Queensland Holidays

Reef Sleep is a unique adventure, offering the chance to sleep under the stars on the Great Barrier Reef! By day, Cruise Whitsundays’ ‘Reefworld’ pontoon at Hardy Reef is used by day trippers as a base to explore the marine-rich waters. After 3pm, it’s an exclusive spot for a small number of guests. Enjoy quiet snorkelling time, sip Champagne at sunset,  and watch as the reef comes alive. Then let the waves lull you to sleep in your cosy swag, set up out in the open-air on the top deck of the pontoon.

Travel in comfort on board Calypso – a custom-designed motorised catamaran, complete with day bed-style seating and spacious decks, to 3 different Outer Barrier Reef sites that showcase the reef’s colourful marine life just a few metres below the surface. There’ll be the opportunity to listen to interpretive reef talks and enjoy guided snorkel tours.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 8.20am
• Daily departures from Port Douglas
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Wander through the recreated natural environments of Wildlife Habitat on an immersive guided experience where you will learn about the many species in our region. Then cross the Daintree River for lunch at Mason’s Café and enjoy a dip in the freshwater swimming hole. Explore the world’s oldest rainforest with one of the knowledgeable local guides and visit Cape Tribulation Beach. Stop at Alexandra Lookout before boarding a cruise and search for wildlife including Estuarine Crocodiles.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 7.15am
• Daily departures from Cairns
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Board Quicksilver’s 45-metre high-speed catamaran on a full-day cruise to Agincourt Reef on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Explore the reef from a semi-submersible, an underwater observatory or snorkel and dive. This cruise is ideal for those keen to do lots of activities and for those wanting to add a wonderful airborne perspective, helicopter transfers are also available (at a supplement).

Departs from Port Douglas.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 9am
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Travel on board this fast stable motor catamaran for 1½ hours to reach Marine World on the Outer Barrier Reef. You’ll spend around 5 hours at this private reef platform, which provides the ideal base for activities including snorkelling, glass bottom boat tours, underwater observatory viewing and relaxing on the spacious sundeck. Other activities – such as scenic helicopter flights and diving – are available at extra cost.

• Duration: full day
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Board your Sailaway vessel at Port Douglas Marina and set off on a sunset sail cruise along the Port Douglas coastline on board a first class sailing catamaran. Enjoy the peace and tranquillity of a tropical sunset over the Coral Sea with spectacular mountain views, and enjoy a complimentary welcome drink alongside a selection of canapés.

• Duration: 1½ hours
• Start time 4.30pm
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Spend a morning cruising the Whitsunday Islands, stopping for a walk on Whitehaven Beach. As you sail, your skipper will provide an informative commentary on the area's highlights as you cruise to the world-famous Whitehaven Beach. You’ll have time to wander along the beach or swim at your own pace before returning to Hamilton Island Marina or Port of Airlie before lunch.

The morning begins at either Hamilton Island Marina or Port of Airlie, where you’ll board the vessel for a morning Whitsunday Islands and Whitehaven Beach cruise. The boat has ample seating areas inside and out. Morning tea is included onboard as you overlook the crystal-clear waters and immaculate white sand along Whitsunday Island, the largest of the 74 islands.

• Duration: 4 hours from Hamilton Island or 6 hours from Port of Airlie
• Departs daily
• Operates year-round 
• Group experience

Spend a full day exploring the Great Barrier Reef. Board a high-speed catamaran at either Hamilton Island Marina or Port of Airlie and set sail for the Whitsunday Islands and Hardy Reef, where you'll spend over three hours at Reefworld. This pontoon facility makes exploring the reef comfortable, with seating, freshwater showers, and changing rooms. You'll have full use of snorkelling equipment and wetsuits but access to an underwater viewing chamber and semi-submersible rides for coral viewing if you don’t fancy getting into the water. There are also presentations by reef experts. Optional activities like certified and introductory scuba diving and helicopter scenic flights are also available but charged separately. Lunch is served back on board, and the day concludes when you arrive back at either Hamilton Island Marina or Port of Airlie.

• Duration: 8 hours from Hamilton Island or 10 hours from Port of Airlie
• Departs daily
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Spend a full day diving and snorkelling around the Outer Reef. Embark on an unforgettable adventure as you enter a world teeming with exotic fish life and coral gardens. Whether you decide to snorkel or scuba dive, you'll have the opportunity to see green turtles, manta rays, clownfish, and soft and hard corals up close. After exploring, relax in comfort and style on a luxury catamaran as you cruise back to Cairns.

• Duration: 9 hours
• Start time: 8am
• Departs daily
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

On a full-day Nagana Kulkinga Dungay tour, you'll be collected from your hotel and taken on an adventure through Kuku Yalanji country. You'll see some culturally significant sights and local attractions, including the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest. A local Aboriginal guide will lead the way, and you'll learn about the relationship the Kuku Yalanji people still have with their land. You'll walk through the world's oldest living rainforest, see natural wonders, and see where the rainforest meets the reef.

Plus, you'll explore coastal habitats and learn about the environment, different foods, and medicines that are derived from nature. There’s the chance to sample some bush tucker and take a dip in one of the pristine freshwater streams in the area.

• Duration: 8½ hours
• Start time: 8am
• Monday to Saturday departures
• Operates year-round 
• Group experience

An action-packed day on board a purpose-built vehicle awaits on this tour of the oldest rainforest on Earth. Your guide on the tour has been specifically selected for their local knowledge and experience and they will be on hand to tell you all you need to know about this UNESCO World Heritage Site and add to your memorable experience. First up is a guided walk through the Daintree National Park’s Mossman Gorge, a scar in the landscape carved out by the Mossman River and hugely important cultural site for the Kuku Yalanji people.

Next, you’ll take to the water on a croc-spotting cruise along the Daintree River and have lunch in a stunning rainforest setting. The afternoon includes a visit to Cape Tribulation (or Kulki) and the stunning Myall Beach, the spot at which two natural World Heritage Sites of the rainforest and Great Barrier Reef meet. On the drive back to Cairns, you’ll make a pitstop at the Daintree Ice Cream Company and the Alexandra Lookout for some pretty jaw-dropping and far-reaching views.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 6.45am
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

This is a full-day exploration of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island), designed to give you a broad, well-paced introduction to one of Australia’s most unusual landscapes. You’ll travel by ferry and four-wheel-drive coach, visit freshwater lakes, rainforest and ocean beaches, and cover a lot of ground. It’s a long day, but if you want to see the island’s key highlights in one go, this does exactly that.

The day begins inland at Central Station, once a busy logging settlement with shops and a school, now reclaimed by rainforest. From here, you’ll follow the boardwalk along Wanggoolba Creek, a slow-moving, glass-clear stream shaded by ancient king ferns, ghost gums and towering pines. It’s calm and cool, and a gentle way to ease into the day before the beach driving begins.

From the forest, you’ll head to Lake McKenzie. The water is an unreal shade of blue, the sand almost white, and the atmosphere often speaks for itself. After time here, the tour moves onto Seventy-Five Mile Beach, which doubles as the island’s main highway. If you want a different perspective, there’s also the option to book a scenic flight during the day, offering a clear sense of just how vast and unconventional the island really is.

Next comes Eli Creek, where you can wade or float downstream in clear, fast-flowing freshwater as it spills out into the ocean. A photo stop at the Maheno Shipwreck follows.  The final highlight is the Pinnacles Coloured Sands. Layers of red, yellow and orange reveal both a long geological history and an important Butchulla Dreamtime story connected to the island. 

• Start time: 8.30am
• Duration: full day
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round

This is a full, early-starting day trip from Noosa that covers a lot of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) in one go. You’ll travel by coach, ferry and four-wheel-drive bus, drive along ocean beaches, visit freshwater lakes and rainforest, and spend much of the day outdoors. It’s a long day, but if you want to see the island’s highlights without staying overnight, this is a well-rounded way to do it.

Once on the island, you head north along Seventy-Five Mile Beach, which doubles as K’gari’s main highway. Driving along firm sand with the ocean right beside you quickly becomes part of the experience. One of the first stops is Eli Creek, a fast-flowing freshwater stream where you can wade or float downstream, letting the current carry you gently toward the sea. Back on the coast, you continue to the SS Maheno Shipwreck. 

From here, the tour turns inland, following sandy tracks through forest to reach Boorangoora, also known as Lake McKenzie. You’ll have time to swim or relax beside the clear blue water and white silica sand, one of K’gari’s most iconic and peaceful locations.

Later in the day, you visit Central Station, once the centre of the island’s logging industry and now reclaimed by rainforest. From Pile Valley, you make your way back through the forest and out onto the eastern beach, travelling along Seventy-Five Mile Beach once more before catching the ferry back to the mainland. 

• Start time: 5.45am
• Duration: full day
• Departure days differ depending on time of year
• Operates year round

This sailing trip is ideal if you want a relaxed way to experience the region’s beaches, bays, and brilliant water. Make your own way to the Port of Airlie for an early check-in before boarding Camira, an 85-foot high-speed sailing catamaran with plenty of space to spread out and a smooth ride that suits all ages.

The day unfolds with a mix of sailing, exploring, and time in the water, and includes a guided walk to the Hill Inlet lookout, one of Australia’s most photographed viewpoints. Along the track, you’ll find displays that share stories of the Ngaro people, the area’s traditional owners, along with insights into the local environment. 

Between beach time, swims in clear bays, and a laid-back barbecue lunch on board, you’ll settle into the rhythm of the Whitsundays at a leisurely pace. Because it’s a true sailing trip, the route shifts with the weather, and the crew use their local know-how to shape the day and keep things fun. Loggerhead turtles and stingrays often glide past the boat, adding a bit of magic to the journey. You’ll return to the Port of Airlie in the late afternoon, sun-warmed and salty from a full day on the water.

• Full day
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

From Port Douglas, head off on this personalised and engaging small group tour to spend the day with a local Aboriginal guide. Visit a number of culturally significant areas and learn about the amazing relationships that the Kuku Yalanji have with their land. Walk through the rainforest and coastal habitats to learn about the environment, different foods and medicines utilised from nature, sample some bush tucker and try traditional Aboriginal hunting practices. Complete the adventure with time to enjoy lunch and cool off in a freshwater stream.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 8am
• Departs Monday to Saturday
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

This is a full-day visit to the outer Great Barrier Reef, designed to give you time, choice, and a comfortable base once you arrive. You’ll travel by high-speed catamaran from Port Douglas to Agincourt Reef, spend several hours at a permanent reef platform, and decide how active or relaxed you want the day to be. It’s a long day, but a practical option if you want an outer-reef experience without committing to a smaller boat or liveaboard trip.

The cruise takes you to Agincourt Reef, located along the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, where water clarity and coral health are typically better than closer to shore. A spacious activity platform is permanently moored in a sheltered lagoon, so when you arrive, access to the reef is straightforward and well organised. From here, you choose how to spend your time. If snorkelling is your focus, you can enter the water directly from the platform and explore at your own pace, with clear entry points and easy re-entry. If you’d rather stay dry, the semi-submersible and underwater observatory provide a clear view of the reef without swimming.

There are optional activities if you want to do more. Certified divers can book dives, beginners can try an introductory scuba experience with an instructor, and there’s an underwater helmet walk for those interested in walking along the sea floor while breathing normally. Guided snorkelling tours with a marine biologist and scenic helicopter flights over the reef are also available, all at additional cost.

• Start time: 10am
• Duration: 6½ hours
• Daily departures
• Operates year round

This is a full day out that brings together rainforest scenery, wildlife, Aboriginal culture, and two very different ways of travelling through the landscape. You’ll head up to Kuranda by cableway, spend time in the village and at Rainforestation Nature Park, and return on the Scenic Railway in Gold Class. It’s a well-organised day that covers a lot without feeling rushed.

You start by travelling to Kuranda on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, gliding above the rainforest canopy. Along the way, there are stops at Red Peak and Barron Falls, where you can step off, wander a little and take in views of the forest and waterfalls before continuing to Kuranda Village.

Once you arrive, you have time to explore Kuranda at your own pace. From here, the afternoon continues at Rainforestation Nature Park. After lunch, you climb aboard an Army Duck for a rainforest tour that moves across both land and water. Next is the Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience. You’ll watch a traditional dance performance in a rainforest setting, followed by a Dreamtime Walk that introduces cultural traditions, storytelling and the connection between people and place. You also have time to wander through the wildlife park, home to crocodiles, wombats, dingoes, snakes and a cassowary, alongside kangaroos and wallabies. 

• Start time: 7.15am 
• Daily departures 
• Operates year round
• Group experience