Top Brisbane Driving Experiences
From the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise to the South and the Sunshine Coast to the North, there's plenty to see in Brisbane and beyond.
Gold Coast / Surfers Paradise (40 minutes from Brisbane)
Australias Gold Coast is famous for its stunning beaches, subtropical rainforests and great entertainment options. The Gold Coast also has more theme parks than any other holiday destination in the southern hemisphere. The Gold Coast is famous for its stunning beaches. With 70 kilometres of uninterrupted coastline, the Gold Coast beaches have something for everyone. The Gold Coast's 35 beaches are all patrolled to ensure families can relax at the beach because they know they are safe in the water.
It is difficult to put a time limit on how long to spend on the Gold Coast. Rather than setting an itinerary, it is best to choose from the following attractions and set your own schedule Warner Bros Movie World, Sea World, Wet'n'Wild Water World, Dreamworld.
A visit to Mount Tamborine, Tamborine Village North Tamborine and Eagle Heights will keep you busy for hours with cosy tea houses and beautiful art galleries. Tamborine even has its own award winning winery. Stroll down Gallery Walk, the main road through Eagle Heights and visit some of the area's treasured art and craft galleries, antique shops and eating spots. The western side of Tamborine Mountain has breathtaking views of the Great Dividing Range or Scenic Rim.
Sunshine Coast (one hour north of Brisbane)
Arrive at Brisbane airport to collect your rental car before heading north to Maroochydore. Maroochydore is the geographic centre of the Sunshine Coast and is the ideal base for your Sunshine Coast holiday. The Sunshine Coast also offers a variety of cultural escapes showcasing local talent and aboriginal heritage. Visit the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and various local art galleries featuring sculpture and paintings. If visiting on a Saturday, drop into the Eumundi Market - with 280 stalls, it is brimming with handmade art and craft. A wide range of nature escapes can be found nearby. Take a cruise with Eco Tours or the Everglades Water Bus Co., visit Forest Glen Sanctuary and see deer and Australian Wildlife and fishing charters are available. For something a little different, why not visit the Ginger Factory at Yandina or the Big Pineapple. Take a journey to another world at UnderWater World - Sunshine Coast where you can see the creatures of the tropical north. A trip to Australia Zoo is a must - home of TV's Crocodile Hunter. For those that are after an action escape, there are a number of recreational activities to suit most levels of experience. Activities range from canoeing, climbing, abseiling, sea kayaking and camel rides. Half or full day reef fishing tours are available from local charter companies.
Morton Island (about 2 hours on the barge)
The world's second-largest sand island, after Fraser. Ninety-eight per cent of its coastal scrub and dunes are national park. Development is limited to Tangalooma Resort, site of Queensland's only whaling station (1953-62), and three hamlets, one of which is Bulwer, where our barge lands us on the beach; there is no jetty.
Founded as a pilot station in 1848, Bulwer comprises several houses and a store. The store's most interesting feature, after its ice-cream selection, is twin notice boards. One is covered with community notices; the other has cautionary snapshots of indisposed vehicles, most memorably (travelling companions take great pleasure in this) a new Range Rover, its roof caved in and body half submerged in sand and wash.
Cape Moreton, the islands only rock, atop which stands the first lighthouse erected on Queensland's coast. Designed by colonial architect Edmund Blacket and built in 1857 of sandstone blocks quarried on the island, the red and white tower still flashes warnings.
Dozens of boats have foundered off these islands. Several ships and dozens of lives have been lost on Smith Rock, two nautical miles north-east of Cape Moreton. Hazards are not restricted to mariners. A headstone between the sea and the picket fence around the lighthouse marks the graves of keeper Thomas Griffin's wife, Mary Ann, who died in 1876, and three children, two of whom died in infancy.
Bribie Island (1.5 hours north of Brisbane)
Part retirement village, part day-trippers' retreat, part anglers' secret, this island north of Brisbane is also great for golfers. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find sleepy places anywhere between Coolangatta and Noosa, but Bribie Island, located only 70km north of Brisbane, is one of those peculiar Australian holiday destinations that is part retirement village, part day-trippers' retreat and part anglers' secret, while being ideal for sun lovers and golfers. Easily accessible (all you have to do is drive across the bridge from the mainland), it has managed to avoid the excesses of over-development by emphasising camping, caravan accommodation, fishing and surfing and by keeping almost all of the human activities to the southern tip of the island, which is nearly 30km long. And the Bribie who gave his name to the island? He was a Moreton Bay convict who lived on the island with his Aboriginal wife, having won his freedom because he was an exceptional mud crab catcher. Over the next year or so, Bribie Island will undergo a $3.5 million redevelopment. According to a Caboolture Shire Council spokesman, this will entail putting in better paths, lighting and roads around the historic jetty area. There's also a big eco-development underway, which will, on completion, be one of the most environmentally sensitive residential developments in the country.
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