Big Sky National Parks

Drive from Brisbane to Toowoomba via the Warrego Way. Take a scenic drive from Toowoomba to Gus Beutel Lookout for stunning views over Ravensbourne National Park. Travel through the old timber town of Crows Nest to Maidenwell Trading Post for some welcome refreshments. Drive beneath stunning rainforest canopies and ancient bunya pines to Bunya Mountains National Park. Relax in the privacy of your Bunya Mountains Chalet with stunning views of the surrounding rainforest. Explore nine kinds of rainforests, ancient plant species and an abundance of native wildlife. The most popular track is the four kilometre Scenic Circuit Track featuring Festoon Falls, Pine Gorge lookout and the chance to walk through the Strangler fig.

Drive west to Chinchilla, Australia’s melon capital and Roma, home of the Big Rig, before arriving at Carnarvon Gorge National Park - an oasis in the semi-arid heart of Central Queensland. See spectacular sandstone gorge vistas, ancient rainforests and well-preserved Aboriginal rock art on tracks that have been classified to match your bushwalking experience and fitness. This magnificent gorge has been sculpted by Carnarvon Creek. As you explore the park, you’ll see a warren of towering chasms filled with remnant rainforest, pools, caves and ancient Indigenous art galleries. There are two main resorts in Carnarvon Gorge -Takaraka Bush Resort and Carnarvon Wilderness Resort. Both offer a great selection of activities including guided and self-guided bush walks, helicopter scenic flights and native animal spotting.

Stay two nights at Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge or Takaraka Bush Resort.

Travel south along the Carnarvon Highway to Injune, a thriving country town with some 450 residents. Continue south to St George, Queensland’s inland fishing capital, then visit Riversands Winery for a personalised wine tasting and meal at their onsite café. Call in to the Unique Egg to see a world-class collection of hand-crafted emu eggs, then join a sunset cruise on the Balonne River with its 230 species of birdlife.

Take a break at the historic Nindigully Pub, Queensland's oldest hotel, on the banks of the Moonie River. Visit Coolmunda Organic Olives near Inglewood, walk through the olive grove and taste organic olives. Follow a selection of bushwalks from your private bush chalet surrounded by Girraween National Park with its intriguing balancing boulders, cascading waterfalls and cool rock pools. See quiet kangaroos grazing in open fields, brilliant turquoise parrots, yellow-tufted honeyeaters and red-necked wallabies as you explore over 17 kilometres of walking tracks to suit all levels of fitness. Visit nearby award-winning wineries, restaurants and local producers just a short drive from the National Park.

Travel north to Stanthorpe and explore Queensland’s premier food and wine region. Sample cider and apple pie at Sutton’s Apple Farm and visit Stanthorpe Cheese for hand-made farmhouse cheese. If you have a nose for truffles, then take a look at the Truffle Discovery Centre or if you secretly would like every day to be Christmas then don’t miss the Granite Belt Christmas Farm. Follow the Cunningham Highway through Main Range National Park back to Brisbane.