19 Experiences To Tick Off In Queensland

Whether you’re day-tripping or visiting Queensland for a longer-stay this winter, here are of the best things you can do across the state right now.

1. FIND YOUR BALANCE Swap the laptop workouts for small group SUP fitness and yoga classes on the turquoise waters of Tallebudgera Creek. Even if you’ve never been on a stand-up paddle board before, you’ll know how to engage your core and read the currents before you’ve finished saluting the sun.

2. DAY-TRIP TO BRIBIE ISLAND Get acquainted with one of Brisbane’s closest island neighbours as you wander through eucalypt forests and paperbark wetlands on the Bicentennial Trails. Your reward: A takeaway seafood basket from the Oyster Shed, eaten with your toes dangling in the sea.

3. SEE ART UNDERWATER The official opening might be slightly delayed but it won’t be long before you can dive the underwater greenhouse in the Museum of Underwater Art, 18 metres below the surface at John Brewer Reef.

4. GO FOREST BATHING Picnics, bushwalking and mountain biking are all on the menu at Mount Coot-tha – a sprawling forest reserve just five kilometres from the CBD. Pick a trail or wander 27 hectares of native plants in the Botanic Gardens; there’s even a hide n seek trail for the kids.

5. BREW TRAIL Assign a designated driver and sample takeaway deals along the Sunshine Coast online beer trail. The interactive map dishes up all the info you need on 18 local breweries.

6. HOLE IN ONE Play 18 holes in the shadow of former world-champion golfer Adam Scott who recently live-broadcasted a round at Maleny Golf Club. Juniors can play for as little as $5.

7. HEAD TO MAGNETIC ISLAND From Townsville, it’s easy to dip a toe into the Great Barrier Reef. Ferry to Magnetic Island for a swim and picnic topped off by a sunset guided kayak tour.

8. BREATHE IN THE MOUNTAIN AIR Hit one of the trails of Lamington National Park – Morans Falls is a stunner – then soak up the views with a pre-booked picnic hamper from O’Reilly’s Mountain Cafe.

9. WAKE UP WITH THE WALLABIES There’s plenty of room for social distancing when you mingle with the locals at Casuarina Beach, Cape Hillsborough – a mob of eastern grey and agile wallabies who gather each morning to fossick for seaweed (and don’t mind a photo or two).

10. HIKE THE HEADLAND Do a progressive picnic walk along the Caloundra Coastal Pathway. Start with brekkie from The Pocket at Moffat Beach and finish with a nourish bowl from Happy Turtle Cafe at Happy Valley.

11. KNOCK ON CELLAR DOORS Take a scenic drive to Mount Tamborine’s Witches Falls Winery for a bottle of wild ferment malbec – or order via their Witches on Wheels – and jump online for virtual tastings.

12. TRY SOME PIE It’s worth the drive to Suttons Farm in Stanthorpe (perhaps a little easier come July) for a hefty slice of their freshly-baked apple pie with cider-laced ice-cream. Drop in on a few cellar doors before you head home.

13. GO STRAIGHT TO THE HEART Distance makes the heart grow fonder but luckily you can still see the Whitsundays’ heart beating in Hardy Reef with a Express Scenic Aeroplane Flight over Heart Reef and Whitehaven Beach, direct from Airlie Beach.

14. PADDLE WITH YOUR THOUGHTS Hire a kayak for a self-guided slow adventure through the tannin-stained ‘river of mirrors’ in the Noosa Everglades – a pristine pocket of the protected Noosa Biosphere, teeming with birdlife and water lilies.

15. HIKE TO ART Lace up your boots and discover the remarkable Strangler Cairn sculpture by artist Andy Goldsworthy along part of the Conondale Range Great Walk.

16. DIAL A FOOD TRUCK Download the ‘Where The Truck’ app and track down more than 60 food trucks in Brisbane offering safe pick up, or arrange a ‘Food Truck in my street’ for delivery direct to your door.

17. FOLLOW THE PAPERBARK TRAIL You might find yourself believing in fairies along this short 400-metre trail in Agnes Waters. Step your way to the thrum of frog calls, surrounded by butterflies and lorikeets.

18. CATCH A BARRA Hire a tinny or pontoon boat and cruise the mangrove-lined Trinity Inlet. Pop in some crab pots to catch a North Queensland mud crab or if you’re lucky you might bag a barramundi.

19. TAKE ON THE BIG RED If your new travel ethos is to go as remote as possible, start planning your pilgrimage to watch the sun slip below the horizon from the top of Big Red – the first sand dune in the Simpson Desert, just outside Birdsville.