The man-made Tangalooma Wrecks, located a short swim from the beach, is home to 15 vessels and a myriad of marine life, including dolphins, wobbegongs and dugongs.  You can catch the ferry across or go on one of the many organised tours. We chose to catch the Micat Ferry across on our own and then join a tour on the island with   Australian Sunset Safaris. 

The huge appeal of this tour - the clear kayaks that are a great way to explore the Tangalooma Wrecks and beach. 

Rather than booking a guided tour on North Stradbroke we opted for a self guided day. The ferries run every 30 minutes and booking is simple (it is advisable to book ahead - and you can often get a discount by doing so - we saved 10 percent).

On the island there are buses that run to the three main towns, or you can hire a scooter. There is also the option to take your own vehicle on the ferry for an extra charge.

The Mount Ngungun summit walking track, In Glass House Mountains National Park, is a 2.8 kilometre return trail that begins in open forest and offers great views of Mount Tibrogargan, Mount Coonowrin and Mount Beerwah from the summit. Don't forget to pack your camera as you'll find a 360 degree panoramic view of the coast and hinterland at the top! The Tibrogargan circuit (1 kilometre to the Mountain View lookout, 4.1 kilometres return for the complete circuit) begins from the Tibrogargan trailhead at the northern end of the Mount Tibrogargan car park.

Hidden within the Cooloola section of Great Sandy National Park lies one of Queensland’s most awe-inspiring secrets: the Noosa Everglades.

A rare and remarkable landscape of mirrored waterways, ancient tea tree forests and crystal-clear lakes, this wild pocket of the Sunshine Coast is unlike anywhere else in the world.

In fact, there are only two everglades systems on Earth. This is one of them. We chose to do a single day (8:30am - 3:00pm) self guided Kayak Tour with Kanu Kapers.

Hervey Bay, a coastal city in southern Queensland, is widely known as a site for observing humpback whales. Whale-watching boats operate during the July to November migration season. It's also a hub for tours to nearby K'Gari, which has beaches and features a rainforest habitat for dingoes and other wildlife. A waterfront esplanade links the city's marina with beaches offering calm waters for swimming. Urangan Pier is a nice spot to wander and watch the sunset.

We opted for a booked full-day excursion on K'Gari rather than taking our vehicle across so that we could sit back and relax on the cruise across the Great Sandy Strait spot dolphins, turtles, dugongs, birds, and dingoes while someone else does the cruising for us. 

We chose a more remote tour where we paddle a kayak in the crystal-clear waters of Awinya, hike over sand dunes and take in the spectacular views before we snorkel with turtles in the turquoise water of Wathumba Creek

Migrating humpback whales time their visit each year between June to November. So confident are the whale watching operators that you’ll see the whales, most even offer a guarantee over the whale watching period so if you don't see a whale, you can cruise again for free.

To celebrate the whales’ arrival, the local community gathers for the annual Hervey Bay Whale Festival. Festivities kick off with the Marina Party and official Blessing of the Fleet, then continue with a weekend of parades and parties. 

An intermediate amount of fitness is required as the track consists of steep inclines, boardwalks, sand and stepping stones. The beaches and the scenery are superb! 

The 1770 Butterfly Walk is a lovely little trail found in the Town of 1770 (Seventeen Seventy) on the Queensland Coast at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. A pretty bush walk at anytime of year, what makes this track so special and gives it its name are the migratory Blue Tiger butterflies that pass through at certain times of the year. It is without doubt one of the best things to see and do in Agnes Water & 1770!

Lady Musgrave Island is a coral cay and National Park located on the Southern Great Barrier Reef, known for its pristine lagoon, abundant marine life, and opportunities for snorkeling, diving, and turtle encounters. It's the only coral cay in the area with a navigable lagoon, making it a unique destination for exploring the reef. 

An organised boat tour is the best option for a visit to Lady Musgrave Island. 

1770 LARC! Tours are a popular tourist attraction in the Town of 1770, Queensland, Australia. They offer unique amphibious tours that explore the coastline and surrounding national park using pink LARC (Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo) vehicles. The tours visit places like Bustard Head Lighthouse and Jenny Lind Creek.

There are various trips on offer, we chose the LARC & Lunch Tour - a 2 Hour Picnic excursion starting at 11am.

A wonderful landscape of waterfalls, lush flora and volcanic boulder formations make Finch Hatton Gorge a must-see attraction. There are many walking tracks which weave through sub-tropical rainforest. The granite boulders and surrounding vegetation make this an ideal place to take in the scenery.

Keep an eye out among the rainforest for rare and unusual flora and fauna, such as the rare gastric brooding frog, the orange-sided skink, Mackay tulip oak, Eungella spiny cray and Eungella honeyeater.

Broken River is known as one of the best places in the world to see platypuses in their natural habitat. Several viewing platforms are built along the river to make it easier to spot platypuses. From late June to September, the platypus mating season makes them even more active and easier to spot. The best times to spot these elusive creatures are during dawn and dusk, as they are most active then. Look for them from the viewing platforms along the river, and be patient and quiet, as they are shy. 

From Finch Hatton Gorge picnic area, walk uphill weaving your way through lush rainforest and between granite boulders to a lookout above Araluen Cascades. Take some time to sit and enjoy the tumbling cascades at this rainforest retreat.

Wheel of Fire Track

Turn off from Araluen Cascades track and continue walking uphill through the rainforest (catching glimpses of Finch Hatton Creek) to Callistemon Crossing. Callistemon Crossing is a particularly rewarding place to sit among the palm trees and listen to the sound of the creek. 

The Coral Beach Walk is a relatively short and unchallenging 3.9km bushwalk near Shute Harbour in Queensland, that winds through dense rainforest with frequent glimpses of the spectacular Whitsunday Islands.

The Bicentennial Walk is a scenic and relatively flat walk. It is about 4 km each way, and can be done either as a one way trip, or if you're feeling adventurous, you can do the return leg as well! It's equally gorgeous in both the morning for sunrise, or in the afternoons for sunset!

The 74 Whitsunday Islands lie between the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef, a massive stretch of coral teeming with marine life. Most of the islands are uninhabited. They're characterized by dense rainforest, hiking trails and white sand beaches.

Whitehaven Beach is world famous for pure-white, silica sand and clear waters. Sealink Ferries run regularly and we chose a self guided tour using the ferry.

I am a total sucker for a Segway tour. They are just so much fun. Having done an Uluru Segway tour and a Copenhagen Segway tour, the obvious choice for us was the Rainforest version from Airley Beach. The boardwalk tour looks fun, but the escape from town version has more appeal. We chose the morning Rainforest tour, which gives us the afternoon free to make a trip by car to Cedar Falls (a 33 km trip) from Airley Beach. 

 Along the Paluma Range highway you'll come across Little Crystal Creek and Big Crystal Creek. Big Crystal Creek, features a large swimming hole and a large picnic area. Little Crystal Creek is well known for its historic stone arch bridge built in the 1930s and the cascading waterfalls which feed into one of the best freshwater swimming holes in the north.The crystal clear waters and pristine waterfalls of this freshwater creek are ideal for a refreshing swim.

A bit of a long trek from Big Crystal Creek to our accommodation in Kuranda which is broken up with a stop at the beautiful Josephine Falls and then on to Babinda Boulders. This adds an extra 30 km to our journey - and quite a bit of time exploring, but it is worth it to see both of these beautiful spots. The Josephine waterfalls and swimming hole are ranked amongst some of the most beautiful waterfalls in Tropical North Queensland Australia. Devil's Pool is a natural pool in a treacherous stretch of Babinda Creek where large granite boulders fill the creek bed. 

At 135 million years old, Mossman Gorge forms part of the oldest surviving rainforest in Australia and the world.  From Mossman, the world heritage listed Daintree Rainforest begins its northward journey to Cape Tribulation.

The drive from our camp in Kuranda to Mossman Gorge is 84 km via the Captain Cook Highway. Once at Mossman Gorge there is ample parking and a paid shuttle bus service departing every 15 minutes to take you to the heart of the Gorge. The walks in Mossman Gorge are spectacular.

A trip to the Tropical North is not complete without a Reef Cruise. We chose an all day cruise to the outer reef with both snorkelling and a SCUBA dive. We chose Reef Magic & Dreamtime Dive for our cruise. It is a bit more expensive than some of the other cruises available, but the smaller group size and itinerary was one we both thought looked great. 

 We are really excited to try out the GDome waterproof housing for my phone - we will have an underwater camera and the GoPro as backup.

A long trek on Day 25 to Cape Tribulation. Only 145 km, but the expected travel time is 3 hours including a Daintree Ferry Crossing ($51 per vehicle return). The remote headland of Cape Tribulation is where two UNESCO World Heritage Sites meet – the Wet Tropics Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. We are doing a ZipLine Tour through the Daintree Canopy - even though Ken is not a fan of heights, the opportunity to zoom above and through the rainforest canopy is one we could not miss. 

We chose a 2 Hour Solar Whisper Cruise for the eco friendly zero emissions solar boat - it also has some great reviews.

This is a walk on the land of the Gugu-Badhun people, that loops around the rim of the extinct Kalkani Crater that dates back to around 190,000 years like the other spots in the park.

This is an easy circuit that starts from the car park, with some great vantage points to enjoy stunning views over the surrounding countryside and its volcanic landscapes. There are signs along the track that explain the geological features of the area.

Access to the lava tubes is only by guided tour booked through Discovery Resorts–Undara, Discovery Parks–Mount Surprise or Undara Lava Tube Tours.

Caves within this lava tube system are fertile pockets in which rainforest plant and animal species thrive. On the 3 hour Undara Lava Tube tour, you explore 3 of the tunnels, including the showcase Arch Complex incorporating the Archway, Ewamian and Stephensons Tubes.

The Quartz Blow is an exposed section of quartz rock, created by the erosion of softer surrounding rock. The site is easily accessible by car, with an easy climb to the top of the quartz outcrop. The Quartz Blow provides stunning, panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, particularly beautiful during sunrise and sunset. The Agate Creek Fossicking Area is about 30 km from Cobbold Village by gravel road. The fossicking area is on privately-owned property – but access to the site from Cobbold Village is easy and makes a fossicking day trip. A Fossicking Licence must be purchased.

If you can only do one activity or have limited time, then this is the one. The three-hour tour with your Savannah Guide includes a circular interpretive guided walk to the escarpment, providing an informative insight to the geology of the rugged sandstone formations and the chance to look down into the gorge structure as you cross the glass bridge, plus a boat cruise where you glide on custom-made, electric powered boats in almost eerie silence, ensuring minimal disturbance to wildlife.