After spending 10 weeks travelling Australias east coast I'm pretty confident that we found some absolutely stunning hidden gems. So I'm going to share them all with you. In no particular order...
Lady Musgrave Island
I am starting with Lady Musgrave because it's arguably not a hidden gem. It's definitely a gem, but possibly quite well known? However, when it comes to snorkeling the Great Barrier reef everyone thinks of the Whitsundays or Cairns and this is why I'm putting Lady Musgrave on the list.
It's a stunning island 2 hours off the coast of 1770. I've talked about our day trip to the island in a recent blog so I won't go into too much detail here.
The island itself is home to lots of birdlife and provides stunning views off the coral beaches. For me, the better views came when we snorkelled. Turtles everywhere! And brave Turtles at that. They swam right up to us, very inquisitive little things. We also got some amazing views on the glass bottom boat!
I highly recommend this trip. We went with 1770reef, a family run business that provided us with one of the most memorable day trips of the east coast.
Eungella National Park
Also a more well known gem, but still worthy of a mention! This absolutely stunning national park is now my back garden as we've settled in Mackay. From Mackay you can get to Eungella in 2 hours (maximum). This is one of my favourite national parks because of the views, the roads and the wildlife!
When you get towards Northern Queensland there is 'less' to see. A lot of pre-planned tours will go straight from Airlie Beach to Townsville/Magnetic Island. If you do that, you are going to miss out on this insane national park! Some of my favourite spots in the park are:
-Broken river platypus broadwalk
-Finch Hatton Gorge
-Goodes lookout
-Skyway lookout
Palmerston highway
Everyone will drive down this highway to get to Millaa Millaa where there is a stunning waterfall that you can swim in. Along the Palmerston highway is a large handful of waterfalls, don't bypass them on your way to Millaa Millaa!
-Zillie Falls
-Ellinjaa falls
-Tchupala falls
These falls are really hidden! There's the smallest sign in the bush off the side of the road. There's 2 parking bays on either side of the road. Tchupala is about 600m off the road, there's also a second fall about 800m off the road. We didn't go down to that one as the midday heat was kicking in.
-Henrietta creek
Not a waterfall but absolutely worth a visit. Jurassic park vibes with a safe swimming hole. It's also a cheap campground (just pay national park fees).
-Millaa Millaa (just because she's so stunning)
Babinda boulders
Not far from the above waterfalls is Babinda. We were heading here for the free campground, but it's also open as a tourist attraction. It's a beautiful swimming hole and definitely worth a visit! Picnic areas are available with BBQs so you can easily make a day of it.
Bunjils lookout
Oh now this one, this is definitely a hidden gem. We stayed here, again, because it was a donation campground but we were blown away when we got there. Views for miles, big play area, campfire and BBQs, clean flushing toilets and the most asthetic lookout.
Dorrigo rainforest centre and Crystal Shower falls
We stumbled across the rainforest centre whilst driving along the Waterfall Highway. We were so happy to have found it, the staff were really friendly and helpful. They gave us a map and highlighted broadwalks and waterfalls, told us how long the walk would take and where best to start from.
For a $2 donation we got all the help from the staff and access to the rainforest centre. This also included a small skywalk and a broadwalk through the rainforest. After we'd done these we headed over to the back car park to start the walk to Crystal Shower falls. You can go behind these falls and see them from a suspended bridge so you really do get the full affect.
Tin Can Bay
My favourite activity we did on the entire east coast. I have spoke about this in a recent blog but I cannot stress how amazing this was. $10 will get you a feeding token. You exchange your feeding token for a fish (or two) that you get to hand feed to a wild Dolphin. I mean, come on? It was magical and I would wake up at 5am to do it again! The volunteers have awesome stories about the pod and Dolphins in general. Very educational, very entertaining and supporting a local community.
Rockhampton botanical gardens and zoo
Possibly another more known gem but still worthy of a mention. When people think of zoos in Australia they think of Steve Irwin's zoo. Is it a good zoo? If you like reptiles yes it is. Are there more diverse zoos in Australia? Yes there are.
Rockhampton was one of my favourite zoos on the east coast, made even better by the fact it's free! I would have happily paid for entry as it is such an awesome little zoo! It's also located in the Botanical Gardens so again you can make a full day out of it with the zoo and gardens.
Yeppoon and The Caves
Yeppoon is another area within the 'blank' part of Queensland. The part you'll miss on an organised tour. We could have easily spent another day in and around Yeppoon. Not far from Rockhampton, Yeppoon hosts the most amazing, free, infinity lagoon. Free 4 hour parking just down the road, changing rooms and private hot showers. What's not to love?
North of Yeppoon there is Capricorn dinosaur mini golf. Yep. The course is within a small wildlife park, both have separate entry costs. We paid $20 each for just the mini golf. I know that seems expensive but when I tell you it was the best mini golf course I've ever seen!!! The holes were insane, the theming was sensational and apparently they are adding a bar later this year. Amazing.
West of Yeppoon you have The Caves. As you can probably imagine, this area is known for the large cave system. We booked the Cathedral Cave your. We ended up being the only two on our tour, the guide was fantastic and really moulded the tour to suit us. I highly recommend this tour just for the time you get to spend sat in the cathedral listening to the song they play. It's a goosebump moment that I'll never forget.
Four mile beach
Last but by no means least, we have four mile beach in Cairns. Although the sea is not safe for a swim, this beach is a must visit spot. Coconuts roll gently with the tide, palm trees line the soft sandy shores. It's just incredible.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the blog. Comment down below if you've been to any of these places. Follow along for more here on Wix blogs, Instagram @bilbo.h and TikTok @travelbeeblogs
I am also thrilled to say we are still offering a massive 20% discount at Pineapple Island with code BILLIE at checkout! Click the link to check out their beautiful surfer chic jewellery.
コメント