Epic Queensland travel ideas for your next big-ticket holiday

More than just a secluded slice of paradise, the Great Barrier Reef’s first 100% solar powered island resort, Elysian Retreat, is the gateway to your Whitsundays adventure of a lifetime.  

It’s where days begin with sunrise over the water from the comfort of your oceanfront villa, and end in a vibrant sunset best enjoyed with from the fire-pit lounges or infinity pool. Drink in the views, drink in hand, then tuck into a nourishing chef-prepared dinner from an ever-changing menu that’s inspired and sourced from the Whitsundays region. What’s in between? That’s up to you.

One day you might take a yoga class, then soak up the serenity swinging in your hammock with a good book in between dips in the water, kayaking, snorkelling the fringing reef, or a lazy stroll around Long Island. The next, you can take a day trip that’ll show you a whole new perspective of the Whitsundays.

The Ngaro Cultural Tour is a must-do while you’re here. Spend the day exploring the islands with a Ngaro Indigenous guide, learn the history and customs, how they hunted and sourced bush tucker, try your hand at traditional spear fishing, and be among the few who can visit remote island caves filled with aboriginal rock paintings.

Other days you might take a scenic helicopter flight to glistening Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, journey to the outer reef to dive and snorkel, or rip around the Whitsundays Islands on Jet Ski – but this adventure is entirely yours to make.

Savour cocktails and culture in the capital

Get under the skin of the capital and you’ll want to come back for more. Equal parts casual and cool, Brisbane offers vibrant dining and nightlife, world-class galleries and cultural experiences alongside a sunshine-filled outdoors lifestyle. It’s a recipe for a city escape that’ll leave you inspired and rejuvenated.

Base yourself at Hotel X, Brisbane’s newest five star destination hotel. A luxurious sanctuary in the heart of pumping Fortitude Valley, it boasts a rooftop poolside restaurant and bar, and its designer touches include amenities designed by high fashion icon Karl Lagerfield.

You’ll also be just steps from the nightlife and laneways of the city’s coolest neighbourhood, waterside bars of Howard Smith Wharves and boutiques, cafes and wine bars of James Street. Settle in for a banquet at moodily-lit hôntô, a Japanese inspired restaurant with big flavours from the raw bar to the cocktail menu. Or book early to score a seat at Joy’s long table, a unique dining experience where the daily-offering is always a surprise. Kicking on? Find the orange door to enter Brisbane’s best whisky bar, Savile Row, or step through the retro-fridge to find Hawaiian-themed Suzie Wong’s Good Time Bar.

By day, wander through the thought-provoking galleries at QAGOMA, discover Brisbane’s Aboriginal history and art with Blackcard Cultural Tours, or even hop over to catch some sun on Moreton Island.

Here’s a few more ideas for how to spend three days in the city.

Soak up the spirit of the outback

Deep in the outback west of Cairns, Mount Mulligan Lodge is a story by numbers. Steeped in some 37,000 years of Indigenous history. Set on 28,000 hectares of rugged outback landscape and working cattle farm. In the shadow of towering mountain Ngarrabullgan, ten times the size of Uluru. And you’re one of only 16 guests here to experience it.  

As immense as it is adventurous, Mount Mulligan Lodge will capture a big piece of your heart. Fly in by chopper. Immerse yourself in outback life with guided tours of the property’s historic goldfields, explore on ATV, spot wildlife, hike, try your hand at barramundi fishing, or simply stargaze with a gourmet picnic hamper by your side. Sip happy hour deep in an outdoor bath on your private verandah, with uninterrupted outback views. Enjoy every indulgence in one of the most spectacular Luxury Lodges of Australia. This really is a whole new side to Queensland.

Jump on a dive trip for a rare marine life encounter

Peer down into the deep blue below. Feel ripples of movement as a figure emerges, gracefully gliding by. You’ve just had one of the most exclusive animal encounters on earth.

For a whale swim of the rarest kind, head north to the Great Barrier Reef when dwarf minke whales congregate briefly each year – the only known spot in the world where they meet. And while they might be small in stature (in whale terms), they’ll certainly dwarf you.

The best way to experience this wonder is on a liveaboard dive tour. These boats head into the outer Great Barrier Reef for 4-7 days (depending on the trip you book), and put you right in the thick of it. You’ll get to dive some of the most unknown, pristine reefs in the world, then head to the Ribbon Reefs off the coast of Cooktown to meet majestic minkes.

While you might experience a little swell on this adventure, life on these boats isn’t rough: expect fully catered meals, several dives a day, and the best sunset drinks you can imagine. There are just a few operators that run these liveaboard experiences, including Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, Divers Den, and Spirit of Freedom.

Can you stay a while longer? Use this handy Cairns accommodation guide to snag the best pad in the area, while you duck off to explore surrounding national parks, rushing waterfalls and food trails.  

Soothe your soul at the world’s best eco spa

Need a retreat from the real world? Reset your mind, body and soul at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat – awarded the world’s best eco spa for 2020.

Journey into the peaceful Tallebudgera Valley in the Gold Coast Hinterland; you’ll feel your step lighten with every deep breath of cool mountain air, even before you even dip into the infinity pool overlooking the vast green wilderness. This welcoming retreat is the place to re-balance your spirit – whether you’re here for a detox, a health journey, or a just a little time out to switch off and relax.

Gwinganna’s wellness activities take advantage of its natural setting, from sunrise yoga classes to the hiking trails that wrap around the property. Take one of the health and wellness seminars, move your body, indulge in a spa treatment, and treat yourself to the organic, nutritionist-designed meals sourced from ingredients grown organically in the retreat’s own gardens.

With retreats ranging from 2-7 nights, this is a feel-good experience from start to finish. Gwinganna has been awarded Green Travel Leader status for Ecotourism Australia and is believed to be the only Australian spa involved in the translocation of rescued native animals through its Wildlife Survival Program. 

Looking for a more tropical retreat? Venture north into the Daintree and check into Daintree Ecolodge and you’ll quickly check out of the everyday, indulging in indigenous-inspired spa treatments and immersed in ancient rainforest. This lush region is best explored over a few days: wander from the forest floor to the canopy at Daintree Discovery Centre, learn the region’s deep history and culture with the Kuku Yalanji, then explore Cape Tribulation on horseback. Before heading home, be sure to embark on the waterfall circuit to check out spots like Josephine Falls.

Settle in for an island adventure you’ll remember forever

It’s hard to think of a more memorable place to picnic than on one of Lizard Island's 24 powdery-white beaches, the northermost island of the Great Barrier Reef. 

Lizard Island is renowned for its scuba diving and snorkelling and is surrounded by coral, ribbon and lagoon reefs. But its Lizard Island's close proximity to one of the best known diving sites in the Great Barrier Reef, Cod Hole, that distinguishes it from many other reef islands.

Before touching down on the island, you should spend a few days exploring Cairns & Great Barrier Reef, where living large offers incredible connections with world-heritage wonders.

Spend a few days in Cairns, flitting between a five-star hotel that features the best resort-pool and rooftop bar in the city, remote freshwater swimming holes like Josephine Falls and fresh-off-the-trawler seafood. Set sail for a Great Barrier Reef cruise where you can help monitor reef health and marine life with a Master Reef Guide, or take a digital detox at serene Thala Beach Nature Reserve.

Cast away in the Southern Great Barrier Reef

Wander where the only crowds are schools tropical fish darting between coral reefs, peak hour is replaced with happy hour, and your morning alarm is whenever the sun wakes you.

Cast away on Wilson Island and you’ll get a true deserted island experience that comes with an off-the-grid eco-resort in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, but with all the bells and whistles of barefoot luxury.

The views do the talking here: whether those views are from on top of a kayak as you paddle around the coral cay; snorkel-vision as you explore the fringing reefs just steps from your safari tent; or sunset with your toes in the sand, a cocktail in hand and your travel buddy by your side.

But there are a few other things we should talk about. The spectacular cruise to get here from Heron Island. The eco-friendly accommodation. Being one of just 18 guests on the island. The turtles you’ll meet during nesting and hatching season. The incredible meals served up at the Longhouse Restaurant. Spend a few days here soaking up the solitude and you might never want to leave.

Learn from those who know our country best

Some stories are meant to be told, and in Queensland you have the chance to share in some of the oldest stories on earth – while creating your own along the way.

Make your way 900km west of Cairns to Burketown in the remote Gulf of Carpentaria to experience Indigenous storytelling under the stars. With exclusive access to Australia’s largest salt pans and telescopes on a bright night sky, your local Gangalidda guide will share Dreamtime stories and cultural interpretations of astronomy. The next day, jump on a 4WD cultural tour into the wilderness or a Gangalidda guided fishing charter in Australia’s barramundi capital.

Got a little time up your sleeve? Pair this ancient excursion with an outback road trip. Get here via Matilda Way through the heart of the outback and birthplace of Waltzing Matilda, with plenty of opportunities to bend an elbow at an outback pub along the way. Or return to Cairns along the Savannah Way, exploring ancient fossil fields, outback national parks and canoeing through deep gorges carved out of red earth over millions of years. 

Have a sleepover in the middle of a natural world wonder

There are no awkward silences when night falls over the Great Barrier Reef. The quiet you experience after sunset from your pontoon in the middle of Hardy Reef is something different entirely. Calm water laps below, a light breeze whistles in the air, broken only by the sound of a splashing fish.

The journey to ReefSleep begins with a cruise through the Whitsunday Islands to the outer reef’s permanently moored pontoon ReefWorld (keep an eye out for breaching humpback whales between July and September). Spend the day exploring this awe-striking natural ecosystem: swim, snorkel, dive, visit the underwater observatory or ride in a semi-submarine.

Once the day-trippers head back to the mainland, you’ll have the peaceful pontoon all to yourselves. Cheers your fellow travellers as sunsets over the reef, share a scrumptious dinner on deck, then head to the pontoon's top level to slip into your cosy swag under a blanket of stars. Waking up on the reef the next day, there’s time for a quiet snorkel and breakfast with the fish before you head home.

Prefer a window seat to the reef from below the surface? Australia’s first underwater hotel is located right here too.