Plan Book Travel Australia

The second largest state in Australia, Queensland is big, covering some 1727 110km, and incredibly varied, stretching as it does from the tropics to the temperate zone. From north to south its greatest distance is 2092km and from east to west 1448km.

Shadowing the coastline for about 2000km, the stunning Great Barrier Reef is one of the natural wonders of the world and perhaps the state's greatest asset. Even so, the Reef is only one of the fabulous natural assets found throughout the state. Visitors to Queensland will also discover some of the world's most beautiful beaches, luxuriant tropical rainforests, paradisiacal islands, vast deserts, national parks and fascinating towns.

Evidence that Aboriginal people have lived in Queensland for many thousands of years can be seen in the traditional rock art found in such places as Carnarvon Gorge in the Central Highlands and Quinkan Galleries, located in the Laura River valley on Cape York. There are opportunities for visitors to inspect significant sites with Aboriginal guides, learn about indigenous lifestyles at cultural centres suchas the Dreamtime Centre near Rockhampton or be entertainedby the world-renowned Tjapukai Dance Theatre near Cairns.

Touring Queensland by car is easy, although a 4WD is requiredto reach some of the more remote Outback regions. The Bruce Hwy links Brisbane with Cairns and gives access to all coastal areas in between. A sealed road continues to Mossman, but dirt roads take over further north into the pristine wilderness of Cape York. A network of roads covers the vast Outback areas, with convenient links to many points on the Bruce Hwy. The enormous distances can also be covered by rail or air. Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville have international airports and there are regional airports at many of the larger towns.