Queensland - Where to go/stay? What to do/see?

Lily House

Lily House

Hi all,

Currently my hubby and I are planning our mid-year road trip around Australia - taking advantage of some Long Service Leave to realise one of our dreams.

We live in Melbourne, and our rough itinery is to head, via Mildura, to South Australia, up the outback to Alice Springs etc, up to Darwin, then across to the Queensland coast and back home (via the coast).

We will be travelling in the family car (so need to keep to decent roads, unless joining a short tour), and will have our two young daughters with us - then aged 3 and nearly 7. We have 3-4 months available.

So to all those who live in Queensland, or who have travelled there, we would love some advice. What are the must see places to go to/things to do?(particularly along the coast). Any suggestions for reasonable family accomodation (would prefer 2 bedroom, though not luxery accomodation as we want to return home without a massive debt).

We can't wait to experience so much of this wonderful country. Any ideas would be most appreciated.

Thanks
:)
Lily
 
My best suggestion is to try to book by wotif using public internet access, to get self catered accommodation about twoweeks in advance. You not only save on the accommodation- self catering can save you a lotof money along the way.
 
I just can't resist....Cairns really is heaven on a stick!

I do hope you make it this far...tis well worth the drive. There is so much to see and do...where do I start:

The Great Barrier Reef trips...1/2 or one day if time is limited. Snorkelling, fishing, diving to just checking out the fish and coral via submarine....and so much more...

http://www.tropicalaustralia.com.au/

The Stockman's Hall of Fame at Longreach has so many treats in store:
http://www.outbackheritage.com.au/

Then there's Cape Trib....tis a must...
http://www.daintreecoast.com/

I could go on and on and on....but check out the web sites and see what you fancy....what a wonderful time you will have.:)
 
If you make it near Noosa seek to canoe the Everglades you wont regret it. Such a tranquell setting, in parts of the glades the reflections appear to be trees growing out of the water. You can do anything from a day trip to a few days up the river and stay at a place called Harries hut I have not been that far myself but one day will get around to it
 
Thank you for your ideas.

Geoff - Thanks, and you're right - we definatly want to have self catering as much as possible - for dietary reasons as well as budgetary. I suppose we should be able to get accomadation as we go in Qlds - think we'll probably have to book earlier for central Australia.

Thanks Sailor - Cairns is absolutely on the agenda. :) Would love to go up as high as Tribulation as well. Thanks for the websites - I'll be sure to check them out.

Wanelad - that is just the sort of gem information I am after. We would have factored in Noosa for the beaches - but that canoeing trip sounds wonderful! Thank you.

:)
Lily
 
LH

Something else we found out by accident.

We were given a flat sandwich maker for a present while we were on holiday.

That proved to be a great asset while travelling- and not just restricted to sandwiches.

It was a grill unit we could use for various meats and veggies, using minimal fats. It heated top and bottom- and made snacks which kids of whatever age enjoyed.
 
My personal favourite Lily.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Australia_and_Oceania/TravelGuide-Australia_and_Oceania.html

Don't go anywhere in the world without checking in to Virtual Tourist first. Check the home pages of the members that live in the places that interest you for great ideas of places to see and things to do. Members put a lot of effort into their home pages so once you find your way around the site you'll wonder how you managed to plan a trip without it. Then you can go on the forums and ask specific questions about whats hot and whats not. Its a great resource.

Have a great trip.
cheers
Helen
 
I'll second Cape Tribulation - it is a beautiful spot. You can reach there easily with any car, but the road gets more rugged as you pass Cape Trib. Check out the Cape Tribulation Beach House at http://www.capetribbeach.com.au/index.htm I just loved this place when we stayed there a year or so ago. It is right on the beach and is beautifully landscaped. It is very much a tropical escape! The crowd is quite mixed and does include a lot of backpackers, but family rooms are available and there tends to be a fairly relaxed and serene atmosphere. Most of the partying with the backpackers goes on right in the middle of Cape Trib where most of the other accommodation is, so the Cape Trib Beach House tends to stay fairly quiet.

Have fun!
 
Thanks again Geoff - good tip.

Helen - that website sounds awesome - thank you!

Ali G - the beach house sounds lovely! Thanks!

:)
Lily
 
G'day Lily,

When you make your way closer to SEQ, do take half a day to check out the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. In particular, Montville and the other place starting with M (can't bring it to mind...). Melany - just a beautiful part of the world.

We live on the Southside of Brisbane, but, when heading North, we usually find some time to re-visit this area. It's up the hill, thus giving great views, the grass is greener, the weather is cooler, and the whole area just has a laid-back feel to it.

Sounds like you and the family are going to have a ball!!! Enjoy,

Regards,
 
Speaking of markets, I should have mentioned the Port Douglas market if you head north. They have a great range of goodies there... even my market-hating partner enjoyed it! We picked up a stunning hand blown glass vase, a three piece photographic artwork (for a wedding present - absolutely stunning) and more fresh and tasty macadamia nuts from the tablelands than we knew what to do with! The kids can get a coconut cracked and shaved, ready for eating, right before their eyes. It's worth a visit for sure.
 
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