My Adventure Along Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

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Taking a Pacific Coast Highway road trip is the best way to see Queensland. It is one of the most enjoyable and aesthetic road trips you can take in Australia. Here are some of my favorite stops I made on the trip. Hopefully they will help you learn about Pacific Coast travel and tourism in Queensland!




Getting a Car

My friend just bought a car from a broker, which is something you should consider if you want to travel around Queensland. Buying a used car gave us the most bang for our buck. Just make sure you’re smart about it.

Make sure you have pre-purchase inspections done so you know what kind of shape the car is already in. Investigate the history of the car, if these inspections show the car is in good condition and you want to buy it, don’t forget to get car safety certificates!




Brisbane

Brisbane is Australia’s third largest city, so I was never at a loss for things to do. There is an endless number of Brisbane tours and activities.

If you are and art lover like me, the best recommendation I can give you is to visit Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art. Visiting gives you an insight to Australia, because it features solely Australian art from the 1970s to current day. You can study everything from photography, to sculptures, to installations. I also took advantage of one of the gallery's free tours.

I also recommend visiting the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It is the world’s largest koala sanctuary and focuses on protecting Australian wildlife. We played with koalas, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, and platypuses. We spent over three hours at the sanctuary, so set aside an entire afternoon.







Fraser Island

From Brisbane, you definitely want to get on a boat to check out Fraser Island. Whether you are a beach bum or enjoy a little adventure, it is a must-see. At 184,000 hectares (75 miles) Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island.

Many tourists like hiring four wheelers to explore the island. I chose to do this, and it was an amazing way to explore! I recommend visiting Indian Head, which is rock formation developed by volcanic rock. The formation is beautiful and provides a top-notch view of the island. You may also want to stop by the Cathedral’s coloured cliffs or Lake McKenzie.




The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is not only one of the biggest attractions of Queensland, but of Australia as a whole. It would be a shame to take a Pacific Coast Highway road trip without exploring the reef.

A classic way to see the reef is to take a boat tour. Feel free to do your research, because there are numerous good boat tour companies out there. However, I recommend the company Ocean Rafting. They will pick you up from a previously agreed upon location in the morning to go to the boat. You can choose from a couple different tours. Regardless of which one you choose, you will get to see Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island National Park, and you will get to snorkel! They gave us guided walks around the National Park so you can learn about everything you are seeing.

Even if you don’t want to take a boat tour, please either take scuba diving or snorkelling lessons. There is no better way to see the Great Barrier Reef.







Cairns

Cairns marked the end of my road trip. It felt great to make it to the rainforest!

When we arrived in the city, we took a walk around the Esplanade Boardwalk. It’s a 2.5km stretch with a boardwalk, playgrounds, and fun restaurants. I walked into several of the boardwalk's restaurants during my stay here and tried delicious seafood. Take my word for it, give the seafood a chance! The Esplanade Boardwalk is a nice free activity.

My final day, I went to the Botanic Gardens. Every big city in Australia seems to have botanic gardens, but the Cairns gardens are special because they are filled with tropical plants you can only find in the rainforest.

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