Queensland is Australia's second-largest state by area and the one most visitors picture when they think of tropical Australia. The state runs from the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast in the southeast — relatively built-up, beach-and-surf territory — through Brisbane up to the tropics, where the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree rainforest are the main draws.
Brisbane has become a genuinely interesting city since its days as the country's most overlooked capital. South Bank, the cultural precinct across the river from the CBD, has a riverside beach and outdoor pools alongside galleries and cafes. The city hosted the 1988 World Expo and has been building ever since; it will host the 2032 Olympics.
Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree. It's a compact town that exists largely as a launchpad for outdoor activity — reef trips, white-water rafting on the Tully River, and rainforest tours leave daily. The reef diving from Cairns is world-class; liveaboard trips to the outer reef are better still.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral system — 2,300 km from north to south — and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's under significant pressure from warming ocean temperatures and coral bleaching. The outer reef remains extraordinary; some inshore sections are more damaged. See it while it's there.
The Daintree, north of Cairns, is the world's oldest surviving tropical rainforest, dating back at least 180 million years. The road through it crosses the Daintree River on a small cable ferry; crocodiles are present in the river and should be treated as a genuine hazard.
The Whitsunday Islands — 74 islands in the middle of the reef — are a sailing and beach destination. Whitehaven Beach, with its white silica sand and utterly clear water, is one of the best beaches on the continent. Airlie Beach is the main departure point for Whitsunday sailing trips.
Queensland's interior — the Channel Country, the outback — is less visited but distinctive. Longreach, the birthplace of Qantas, and the fossil fields around Winton have specialist appeal.
Destinations in Queensland
Brisbane Cairns Chinchilla Cooktown Gold Coast Great Barrier Reef Whitsundays
