Australia is a big place even though it is considered to be ‘just an island’. Queensland, which is one of the states is also big. It’s coastline is 4.333 miles in length. To put this in proportion if you drove from Miami, Florida all the way to Seattle, Washington you would only have covered 3.297 miles. That’s only three quarters of the coastline of Queensland.
The Great Barrier Reef is typically the main reason families travel to Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on our planet and is an absolute ‘must do’ thing. The Great Barrier Reef consists of more than 3,000 coral reefs; 600 continental islands, 300 coral cays, and many mangrove islands. More than 1,600 species of tropical fish inhabit the reef as well as sharks, dugongs, dolphins, turtles, giant clams, and kaleidoscopic soft and hard corals. Cairns, Port Douglas, and Airlie Beach are the main launching points for tours.
Back on dry land and Daintree National Park is A Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. It is the planet’s oldest surviving rainforest and harbors one of the world’s highest concentrations of threatened and endangered species. More than 18,000 plant species live in the park plus a dazzling array of wildlife including the flightless southern cassowaries, crocodiles, Boyd’s rainforest dragons, brightly hued azure kingfishers, the spotted cuscuses, and musky rat-kangaroos.
If you like jungles Paronella Park is a great place to visit. Back in 1913 a man called Jose Paronella had a dream of building a castle in a virgin forest alongside Mena Creek, and by 1935 his dream was completed. He built a magnificent castle with grand staircase, lakeside tunnels and bridges, picnic areas and magnificent gardens, opened to the public. Over the years the property has seen tragedies, fire and cyclones, but today the castle is once again open to the public. Current owners Mark and Judy Evans have lovingly restored Paronella Park to be leisurely enjoyed both day and night, incorporating informative tours.
Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. You can explore windswept beaches, crystal clear lakes and streams, dingoes, dense forests, sacred aboriginal sites, and multi-hued rock formations in four-wheel drive wide. Seventy Five Mile Beach is the island’s main thoroughfare and provides access to attractions such as the rusted hull of the Maheno shipwreck, the bubbling rock pools of Champagne Pools, Eli Creek, and the colored sandstone cliffs of The Cathedrals. Animals and fish which live here include tiger sharks, dolphins, and whales swim in the wind-whipped waters, and the island’s fauna includes wild horses, Australia’s purest strain of dingo, and more than 300 species of birds.
If you want a break from adventure and just want relax on a beach you should head to the Whitsunday Islands. Here you will find on the uninhabited Whitsunday Island, Whitehaven Beach, with its powdery white sands and turquoise water. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire world. If you are here between June and September you will probably see whales out at sea, who give birth to their babies here.
Lamington National Park near Brisbane is a stunning World Heritage Area and one of the Queensland’s most popular national parks. Located on the McPherson Range, amid the remnants of an ancient volcano, the park contains spectacular scenery with steep gorges, more than 500 waterfalls, tropical and subtropical rain forests, and beech forests in the higher elevations. If you like nature, then you will be in heaven here as there are more than 190 species of birds living in the park, including bower birds and colorful flocks of parrots. You could also see red-necked pademelons which are a small kangaroo-like marsupial, and the shy duck-billed platypus which swim in river rock pools.
If you prefer to see animals in a more controlled environment then you need to check out The Crocodile Hunter’s Australia Zoo. This is the zoo ran by Steve Irwin and his family. You can relive special moment with Steve or just get stuck into learning about the stunning animal collection at the zoo.
