Things to Do in Queensland

The Whitsundays Passage is the waterway that carves through the middle of the Whitsunday Islands in the heart of northwestern Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. These famous islands, perhaps some of Australia's most popular tourist attractions, are named after the passage, which was given its title by the famed explorer Captain James Cook in 1770. The area was discovered on Whitsun, a Sunday feast day held seven weeks after Easter, thus resulting in the name. However, since the international dateline has now been established, it is now said that the day Cook discovered this passage would have actually been a Monday.

Within Whitsunday Passage, there are 74 islands in total, with the largest simply known as Whitsunday Island. Most of these islands have remained uninhabited or are, at the very least, protected by a vast system of national parks. The oldest settlement in the Whitsundays is the town of Bowen, settled in 1861. Later, in 1936, the city of Airlie Beach was established and it remains, in many ways, the heart of Whitsunday Passage. Today, the Whitsunday Passage is sailed constantly by tourists on chartered boats and cruises, while including some of the world's most photographed beaches.

UnderWater World Sea Life Aquarium is located in Mooloolaba along the Sunshine Coast, just an hour’s drive north of Brisbane. As the name suggests, it’s a marine park, aquarium, and wildlife sanctuary, and is particularly popular with families with children.

A popular attraction at UnderWater World is Sharks Alive, a moving walkway in an 80-meter shark tunnel. This takes visitors past various watery environments, including coral reef, caves, and open ocean habitats. Here you can spot grey nurse sharks, sandbar whalers, whitetip reef sharks, and zebra sharks – along with a whole host other marine life. There’s also a Seal Island Exhibit and a section entitled Crawly Creatures, which features the world’s largest marine and land crab species.

From movie-themed thrill rides and 4D movie experiences to spectacular stunt shows and star-studded parades featuring everyone from Shrek to Scooby-Doo, Warner Bros. Movie World is one of Australia’s coolest theme parks. The site lives up to its promise of bringing Hollywood to the Gold Coast.

Given that this is one of the most popular theme parks along the Gold Coast, it’s worth pre-booking tickets for Warner Bros. Movie World theme park to ensure fast-track entry. Thrill-seekers can also invest in a Gold Coast Theme Park pass and enjoy access to Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World, and Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast, or upgrade to also gain entry to Paradise Country and the Outback Spectacular.

 

 

Warner Bros. Movie World is located on the Gold Coast in Queensland, 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Brisbane (about a 45-minute drive) and 11 miles (18 kilometers) northwest of Surfers Paradise, 20 minutes away by road. You can get to the theme park by car, taxi, or as part of a tour, but public buses from the Gold Coast also stop nearby. The closest international airports are in Gold Coast and Brisbane, both 45 minutes away by road.

 

Warner Bros. Movie World is open year-round, but the busiest time is summer (December and January), when it can get crowded. With sunny days throughout the year, visiting outside of summer is a good choice for those looking to maximize their time and avoid crowds. But visiting during school holidays and celebrations can be atmospheric with special seasonal events like White Christmas and Fright Nights.

 

Adrenaline junkies will want to head straight for big thrill rides, like the DC Rivals HyperCoaster, the Doomsday Destroyer, the Green Lantern Coaster, and Superman Escape, while younger kids can enjoy family adventure rides, such as the Justice League 3D or the Road Runner Rollercoaster. Don’t forget to walk down Main Street, meet your favorite characters during the Star Parades, and attend the dramatic Hollywood Stunt Driver show.

Since opening its doors in 2004, the man-made Glow Worm Caves at the Cedar Creek wine estate have fast become one of the best places on the Gold Coast to view glow-worms in their natural habitat. Tucked away in the heart of the Tamborine Mountain, the carefully controlled environment within the caves is designed to mimic the rainforest wet caves favored by glow-worms, and thousands of them can be seen glittering in the darkness. 

After following the boardwalk through the rainforest to the cave entrance, visitors can venture underground to explore two caves, including a presentation cave, where an audio-visual display reveals the secrets of the cave's construction, environmental maintenance and glow-worm population.

For the longest slides, wind your way around Mach 5's high-energy open-air flumes. To ride waves, get the adrenaline ride of your life aboard Surfrider's giant surfboard.

Arguably Queensland's most popular dinner shower, Dracula's Cabaret on the bustling Gold Coast is an evening of sexy, scary, and spectacular burlesque theater and comedy. The adventure begins the moment you enter the soaring, Gothic style castle, where gargoyles peer down from six stories up and fruit bats circle overhead. Ride the ghost train into the theater and prepare for a scare at each turn, before perusing a menu of ghoulish cocktails and settling in for the show. The entertaining wait staff, or "Draculettes," keep the humor flowing throughout dinner, and set the stage for a wild evening of scary and sexual comedy.  Aside from the vaudeville cabaret and intricate, detailed costumes, the visual effects are out of this world and are accompanied by live, fast-paced music that will have you on the edge of your seat.  Add in death-defying aerial performers and mind-bending optical illusions, and Dracula's Cabaret is an unforgettable evening of fun on Queensland's Gold Coast.

The Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park offers a fascinating insight into Australia’s diverse Aboriginal heritage. Visitors can discover the 40,000-year history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and experience the Tjapukai people’s arts, traditions, and foods.

 

Most visitors arrive at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park from Cairns, and there are plenty of options for half- and full-day tours. Standard entrance tickets include access to the Creation Theater, where Aboriginal folklore and myths are brought to life; the Cultural Village, which hosts traditional corroboree celebrations, live music, and dance shows; and plenty of fun interactive activities. A night visit is even more atmospheric with a lakeside fire ceremony, spectacular cultural show, and a delicious buffet dinner all included.

 

For the best value, combine your visit with a city tour of Cairns, nearby family attractions such as Hartley's Crocodile Adventures, or a thrilling ride on the Kuranda Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which starts right next door to Tjapukai.

 

 

Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park is a short drive north of Cairns off Captain Cook Highway, next to Smithfield Station of Kuranda Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Visitors can take advantage of an hourly shuttle service to and from Cairns, the northern beaches, and Port Douglas. Bus 123 also runs to the park from Cairns or else it’s a short taxi ride from the town center.

 

Tjapukai is open daily year-round and, like most Cairns attractions, it’s busiest on weekends and during the summer holidays (December–January). Shows, demonstrations, and interactive workshops are repeated morning and afternoon, so it’s best to arrive either at opening or before 2pm to enjoy all the activities, while night visits start from 7pm.

 

There are plenty of fun ways to get involved at Tjapukai. Sample bush tucker (foods native to Australia) at the Cultural Village, try your hand at spear- and boomerang-throwing, learn to play the didgeridoo, and dance around the campfire. Additional bookable activities include a guided tasting and demonstration of bush foods, native plants, and natural medicines; and a traditional handicrafts workshop involving boomerang painting, weaving, and jewelry making.

Travelers can find world-class restaurants and pubs stationed along the quiet Esplanade, while beachfront BBQs, tennis courts and a lively football club mean there’s plenty of opportunity to meet sun-loving locals here any time of year.

There's something mildly disconcerting about riding in an elevator called "Death Wish." Or encountering a bleeding, gut-stained lifeguard who's been mauled by a Great White Shark. These are just two of the spooky encounters inside Dracula's Haunted House"”a state of the art, house of horrors on Queensland's bustling Gold Coast. Beginning in the depths of "The Underworld," the path leads up to "The Phobia Level" where your biggest fears come true"”including walking through a spider's nest and crawling through pitch-black tunnels. Be sure to keep your head on a swivel for rogue, sneak attack zombies, and never has it felt so scary and unnatural to crawl through a human being. In total, this haunted house is about 20 minutes of non-stop nightmares and screams"”unless your fears get the best of you and you sprint for the nearest door. Definitely not for the faint of the heart"”and enter here if you dare. 

With its powder-white silica sands, gleaming turquoise waters, and fringe of lush rainforest, it’s little surprise that Whitehaven is one of Australia’s most photographed beaches. Stretching for almost 3 miles (5 kilometers) along the coast of Whitsunday Island, it’s a magnificent sight and an idyllic spot for swimming and snorkelling. 

A tour of the Whitsundays Islands isn’t complete without a stroll along the silky soft sands of Whitehaven Beach, and most visitors opt to explore on a day trip from Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island. 

It’s possible to visit on a half-day cruise, while full-day tours offer even more beach time. Tour highlights include the views from the Hill Inlet lookout, snorkelling along pristine coral reefs, or a bushwalk through the surrounding rainforest. For the most spectacular views, experience the natural beauty of Whitehaven Beach from above on a helicopter or seaplane flight.

Whitehaven Beach is located along the southeastern coast of Whitsunday Island and is accessible only by boat. Most ferries and boat cruises leave from the Port of Airlie at Airlie Beach and take around 1.5 hours, typically stopping at Hamilton Island to pick up passengers along the way. 

The Whitsundays are a year-round destination. The most popular time to visit is during the summer (January and February), when it’s advisable to book tours and accommodation in advance and make an early start to avoid the crowds. Average day temperatures are still 73°F (23°C) in the winter months, so it’s possible to swim and snorkel all year. This is also the time to spot migrating whales along the coast.

Whitehaven Beach is just one of the many natural wonders of the Whitsundays Islands, and it’s worth choosing a day or multi-day cruise that takes in the surrounding sights. Highlights include sailing across the Whitsunday Passage, snorkelling at Mantaray Bay or Luncheon Bay around Hook Island, spotting koalas and kangaroos at the Wild Life Hamilton Island reserve, and looking out over Hamilton Island from One Tree Hill. 

With its striking green dome and colonnaded façade looming over the riverside, Brisbane's grand Customs House stands out as one of the city's most iconic heritage buildings. Dating back to 1889, the Customs House originally served to collect the custom duties on imports brought in Brisbane port, but today, the historic building is run by The University of Queensland and best known for its glamorous ballroom and function rooms.

The architectural gem is also open to the public, with visitors able to stroll around the building, view the Stuartholme-Behan exhibition of Australian Art and admire the collection of artifacts and memorabilia on display. There's also an on-site restaurant, with terrace seating overlooking the Brisbane River and the Story Bridge.

In addition to friendly residents, local restaurants and lively pubs, 1770 is home to a small marina where local boats make daily trips to Lady Musgrave Island and the Great Barrier Reef, as well as weekly trips to Bustard Head Light Station, too.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Surfers Paradise is one of the wackiest attractions on Queensland’s Gold Coast. A collection of the weird and wonderful, it’s a prime attraction for kids, with displays you can’t see anywhere else in the world. 

Ripley’s Surfers Paradise does just that. Covering 9,000 square feet, the museum hosts over 400 exhibits and artifacts in 15 themed galleries. Ripley’s is home to shrunken heads, a toilet paper wedding dress, an exhibit on the world’s tallest man, double spinning tunnels, the world’s smallest car and more. The museum is founded around Ripley’s famous quote: ‘I have traveled 201 countries and the strangest thing I’ve seen… is man.'

Journeying through the Odditorium is self-guided. Touring the museum takes, in general, at least an hour, though visitors are welcome to spend as long as they like walking through the exhibits. Guests are welcome to bring cameras as well.

All roads in central Townsville eventually lead to The Strand. As the city’s most beautiful and popular beach, The Strand is the sparkling centerpiece of Townsville’s golden coast. Even better, it has twice been voted “Australia’s Cleanest Beach” for its tidy, modern facilities. Take a jog on the walking paths that weave along the coast, or plan an afternoon barbecue or picnic on the park’s expansive lawn.

Fishermen gather at the northern end, in front of Kissing Point Fort, as bathers wade in the famous Rock Pool that faces out to sea. If it’s “stinger” season for Queensland’s box jellies, the section of beach just south of the pool has stinger nets and lifeguards. Waves are rarely an issue here, and it’s easy to simply float on your back and feel the sun on your face. For an extended trip when walking The Strand, make the climb up to Kissing Point Fort, where views stretch out to Magnetic Island and the vast Pacific beyond. The passenger ferry to Magnetic Island also departs from The Strand, and families will enjoy the large waterpark that’s perfect for children. Add in roadside cafés and restaurants just steps from the manicured grounds, and it’s easy to see why the famous Strand is the most happening place in town.

Housed in the historic Treasury Building, where in 1901, the proclamation of the Australian Commonwealth was read from one of the balconies, Treasury Casino is the glitzy heart of Brisbane’s gambling and nightlife. As the only casino in Queensland’s capital, visitors looking to strike it rich all cluster together in the game room, where poker, roulette, craps, and slots help keep the excitement at a high. There’s much more than simply gambling, however, to the notorious Queensland hot spot, as visitors will also find five restaurants, seven bars, and a nightclub, in addition to the adjoining Treasury Hotel that houses Brisbane’s high rollers. Eventually, there are plans for Brisbane’s Treasury Casino to move to a modern venue, but until that time comes and dice are still rolling in the historic Treasury building, visitors will still flock to the glamorous hub as they’ve done since 1995.

The shores of Queensland are known for their rugged beauty, untouched coastlines and breathtaking landscapes. Nowhere is Mother Nature's splendor more evident than on Magnetic Island, a popular holiday destination across the water from Townsville. 

With 27 square kilometers of scenic walking paths, impressive mountains and even a densely populated bird sanctuary, Magnetic Island is paradise for lovers of the outdoors. A national park covers more than half the island and in addition to plenty of hiking, anglers will find some of the sea's best fishing opportunities, too. Full moon parties, which take place with each new moon, and the Great Tropical Jazz Party every August, are two of the island's best celebrations.