Based on our experience in Queensland / Australia, we describe a 10-day itinerary allowing you to see amazingly varied Australian nature, unique Australian animals, and some of the state’s topmost sights.

The sunshine state offers a wide range of world-class experiences – and is also home to the most diversified wildlife of species endemic to Australia.

If you are lucky enough to have more than 10 days, you can easily extend the itinerary over several days to some of the described places – according to preference. If you have less time, you can cut down on the time spent on one or two locations – or maybe you will skip a few.

Day 1: Magnetic Island – Koalas

On the first day of your Queensland – Australia trip, you will start in Townsville early in the morning for your Great Barrier Reef island experience. Beforehand, you may have booked your ferry tickets to Magnetic Island for the day. You can book your tickets here: Sealink Queensland (affiliate link).

10-day Queensland itinerary in Australia | Photo: Robert Waghorn / Pixabay

There are frequent ferry departures all day, so you can pick the departure as early in the morning as is most convenient for you. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to leave early to get the most out of your day on Magnetic Island. The crossing takes just 20 minutes. If you want to take your car to Magnetic Island, there is another ferry, the Magnetic Island Ferries, that has a car deck. However, you won’t need a car once on the island.

Photo: Travel In Culture

 
The Sealink Queensland takes you to the ferry terminal on Magnetic Island at Nelly Bay. When arriving, you can continue on foot from Nelly Bay or take the island bus towards Horseshoe Bay. It is a small island, so the bus goes back and forth from the south to north of the island – from Picnic Bay to Horseshoe Bay, with multiple stops along the way. As an alternative to the island bus, the ferry terminal is also served by taxis and provides both car hire and bicycle rental. There is also a small supermarket near the ferry terminal.

If you feel up to it, start your day on Magnetic Island with a snorkelling tour in Nelly Bay. Nelly Bay is one of the best snorkelling spots for beginners since the snorkelling trail is just 100 m (330 ft) off the shore – and there is stuff to see! The tour is marked with surface floats in the water all along the beach. If you are experienced in snorkelling, there are many other options in the small bays around the island.

Queensland Itinerary 10 days | Photo: Travel In Culture

After the snorkelling experience (if not skipping it), we suggest you jump on the island bus towards Horseshoe Bay. Get off at the Forts stop to do the Forts Walk.

Now, it is time for one of the highlights of your Magnetic Island tour! In the lush forest on your way to the Forts, you may be lucky to spot some of the original inhabitants, the koalas, in the eucalyptus tree tops! It is a unique opportunity and one of the real draws on the island! Take your time to observe and photograph the fascinating, calm animals resting lazily on the branches in the tree tops!

Continuing from here, you can hike up to the fascinating historic WWII fortifications with breathtaking views of the surrounding scenic bays (Florence Bay, Gowrie Bay and Radical Bay) and the stunning blue sea.

Photo: Travel In Culture

After the Forts Walk, you can follow the trail through the forest right until you get to the Horseshoe Bay on the northern side of Magnetic Island. You arrive at one of the best beaches on the island with a swimming enclosure, plenty of equipment hire options like jet skis, stand-up paddle boards and kayaks, and several restaurants and cafés with a scenic, panoramic ocean view. You can have fun here until it is time to return.

Once in Arcadia, you can walk out to the rocks inhabited by a group of rock wallabies (the tiniest type of kangaroos). It is fantastic to see these small animals jumping around on the rocks. We even viewed a wallaby hopping elegantly around with a baby in her pouch when visiting!

Finally, after an eventful day on Magnetic Island in Queensland, it is time to take the ferry back to Townsville, where you will spend the night. When returning to Townsville, you may even come across yet another unique animal native to Australia – look for the flying foxes in town – especially in the evening, you are likely to see them gather!

Read more about Magnetic Island here

Day 2: Atherton Tablelands – Australian animals

The second day of your Australia trip will be a long day – crossing the Atherton Tablelands and ending up in the middle of the Queensland outback, in Chillagoe. Anyway, you will take it step by step, since there are so many interesting stops along the way – you may also want to check some tours and other activities in Atherton Tablelands (affiliate link). (If you plan on renting a car for your trip, check with your car rental beforehand that you will get a car that you are allowed to take to Chillagoe. It IS the outback, and some car rentals are restricted!)

Hit the road as early as possible in the morning (you will want to arrive in Chillagoe before darkness). The first stop will be Etty Bay along the coast – 250 km (155 miles) north of Townsville. You will go right down to the gorgeous beach, which you might even have all to yourself – apart from the stunning cassowaries, the main reason you stop here! Already along the road, you may be lucky to catch sight of them – and if not before – at least on the beach, there is a good chance you can spot them strolling around. Do keep at a certain distance since close encounters are considered dangerous (they have claws incomparable to what you have ever seen before! – and a few people are known to have been killed by these monster birds).

The region is also called the Cassowary Coast, a banana hub in Queensland and Australia with banana plantations and other exotic fruit industries like lychees, mango, rambutans, guanabana and cocoa. There is even a chocolate factory at Mission Beach!

Continue your drive. Soon after Etty Bay, you will turn off towards the Millaa Millaa Falls, about an hour’s drive from Etty Bay.

Have a picnic or a snack here with the magnificent waterfalls in the background! If you think time allows, you may also squeeze in a quick stop at Malanda Falls (perhaps you can, and maybe you cannot depending on how early you left in the morning and how long you have spent at your stops so far. We didn’t do Malanda Falls on our trip). Malanda is the centre of Queensland’s dairying industry.

Photo: Travel In Culture

Nerada Tea Plantation is next. Both for the beautiful green tea plantation – but not least for the 2-3 tree kangaroos living in the tree tops above. It is a special kind of kangaroo, pretty different from the usual kangaroo – but it is a marsupial and hence still belongs to the kangaroo family. The owners will point out where on the plantation you are likely to find the tree climbers! When we came, we very soon spotted two kangaroos in a tree just next to the tea room! Check out where to see native animals in the wild in Queensland.

One of the sights on your way today is the Curtain Fig Tree at Yungaburra National Park. Do not miss this fantastic, natural piece of art – created by nature – you will be surprised how voluminous it is!

If you haven’t already, by chance, seen a platypus at the Millaa Millaa Falls, you will now get a chance at the Yungaburra Platypus Viewing Platform or just below the bridge. Wander down at Peterson Creek and walk first over and then under the bridge before continuing along the creek. You may spot a few platypuses, especially in the early morning or late afternoon. We were lucky to view a couple of lively platypuses in the creek here. The platypuses come up to breathe and then dive towards the bottom again.

Now, it is time to do the final leg to Chillagoe. The drive from Yungaburra to Mareeba is just slightly more than 30 minutes. Make a short stop in Mareeba to buy provisions for the next days – since there are limited shopping opportunities and supplies in Chillagoe. How much you will need will depend on your accommodation in Chillagoe – whether meals are included, or not.

Photo: Travel In Culture

Shortly after Mareeba, you will notice the change of landscape. The drive from Mareeba to Chillagoe is around two hours since you cannot go very fast on the red dusty road. Do take into account when it is likely to get dark since it is easier and safer to drive on this road in daylight! You really should try to arrive in Chillagoe before dusk! You may well encounter dead wallaroos and wallabies (the smaller kangaroos) on the road, wild cows crossing, and a few flooded holes depending on the season (during the wet season in summer, you may for sure want to go in a solid off-road 4×4), as well as oncoming trucks causing a swirl of dust.

The last stretch of the road is unsealed, with only some odd sealed patches. As a tribute to the pioneers travelling west, this 149 km (93 miles) long road is also named the Wheelbarrow Way. Today, it hosts an annual wheelbarrow race. When driving here, you will understand the name of the road! Nevertheless, we had no problems with the road in broad daylight (in July).

On the way, you will pass through Dimbulah, in the past, a stop for the mining trains from Chillagoe Smelters. Today, Dimbulah Railway Station Museum tells the story of olden times. You will probably not have time to stop here today, but you can consider doing it on the way back in a few days (notice that it is only part-time open).

The scenery along the way is breathtaking, with its shades of red. Termite mounds start popping up here and there and come in all shapes, sizes and brownish colours – especially after you have passed the small mountain chain. Now you have left the lush forest behind for a few days – and enter a dry and tropical wooded savanna!

Day 3: Chillagoe: The outback in Queensland, Australia

On the third day of your Queensland – Australia trip, you will wake up in a fantastic place wherever you stay in the small town. It is tranquil out here – apart from the colourful galahs and other birds chirping in the trees.

Although in the outback, Chillagoe has excellent accommodation options, and all basic services are available here. There is the Chillagoe Observatory & Eco Lodge, some hotels, campsites and the Road House.

Photo: Travel In Culture

Temperatures are generally high here – particularly in summer – but also in winter, which is the most pleasant season because it is relatively dry. Winter tends to be the high season since there are no tropical cyclones or flooding, as it occurs sometimes in summer. Whatever season, bring plenty of water and a sun hat wherever you go! Chances are that you will feel like going to the nearby swimming hole or billabong in Australia (originating from a term meaning ‘a watercourse that runs only after rain’) at some time during the day.

Today, you will be exploring Chillagoe and its fascinating history! The place is rich in both natural and cultural heritage.

In the morning, start at the Chillagoe Smelters right out of town. They were established towards the end of the 1800s when promising ores were detected – marking the beginning of the mining history in Chillagoe. In a short time, the small town became a thriving mining town where copper, gold, silver and lead were mined and processed. From 1901 to 1943, the ore mines produced significant volumes of the metals. At the time, Australia had a considerable mining site here in Chillagoe, in the Queensland outback.

With the comprehensive production, Chillagoe also grew as a town. At its peak in 1917, the population reached 10,000 people, and 13 hotels existed in town!

You can visit the old site of the blast furnaces and chimneys belonging to Chillagoe Smelters. However, you are not allowed to walk around in the area, declared a restricted area due to containing toxic materials. Instead, you can get a nice view of the entire area from an elevated viewing platform. You have a scenic view of the old chimneys, brick flues, blast furnaces, and the surrounding outback landscape. A perfect place to take some good photo shots!

Notice that the old slag heaps are still there, recognisable as flat, bare pieces of land. It used to be the location for the waste from the melting process. Around the area, you can also spot old, rusty machinery from production. Maybe not surprisingly, it all lies as left in 1943!

On-site, you can read about the mining life of the workers there and the production process. It is most instructive – a real open-air museum – and you will leave the site with solid knowledge about the Queensland mining industry in the old days!

In the afternoon you will go to the opposite side of Chillagoe. Here, you will set out for a small hike to the Balancing Rock (a rock standing upright on just a touchpoint) and other limestone outcrops, as well as to the Wullumba Aboriginal Rock Art Site, a gallery of Aboriginal cave paintings. Taking the Royal Arch Track (a 9 km / 5.5 miles round-trip), you will also get the chance to catch a glimpse of a wallaroo or two in the outback landscape – or maybe a (rock) wallaby. We caught sight of a few.

If you still have time, visit the Chillagoe Historical Centre in town, a museum of the mining industry around Chillagoe. Stroll along the main street with the historic bank vault and imagine life back in the old mining days!

Chill out in the evening watching the stunning sunset in the old outback town. You may take another stroll towards the Chillagoe Smelters – just for the picturesque views at sunset – and for great photos!

Read more about Queensland’s outback here

Day 4: Chillagoe: Queensland caves and Aboriginal art in Australia

On the fourth day of your Queensland in Australia trip, you will explore some outstanding caves around Chillagoe. Anyway, if you are here during summer (the wet season: December to March), check up on the visiting status of the caves – that the access to the caves and the caves themselves are not flooded due to recent heavy rain.

The Chillagoe-Mungana Caves are spectacular and famed in both Queensland and other parts of Australia. It is limestone caves with plentiful cave coral, stalactites and stalagmites. The subterranean universe was formed 400 million years ago when the sea left coral structures behind. They later fossilised as massive and remarkable rocks in the outback. Check out the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park map.

The caves are all full of natural wonders and breathtaking: (view a more detailed description)

Photo: Travel In Culture

Donna Cave: 1 hour, 330 steps. Illuminated rock formations and crystals in the dark cave.

Trezkinn Cave: 45 minutes, 250 steps. Beautiful limestones and illuminated stalactites.

Royal Arch: 1.5 hour, 300 steps. 11 caverns you enter with hand-held lamps. Bats and fossils.

The Archways: 30 minutes, easy self-guided walk. Semi-open cave system 15 km from Chillagoe in Mungana. Do also visit the Mungana Aboriginal art site, close to the Archways, well signposted.

Bauhinia Cave: 20 minutes, difficult self-guided walk. Narrow passage to an impressive underground chamber.

Pompeii Cave: 50 minutes, difficult self-guided walk. Steep passage to impressive rock formations. Bats.

We suggest you do a couple of the guided cave tours – or at least the self-guided tour at the Archways. Bring good shoes and particularly torches for the self-guided tours.

When you are at the Archways, don’t miss the Mungana Aboriginal art site just next to the Archways. Stunning Aboriginal cave paintings from the Kuku-Yulanji Aboriginal people exist here! Surprisingly, you are allowed to get very close to them!

10-day trip to Australia – Queensland | Photo: Travel In Culture

You must get tickets for the guided tours in advance from ‘The Hub’ in Chillagoe.

When you are back in Chillagoe, you will now do like the locals. Go to Weir Road and jump into the billabong (the Weir swimming hole)! It is very refreshing on a hot summer (or winter) day!

In the evening, you will, on a clear night, enjoy the sights of a spectacular sky full of stars – and maybe the moon lying down smiling – as it sometimes does in the tropical regions! Stargazers may also get a chance to visit the observatory at the Chillagoe Observatory & Eco Lodge. If you stay at one of the campsites, you can participate in real outback campfires and enjoy the genuine outback atmosphere!

Day 5: Mareeba and Daintree River

On the fifth day of your Queensland / Australia trip, you will leave Chillagoe and drive in the rugged landscape through a couple of small historical villages back to Mareeba. You may get some wildlife encounters on the way: wallaroos, wallabies, wild cows or a snake on the road. Not least, you will be viewing thousands of reddish-brown termite mounds.

When approaching Mareeba, you will again be back in beautiful crop-producing farmlands. The area is famed for its sugar cane fields, banana, coffee, macadamia nut and cocoa plantations, papaya, pineapple and mango orchards. The mango is used locally for making mango wine (Golden Drop).

Go to Skybury Coffee Plantation just outside Mareeba for excellent morning coffee with great views over the tablelands. It is not only Queensland’s oldest plantation – but also the oldest commercial coffee plantation in Australia! Over 70% of Australia’s coffee crop is grown around Mareeba. There are several local coffee roasters. Moreover, Mareeba even features a coffee museum, the Coffee World.

Mareeba Heritage Museum & Visitor Information Centre | Photo: Travel In Culture

Next, visit the Mareeba Heritage Museum & Visitor Information Centre (free entry) in town – a must-see! It is a fantastic and instructive museum, brilliantly illustrating the olden times in the region. You will learn about Mareeba’s aboriginal background and fascinating history, the timber logging, the mining industry and the gold mining days, the 75-year-long tobacco production, the importance of the railways … and the rodeo! (and you can have another cup of local coffee brew at Mareeba Heritage Coffee House!)

Mareeba has a well-established rodeo tradition and a solid rodeo history dating back to 1949. The annual rodeo festival takes place in July. There is a whirl of activity with agricultural shows, wood-chopping competitions, parades and the crowning of the rodeo queen.

Photo: Travel In Culture

Queensland road trip itinerary – Australia in 10 days | Photo: Travel In Culture

Mareeba is also known for hot-air ballooning. If you have time (or stay for another day), you may try it out!
If you want to stay for another day in Mareeba (to get a little more time in Chillagoe – or the real feel of the Mareeba region and its exotic and comprehensive farmland production), you may consider making it a Friday or a Saturday.

In the afternoon, you will continue towards Daintree Rainforest, a World Heritage area.

You will pass lots of sugar cane fields and rails for the sugar cane tramways. An extended network of cane railways along the coast used to transport the freshly harvested canes to the sugar mill from June/July to November/December exists.

It is a 1.5-hour drive from Mareeba to Daintree River, where you will take the small car ferry to cross the river. Have cash ready for the ferry ticket since only cash is accepted outside office hours. Check the hours and fares. At some moments during the day, the wait to cross can be pretty long!

After crossing, you will ascend the winding road and continue to your accommodation in Daintree, which you have reserved beforehand.

One possibility is to stay at the Daintree Rainforest Retreat in Cow Bay. It is a fabulous place in the middle of the rainforest, even featuring a pond, which is home to insects and tiny animals, as well as a cool swimming pool (with a fence around) for the guests! Perfect for a genuine rainforest experience.

Day 6: Exploring Daintree Rainforest

If you wake up early on the sixth day of your 10-day in Australia trip, you will enjoy the sounds of the Queensland rainforest waking up at dawn. With a little luck, you may catch sight of a musky rat kangaroo – a little marsupial living near creeks and other wet areas or the red-legged paddy melon, looking like a tiny kangaroo.

Today, you will do some boardwalks and other trails in the rainforest – possibly ending up at the northern point, Cape Tribulation. It is one of the best ways to explore the 135 million-year-old rainforest, the oldest rainforest on Earth and a wondrous universe. It is also unique in having the largest number of both plant and animal species in the world – more than 3,000 unique species!

You will pick 2-3 of the walks as described in the Daintree Discovery Guide.

Take a look here to book other tours and activities in Daintree (affiliate link).

You can opt to do a boardwalk:

On this boardwalk, you will pass through creeks and other wet areas in the lowland rainforest. You will get the chance to see the tallest cycad in the world (which is 20 metres high) – and you may catch sight of the beautiful flightless big bird with powerful legs and claws, a cassowary. The walk is named with the indigenous Kuku Yalanji people’s term for ‘Foot of the Mountain’). The start location is at the Daintree Discovery Centre, Tulip Oak Road, Cow Bay.

This walk is a window back in time as it covers the evolution of the rainforest in species through the last 400 million years. You will pass through mangroves, see paperbark and pandanus trees, and the beauty of botanical diversity, for instance, flowering plants like orchids. You will start from Cape Tribulation Road just south of Cape Tribulation.

Australia itinerary 10 days | Photo: Travel In Culture

This boardwalk is a walk through lowland forests, mangroves and rainforest beaches. There are chances of spotting cassowaries along the way.

Before going, always check for possible park alerts.

For lunch, try something local, for instance, in a place like Mason’s Café just south of Cape Tribulation. Here, you get the chance to taste a croc or a kangaroo burger – and you can jump into their swimming hole, which they guarantee is crocodile-free!

If you stay at a lodge with a swimming pool like the Daintree Rainforest Retreat, you may now also opt to spend the rest of the day there – and relax in the vast rainforest!

Read more about Daintree Rainforest here

Day 7: Mossman Gorge

On the seventh day of your Queensland – Australia trip, you will go to Mossman Gorge World Heritage Site in the southern part of Daintree. If you have time, you may also consider a boat trip to Mossman Gorge (affiliate link).

Mossman Gorge is a rainforest experience where you can get a unique insight into Australia’s authentic aboriginal culture through the guided ‘Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk’ with a local indigenous person. The area is a natural wonder featuring gigantic granite boulders and crystal creeks.

When arriving at Mossman Gorge, you will park at the Mossman Gorge Centre. The first thing is to book your Dreamtime Walk for later today in the Mossman Gorge Centre.

Share on Social Media
10-Day Itinerary for Queensland in Australia

  

Itinerary for Queensland Australia

  

Now, you will take a shuttle bus into the Gorge (buses depart every 15 minutes).

There are many things you can do here. Take one of the walking tracks, for instance, the Gorge Circuit meandering through the intriguing rainforest. You may also bring a picnic to enjoy at a beautiful spot under the canopy of the lush rainforest. Relax at one of the water holes appearing here and there on the forest floor. Be aware that swimming in a water hole is at your own risk (there is no crocodile-free zone here)! So is entering the Mossman River, which can be dangerous and where floodings can occur fast and be massive in case of rain.

Do be back in due time for your Dreamtime Walk. On the walk, you will learn about the flora and fauna used by the original Kuku Yalanji people in Queensland / Australia. You will enter the people’s private land and learn about bush food and poisonous plants. Moreover, you may see how to make bush soap and special ochre paint.

At the end of the day, return to your Daintree accommodation (if you stay for another night in the rainforest) – or continue to Port Douglas for the night, a short distance from Mossman Gorge (20 minutes’ driving).

Share on Social Media
10-Day Itinerary for Queensland in Australia

  

Itinerary for Queensland Australia

  

Day 8: Port Douglas – the Coral Sea in Queensland, Australia

Port Douglas is next. It is a small seaside town on the Coral Sea featuring luxurious hotels, upscale resorts, vibrant restaurants and a lively marina with a whirl of reef-oriented activity. Quite uniquely, it is the place in the world at the same time adjacent to two World Heritage-listed sites, the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

The tropical coastal town is the gateway to exploring the Coral Sea and the reef. Several tour operators offer tours (affiliate link) and cruises to pristine coral islands as well as the Outer Reef. From Port Douglas, you may get access to top reef experiences on the Agincourt Reef with its stunning biodiversity or to the Low Isles, a protected sandy coral cay surrounded by fascinating reefs.

Photo: Yuejun / Pixabay

Also, around Port Douglas, you have easy access to outstanding beaches. The popular, sandy Four Mile Beach is Port Douglas’ famous beach that stretches as far as the eye can see.

Stroll in Port Douglas and get the feel of the small town. Have lunch in one of the hip restaurants or immerse yourself in one of the trendy cafés. The vibe is fantastic.

In the afternoon, you may explore Four Mile Beach or go on a reef tour out of Port Douglas (which you will already have made a reservation for).

The reef tour could be a Low Isles and lagoon tour on a glass bottom boat with snorkelling possibilities on the Low Isles (for example, organised by Reef Sprinter, which also provides snorkelling equipment and stinger or wetsuits). You will study the exotic hard and soft corals, the vividly striped fish, a sea turtle or two, and even small sharks in the shallow sea surrounding the islands. The coral islands, Low Isles, have been known for centuries.

Photo: Travel In Culture

The Aboriginal people, the Kuku Yalanji and Yiragandi people, know the islands as Wungkun. Also, Captain James Cook described the islands back in 1770. In addition to the snorkelling adventure, you may also get a guided tour of the historic lighthouse from 1878 in the middle of the island. It was also precisely to Low Isles the famous crocodile hunter Steve Irwin was brought in and died after getting mortally speared by a stingray’s barb.

Stay in Port Douglas for the night to experience the nightlife here, or continue down to Cairns, where you may arrive just in time to try Cairns Esplanade Lagoon (free entry). The Lagoon is a large, filtered saltwater swimming facility without the risk of stingers and crocodiles. Next to it, you will find barbecues for public use.

On the ninth day of your 10 days in Queensland / Australia trip, you will have a (second) reef experience out of Cairns. You may want to go to the Outer Barrier Reef on a day tour, snorkelling among colourful corals, larger fish and other spectacular marine life. The Outer Reef offers the opportunity to view even more impressive corals, fish and other reef life than in shallow water near the coast. However, the colours have, to some extent, been bleached over the last years.

Photo: C Sharker / Pixabay

 
If you are an experienced diver, you probably will want to go scuba diving. Plentiful tour agencies offer a wide range of reef tours out of Cairns – you will just have to pick one depending on your preferences, experience and budget! Of course, you should already reserve your preferred tour in advance.

When you return to Cairns in the late afternoon, you may now want to go to Cairns City Library. In a large tree near the library in Lake Street, you may be an avid spectator of an eye-catching colony of flying foxes hanging down the tree. Such striking flying fox colonies exist at various locations in Cairns.

On the last day of your 10 days in Australia / Queensland trip, you will go to Fitzroy Island for a different island experience. Fitzroy Island is not a coral island – but an island with a rainforest in the middle and many kilometres of walking trails. Nevertheless, it is surrounded by the Coral Sea with its stunning coral structures. Therefore, there are plenty of opportunities to snorkel and study stunningly beautiful corals and small colourful fish from the beach.

Take the Fitzroy Island Ferry / Fitzroy Flyer to the island (make reservations beforehand: book a tour to Fitzroy Island (affiliate link)).

When arriving on the island, there are plenty of things to do. Set out on a hike to the summit and the lighthouse (allow 2.5 hours). It is a round trip where you, from the summit, get breathtaking views over the ocean. You may even spot a humpback whale if you come here during the whale migration season (binoculars will prove helpful!). The trail will take you through the lush rainforest with all its spectacular vegetation.

Photo: Travel In Culture

After the hike, you may want to relax on the beach where you arrived this morning (Welcome Bay) – and do some snorkelling and coral viewing (you may even be able to view the corals from the beach without going snorkelling). You can also hire a kayak to see the spectacular corals from a different angle. If you don’t bring your snorkelling gear, you can rent masks and fins at the Dive and Adventure Centre.

By now, time is probably up for the picnic you may have brought to Fitzroy Island – or lunch in one of the Fitzroy beach restaurants where you will soak up the island atmosphere.

Photo: Travel In Culture

In the afternoon, you will follow the trail to Nudey Beach – probably one of the best and most popular beaches not just on Fitzroy Island – but in all of Australia! Swim in the emerald sea and look for beautiful coral fossils on the beach in the pristine white sand. Unfortunately, you cannot take any of the fossils back home!

Photo: Travel In Culture

If you feel like doing more activities on the island, there is a short hike (allow 45 minutes return) to the Secret Garden, the habitat of beautiful Green Triangle Butterflies. Otherwise, visit the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, caring for sick and injured sea turtles. You can take a tour for a fee.

If you want to stay overnight on Fitzroy Island, there is a comfortable island resort and a campground where you are right between the rainforest and the beach. If you improvise a longer stay on the island, you can rent a tent there!

Fitzroy Island has an Aboriginal background, and the stories of how the island was formed are today continuously being told. Still, the Gurubana-Gunggandji Aboriginal people and rangers manage the island, together with the Department of Environment and Heritage in Queensland, Australia. You should have this history and perspective in mind when visiting the island.

Travel Insurance / Visa
Have you considered what you will do in the (unlikely) event of something unforeseen happening? Do you need travel insurance? Check here if you need travel insurance for your trip – and check here if you need a visa for your trip and apply for it!

Cities & Things to Do in New Zealand North Island in 8 Days

Travel In Culture

… Continue reading →

Tokyo to Kyoto by Train: Ultimate 3-day Itinerary

Travel In Culture

… Continue reading →