Queensland Tours: 3 Days: Travel to Sunshine Coast e Brisbane, Australia: Attractions, Holiday parks and beaches
A long weekend in Sunshine Coast and Brisbane: There ara many attractions Visitors can enjoy.
The climate and attractions available in the Sunshine Coast, a region just over an hour from Brisbane, are perfect for an action-packed weekend or for a beautiful, quiet getaway at any time of the year.
Sunshine is made up of 4 sub-regions, each with a highlight and more than exclusive attractions. Spectacular and often “virgin” beaches stretch for miles. Whether they are for swimming or wonderful spots for surfing.
In Noosa Head, one of the most important spots in this region, Hastings Street presents visitors with many options of restaurants and sophisticated shops, all just steps from the beach.
In Noosa, the more adventurous traveler can enjoy the coastal walk in Noosa National Park. This is undoubtedly an unmissable program with unique scenarios in this region. SOUL Viajero’s tip: DON’T STOP!
Still in the Sunshine region other places (beaches) are highlighted: Sunshine Beach, Sunrise Beach, Marcus Beach, Peregian Beach and Coolum Beach.
From Mooloolaba to Marcoola is the heart of the Sunshine Coast. Mooloolaba is one of the most accessed beaches in this region. A trail along the shore takes the tourist from Mooloolaba to Maroochydore via Alexandra Headland.
How to get to Sunshine Coast:
The airlines Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Qantas serve the Sunshine Coast from Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The traveler can also fly from Auckland with Air New Zealand. If you decide to access by car, it takes about an hour and a half to drive from Sunshine Coast to Brisbane. The tourist can also take the train from Brisbane to various stations in the Sunshine Coast area.
Leaving the Sunshine region, the visitor still finds many attractions in the state capital of Queensland: Brisbane.
Brisbane is the capital of the “Sunshine State” (the State of the Sun) and is blessed with a subtropical climate throughout the year. With award-winning food and wine, a calendar full of events, adventure activities, scenic weekend getaways and lots to explore, this is a city where there is always something to do.
International flights arrive at Brisbane airport from many centers around the world. From the airport, it is easy to reach the city center in 20 minutes by taxi or train. In the city, as the heart of the city is known, there is a free bus service that runs every 10 minutes, and a free CityHooper ferry service that travels along the river from North Quay to New Farm.
Useful tips about Brisbane:
Decide when to visit and what to take to Bisbane by consulting the local climate, check out the link .
Find all the transport options in the city, check the link .
Visit a Visitor Information Center for more detailed information about the city / region.
After a brief explanation about some of the attractions of this sunny region of Australia, let’s go on our 3-day itinerary.
# 1 day: Rainbow Beach and Noosa Heads
Our weekend trip was filled with beaches and lots of nature. And the first stage started with the arrival the day before Brisbane airport and the drive to the Sunshine Coast region (about 1 hour by road).
We arrived on a Thursday night and went straight to Coolum Beach, where our hotel was located. We settle down and recover our strength for the next day.
On the first day of activities, we proceeded to the day’s initial point of interest, Rainbow Beach .
We follow the road in a northerly direction, climbing the Queensland map. We took approximately 2 hours to the part of the beach we chose to spend time with.
We stopped at a very central and vehicle entry point (Rainbow Beach beach has a very long strip of sand and that at a certain time of the day, when the tide is low, 4X4 traction cars access and take a walk along the shore sea) .
At this location, we stopped the car and followed a few steps until we reached the strip of sand. We stayed there for about an hour and a half. We enjoyed the beach almost alone, very few people around and for many moments only ours.
After being satisfied with the diving and the beach, we drove to the tip of Rainbow Beach, where there are many campsites and where ferries leave for Fraser Island. A very pleasant place with calm waters, ideal for diving and spending time.
After this quick visit, we returned to the center of Rainbow Beach (where we went to the beach), stopped our car and walked a little to get to know the place.
Already satisfied with knowing the place, we got back to the car and went on the road again, now towards the south and towards Noosa Heads .
Another 1 hour and 45 minutes drive, approximately, and we were in one of the most interesting places in the state of Queensland.
We arrived, we stopped our car in a free parking lot ( Lions Park Car Park – 4 hours free), which is a little further from the beach (nothing far, about 4 minutes on foot), and we went on to enjoy the beach and have lunch.
We sat at a local health burger, had lunch and then left to enjoy the late afternoon on the beach. We stayed in Noosa Main Beach for about 2 hours watching the sunset.
After the intense day, we proceed to our return to the hotel in Coolum Beach (distance between Nossa Heads and Coolum Beach is approximately 15-20 minutes by car).
We recovered from the intense day and around 7 pm we went out to dinner in the center of Coolum. We ended our first day in this way.
Review de hotel: Seacove Resort, Coolum Beach
Hotel with reasonable infrastructure (swimming pool and parking facilities) and also with a reasonable price for what it offers. The room itself was old and musty, and what irritated us most was because we had problems with the blankets they had in the room (it caused us allergy). Overall, it was ok, but with some problems.
AUD $ 360 (Australian dollars) for a 1 bedroom apartment (double bed), bathroom and balcony.
# 2 day: Noosa National Park and Sunshine Coast Beaches
On the second day we reserved our efforts to visit and visit Noosa National Park , in Noosa Heads. We went up the map again and stopped the car at the same location the day before ( Lions Park Car Park ).
We started our walk towards the park entrance at 9:30 am. We continued to enjoy and appreciate the coastal path and getting to know everything we could.
We left Noosa Head Main Beach and went to Hell’s Gate , our final stop on the hike. It took us a little over 1 hour because we were enjoying the way and taking lots of pictures. This is usually a 40-minute walk.
We pass by many beaches and points of interest, among them: Granite Bay and Fairy Pools .
When we arrived at Hell’s Gate we decided to return, even though we knew that the trail continued until Sunshine Beach (another 1 hour walk).
As we parked the car in Noosa Heads, if we were to go to Sunshine Beach, we would have to walk all the way back or take a bus from this beach to Noosa Heads. And also, as from Hell’s Gate the visitor can have a view of the next bay (Alexandria Bay) and Devil’s Kitchen and then the next attraction would be Sunshine Beach (and this can be accessed by car), we decided to go only to Hell’s Gate.
But we recommend, if you have more time, and want to enjoy the whole trail, continue on this walk, because the park is really very beautiful.
After taking lots of pictures and enjoying Hell’s Gate for a bit, we went back to the trail and stopped at Granite Bay for diving and to enjoy the beach a little.
We stayed there for about 2 hours, and after we were satisfied we went back to Noosa Heads.
It was time for lunch and to hydrate the body. We stopped at a local restaurant, remade ourselves and continued our day tours. We only had one weekend and enjoying everything was our intention.
We drove from Noosa Heads to the Sunshine Coast . The drive was approximately 40 minutes to the point we chose to start the beach tour. We researched some famous and beautiful beaches in the region and headed towards them.
Our route was as follows: Golden Beach , Kings Beach , Moffat Beach and we went all the way to Mooloolaba Beach where we stayed for 2 hours. We took advantage there for an ice cream on the edge of this beach and to see the sunset.
Once satisfied, we headed back to Coolum Beach. We went to our hotel, remade ourselves and at night we went out to dinner. We ended the second day in the Sunshine Coast region.
# 3 day: Brisbane
For the last day, we set aside efforts to visit Brisbane, the capital of Queensland.
As our flight arrived and departed from this city, we also wanted to get to know it. And that was what we did on a Sunday of intense sun and scorching heat in Brizzie (as the locals affectionately call it).
The journey from Coolum Beach to Brisbane started early, at 9 am, with a short stop at the lookout (lookout point) of this little town for photos, and continued to the center of Brisbane. Approximately 1 hour between the two points, and at 10:30 am / 11:00 am we were already driving through the CBD (center) of the city.
As we visited Brisbane on a Sunday and the center was empty, we decided not to walk it on an eventual walking tour. We then followed a few blocks with the car, did the local reconnaissance and proceeded to the next point of interest: Mount Coot-tha .
This place has a great viewpoint and the visitor can see the whole city. It also has a good infrastructure and a café-restaurant at the top.
We stayed there for about 30/40 minutes and after many videos and photos, we continued our route. We then headed towards South Bank , the hippest neighborhood in the capital of Queensland.
Check the Souht Bank tourist map here .
We stopped the car in the parking lot of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Center ($ 15 Australian dollars) and walked to the leisure area where the main attractions of this region are located.
We walked around the place a lot, took advantage of the space for many photos and ended the visit after about 2 hours there.
The main free points of South Bank are: the ferris wheel, the Nepalese temple, the Brisbane sign, the city’s artificial beach and the leisure facilities of the place (grassy area, flower tunnel and spaces to sit and play).
Check out the attractions and things to do in Southbank at this link .
Satisfied and very tired, due to the strong sun of the day, we went back to the car and drove towards the next stop of the day: Kangaroo Point .
In search of tips about the city, we read about this point. We also saw that the cool thing is to access it on a walk between Southbank and this region, making a route by the river. However, as we were driving and the day was very hot, we decided to pay a quick visit with our car.
We stopped at the place, took some pictures and were satisfied. We then proceed to lunch. We chose Outback for that day, and drove to the location, which is a little away from the center.
After being remade and fed, we went to our last stop of the day: Shorncliffe Pier . We were looking for a quiet place, overlooking the sea and where we could see the sunset. We looked for information in the local guides and found this point near Brisbane.
The place is very interesting and we stayed there for about 40 minutes. To access this small town, the traveler needs to drive north, Sunshine Coast, and put the name of the city on the gps: Sandgate .
In this way we closed our route in the city of Brisbane, and our long weekend trip in the Sunshine region.
After this point we head towards the airport, which is approximately 20 minutes by car from this location.
In Brisbane, the summary of the places we visited are:
- CBD (city center)
- Mount Coot-tha
- South Bank
- Kangaroo Point
- Sandgate and its Shorncliffe Pier
The activities that tourists can enjoy in the CBD (city center) region in Brisbane:
- Central Station
- Anzac Square
- Post Office Square
- Cathedral of St. Stephen
- Eagle Street Pier
- City Botanic Garden
- Parliament fo Queensland (Queensland State Parliament)
- Queensland Club
- The Mansions
- Treasury Building (current casino and former Treasury building)
- Queen Street Mall
- Brisbane Arcade
- King George Square
- City Hall
- Clock Tower
- Museum of Brisbane
- Kurilpa Bridge
The activities that tourists can enjoy in the South Bank region of Brisbane:
- GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art)
- State Library
- Queensland Cultural Center
- Queensland Art Gallery
- Queensland Museum & Science Center
- Queensland Performing Arts Center
- South Bank Parklands with attractions: Brisbane Sign, Wheel of Brisbane, Peace Pagoda, Artificial Beach and incredible views of downtown Brisbane
Links Importantes
O que fazer em Rainbow Beach – Site do Turismo de Sunshine
O que fazer em Rainbow Beach – Site Oficial do Turismo de Queensland
Scenic Helicopter Tours – Brisbane
City Botanic Gardens – Brisbane
Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium
Site Oficial do Turismo de Brisbane
Site Oficial do Turismo de Sunshine Coast
Site Oficial do Turismo de Queensland
Site Oficial dos Parques Nacionais de Queensland
Hot Air Balloon Brisbane Flights
Brisbane Hot Air Balloon Flights
Day Tours – Brisbane Australia
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