Leisure & Health Park (which has six public pools) is as good a place as any to see if you notice any remarkable differences to your skin after your dip.

Overnight: BIG4 NRMA Atherton Woodlands Tourist Park

Base yourself at Atherton Woodlands Tourist Park to be in the epicentre of the action. The tourist park is 1.5km from the Atherton township, within easy reach of Millaa Millaa Falls (and these other waterfalls), Lake Tinaroo, Yungaburra and Curtain Fig Tree.

There are also mountain bike trails that run behind the property. These aren’t just any old mountain bike trails either – these are the ones that have been built to international standards, hosting segments of the Crocodile Trophy, the Subaru Australian MTB Championships and other local events like Elev8 and BikeFest.

(Psst, if you’re a keen rider, don’t forget to check out this post about riding in these woods.)

It’s the end of the line… or is it?

70 waterfall-fuelled kilometres will see you back in the capital of the north, aka Cairns.

But don’t stop here – if you’re keen to extend that holiday feeling, don’t forget these trips:

• Check out the Savannah Way which will take you all the way to Western Australia if you don’t stop.
• Drive Cairns to Cape York to see why they call it an ‘adventure of a lifetime’.
• If you like life in the slow lane, try this eight-day road trip itinerary cruising the Pacific Coast Way to Brisbane.