Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
6
Queensland & the Great
Barrier Reef
by Lee Mylne
W
ith a landscape three times the size
of Texas and a population that clings to
the coast but embraces the Outback
for its icons, Queensland is a sprawling
amalgam of stunning scenery, fantastic
yarns, and eccentric personalities. Its
most famous attraction is the Great
Barrier Reef—by no means the only
thing worth seeing. Great beaches and
tropical weather make it hard to decide
where to go first, and for how long.
White sandy beaches grace almost
the entire Queensland coastline, and a
string of lovely islands and coral atolls
dangle just offshore. At the southern
end of the state, Gold Coast beaches
and theme parks keep tourists happy.
In the north, from Townsville to Cape
York, the rainforest teems with exotic
flora and fauna.
Brisbane
is the state capital, a for-
mer penal colony that today brims
with style. While Brisbane boasts
world-class theater, shopping, mar-
kets, art galleries, and restaurants, it
still conveys the relaxed warmth of a
country town. For more on this city,
see chapter 5.
Less than an hour's drive south of
Brisbane is the
Gold Coast
“glitter
strip,” with its 35km (22 miles) of
rolling surf and sandy beaches. North
of Brisbane lies the aptly named
Sunshine Coast
—more white sandy
beaches, crystal-clear waters, and
rolling mountains dotted with villages.
Don't miss the wild beauty of the
largest sand island in the world, World
Heritage-listed
Fraser Island.
Each
year from August to October, hump-
back whales frolic in the sheltered
waters between Fraser Island and Her-
vey Bay.
As you travel north, you'll be
tempted by one tropical island after
another until you hit the cluster of 74
that makes up the
Whitsunday
and
Cumberland
groups.
Then you enter a land where
islands, rainforest, mountains, and
rivers unite. Green sugar cane fields
are everywhere—
Mackay
is the largest
sugar-producing region in Australia.
This attractive city has its own beach,
but the harbor is a departure point for
cruises to the Great Barrier Reef and
the Whitsunday Islands. The Whit-
sundays are on the same latitude as
Tahiti, and for my money are equally
lovely. The idyllic island group is laced
with coral reefs rising out of calm,
blue waters teeming with colorful
fish—warm enough for swimming
year-round.
North of the Whitsundays is
Dunk
Island
and the rainforest settlement of
Mission Beach
—a perfect illustration
of the regional contrasts found in
Tropical North Queensland. The port
city of
Townsville
boasts 320 days of
sunshine a year, and marks the start of
the Great Green Way—an area of lush
natural beauty on the way to Cairns.
