15 best wild Queensland holidays for adventure seekers
List
By Danielle Reckless
Things can get a little wild when you come to Queensland.
Adventures big and small lurk around every corner – even in the heart of our capital and by the beach. But if you’re looking for an experience that raises the hairs on your arms and lifts your heart, these 15 wild Queensland holiday ideas are sure to hit the mark.
Walk on the wild side
1. Combine bushwalking with luxury on Spicers Scenic Rim Trail, where you’ll trek through World Heritage subtropical rainforest by day, then eco-camp by night.
2. Spend five days on a guided 66km trek through the outback of North West Queensland to discover one of Australia’s hidden landscapes.
3. Tackle a Great Walk: from the forests of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland to rugged coastline on Townsville’s Hinchinbrook Island, to walking the length of the world’s largest sand island – there’s a wild Queensland holiday for every intrepid hiker.
Step into nature’s playground
4. Cool off in the Atherton Tablelands near Cairns, where rushing, wild waterfalls hidden amongst the rainforest meet locally-grown produce, coffee plantations and distilleries.
5. Stand face-to-face with the world’s most ancient subtropical forests, the Gondwana Rainforest of Queensland. Dating back over 180-million years, you can explore via hiking trails, waterfalls and mountain retreats across four South-East Queensland national parks.
6. Experience the biggest marine playground of them all: the Great Barrier Reef. There are endless ways to explore along Queensland’s coast, from adrenalin-fuelled adventures to do-able day trips.
Take the roads less travelled
7. Set off along the Savannah Way, from Cairns to Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park (currently closed), where emerald waterways cut through towering gorges – offering the chance to explore by canoe, by boat or on foot.
8. Gear up for a 4WD adventure to The Tip, exploring the best of Cape York along the way from Indigenous rock art to wild swimming holes.
9. Road trip through Australia’s prehistoric past along the Dinosaur Trail in Outback Queensland, where you can help dig for bones and discover the site of an ancient dinosaur stampede.
Escape to an island that offers more
10. Channel your inner-environmental scientist and make your way to Lady Elliot Island. One of Queensland’s biggest sustainability success stories, this island resort is carbon neutral and offers the chance to explore its thriving marine ecosystem, meeting turtles and manta rays.
11. Get off the grid on K’gari (Fraser Island) – the world’s largest sand island. Here, rugged landscapes and rich culture intertwine, with the opportunity to beach camp, kick back in a resort, or have locals show you the sights. You’re sure to spot a dingo or two here.
12. Seek adventure among luxury digs in Queensland’s wild north, where destinations like Lizard Island and Haggerstone Island offer pristine coral reef and countless adventure activities within the serenity of a secluded resort.
Meet our locals
13. Watch a little turtle hatchling take its first breaths and first steps to the ocean at Mon Repos, Bundaberg or along the Southern Great Barrier Reef.
14. Get up close to Australia’s most iconic native wildlife, from feeding wild dolphins and swimming with whales in the wild, to meeting rescued and rehabilitated koalas.
15. Enter into an underwater oasis when you dive the SS Yongala, one of the world’s top 10 shipwreck dives. A colourful metropolis of giant coral structures and marine life, the wreck – which is now over a century old – lies 110 metres long and 28 metres deep off the coast of Townsville.
