Coastal Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef

This is the Brisbane & Around chapter from Lonely Planet’s East Coast Australia guidebook.

Sophisticated city galleries and rooftop bars, desolate subtropical beaches, cool-climate vineyards: the greater Brisbane region deals in Queensland’s most gasp-inducing contrasts. Star of the show is Brisbane itself, a lush, sultry metropolis with flourishing restaurant, bar and cultur-al scenes.

• find your modern muse at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art, one of Australia’s hottest gal-leries of contemporary art
• maps
• picnic, stroll or simply soak up the sun by an inner-city beach at South Bank Parklands, Brisbane’s best-loved riverside hangout
• transport
• roam bookshops, microbreweries and band venues in West End, Brisbane’s boho heart-land
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Brisbane & Around, North Stradbroke Island, Moreton Island.

This is the Cairns & the Daintree Rainforest chapter from Lonely Planet’s East Coast Australia guidebook.

Tropical, touristy Cairns is an unmissable stop on any east coast traveller’s itinerary. Experi-enced divers and first-time toe-dippers swarm to the steamy city for its easy access to the Great Barrier Reef.

• dive, snorkel and swim among the fish, turtles and multicoloured corals at the Great Barrier Reef
• maps
• walk alongside Mossman Gorge’s crystal-clear waters on Kuku-Yalanji Dreamtime Walks
• transport
• ride the Skyrail above the rainforest to Kuranda’s markets, then return to Cairns by the Ku-randa Scenic Railway
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Cairns & Around, Islands off Cairns, Cairns’ Northern Beaches, Atherton Tablelands, Kuranda, Mareeba, Atherton, Millaa Millaa, Malanda & Around, Yungaburra, Lake Tinaroo, Crater Lakes National Park, Port Douglas, Mossman, The Daintree, Daintree Village, Cow Bay & Around, Cape Tribulation.

This is the Capricorn Coast & the Southern Reef Islands chapter from Lonely Planet’s East Coast Australia guidebook.

The stretch of coastline that straddles the tropic of Capricorn is one of the quietest and most lovely lengths of the east coast. Even in high season you needn’t travel far to find a deserted beach.

• claim a tropical beach for the day on Great Keppel Island
• maps
• surf and chill at Agnes Water, Queensland’s most northerly surf beach
• transport
• hike to find aboriginal rock art in Carnarvon Gorge
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Agnes Water, Town of 1770, Eurimbula & Deepwater National Parks, Gladstone, Southern Reef Islands, Rockhampton & Around, Yeppoon, Great Keppel Island, Capricorn Hinterland.

This is the Fraser Island & the Fraser Coast chapter from Lonely Planet’s East Coast Australia guidebook.

This little pocket of quintessential Queensland takes in World Heritage–listed Fraser Island and some mellow coastal communities, such as Hervey Bay and Rainbow Beach, the agricultural centre of Bundaberg, and numerous old-fashioned country towns never too far from the ocean.

• cruise up the beach ‘highway’, swim in Lake McKenzie and camp under the stars on Fra-ser Island
• maps
• watch the whales play in Hervey Bay
• transport
• witness turtles take their first flipper-stumble down the beach at Mon Repos
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Hervey Bay, Rainbow Beach, Maryborough, Gympie, Childers, Burrum Coast National Park, Bundaberg, Bargara, Fraser Island.

This is the Noosa & the Sunshine Coast chapter from Lonely Planet’s East Coast Aus-tralia guidebook.

The Sunshine Coast is aglow with perfect beaches, coveted surf and a laid-back, sun-kissed populace. Resort towns dot the coast, each with its own appeal and vibe, from upmarket, cosmo-politan Noosa to newly hip, evolving Caloundra.

• hike and wildlife spot in Noosa National Park, Noosa’s beautiful, easily accessible slice of Eden
• maps
• feast on local produce and culinary ingenuity at Noosa’s string of foodie-approved restau-rants
• transport
• cruise up one of Australia’s most spectacular natural highways, the Great Beach Drive, in Great Sandy National Park
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Noosa, Bribie Island, Glass House Mountains, Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore, Coolum, Peregian Beach, Sunshine Beach, Cooloola Coast, Eumundi, Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

This chapter contains the Welcome to Coastal Queensland, Coastal Queensland’s Top 15, Need to Know, What’s New, If You Like…, Month by Month, Itineraries, Your Reef Trip, Queens-land Outdoors, Travel with Children, and Regions at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet’s Coastal Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef guidebook.

Your journey to Coastal Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on ex-ploring Queensland’s great outdoors.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about visiting the Great Barrier Reef
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to Coastal Queensland, Coastal Queens-land’s Top 15, Need to Know, What’s New, If You Like: Beaches, Islands, Indigenous Culture, Food & Drink, Wildlife Encounters, Scenic Journeys, Month by Month, Itineraries, Your Reef Trip, Queensland Outdoors, Travel with Children, and Regions at a Glance.

Built for pleasure and remaining a place utterly dedicated to sun, surf and the body beautiful, this strip of coast is possibly Australia’s most iconic holiday destination. Its shimmering high-rises can, when glimpsed from afar, appear like a make-believe city.

• brave a dawn surf at the legendary break of Point Danger
• maps
• eat your way around the young, fun and creative culinary scene at Burleigh Heads
• transport
• bushwalk through craggy gorges and densely canopied rainforests in Lamington National Park.
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Surfers Paradise, Main Beach, The Spit, Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach & Nobby Beach, Burleigh Heads, Currumbin, Palm Beach, Coolangatta, Gold Coast Hinterland, Tamborine Mountain, Lamington National Park, Springbrook National Park.

This is the Townsville to Mission Beach chapter from Lonely Planet’s East Coast Aus-tralia guidebook.

Spread out between the tourist darlings of Cairns and the Whitsunday Islands, this less-er-known, rainforested stretch of quiet, palm-edged beaches is where giant endangered casso-wary graze for seeds, and koalas nap in gum trees on turquoise encircled islands.

• launch to the quintessential tropical Queensland escape of Dunk Island
• maps
• veer wildly around white-water bends on Tully River
• transport
• search for the shy platypus in the winding trails of Paluma Range National Park
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Townsville & Around, Magnetic Island, Ingham & Around, Cardwell, Hinchinbrook Island, Tully, Mission Beach, Dunk Island, Innisfail & Around.

This chapter contains the Queensland Today, History, Climate Change & the Great Barrier Reef, The Arts in Queensland, Deadly & Dangerous, Directory A–Z and Transport chapters from Lonely Planet’s Coastal Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, climate change and the arts to flights, pub-lic transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and lesbian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on how climate change is impacting the Great Barrier Reef
• info on Queensland’s thriving arts scene
• full coverage of the history of the region
• details on Queensland’s lavish array of deadly and dangerous creatures

Coverage includes: Queensland Today, History, Climate Change & the Great Barrier Reef, The Arts in Queensland, Deadly & Dangerous, Directory A–Z and Transport.

This is the Whitsunday Coast chapter from Lonely Planet’s East Coast Australia guidebook.

Many travellers to Australia head straight for the Whitsunday Islands and barely leave. Opal-jade waters and pure-white beaches fringe the forested isles; around them, tropical fish swarm through the world’s largest coral garden in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

• camp under the stars and make like an island castaway in Whitsunday Islands National Park
• maps
• sail through magnificent aquamarine waters of the Whitsunday Islands
• transport
• wait patiently for a glimpse of a shy platypus and walk in the misty rainforest of Eungella National Park
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Mackay, Mackay’s Northern Beaches, Sarina, Sarina Beach, Eungella, Eungella National Park, Cumberland Islands, Cape Hillsborough National Park, The Whitsundays, Proserpine, Airlie Beach, Conway National Park, Long Island, Hook Is-land, South Molle Island, Daydream Island, Hamilton Island, Hayman Island, Lindeman Island, Whitsunday Islands, Bowen.