Koalas, rain forests and golden beaches: Discover Queensland’s Nature Coast

The furry brown rump swaying gently at the top of the gum tree is causing quite a stir but no one is sure if it is what they are hoping for. Then the shape slowly turns its head and the gathered crowd lets out a collective “aah”. It’s a koala. 

The cuddly creature was the only one to put in an appearance that day but hang around long enough and you can usually spot more of them at Tea Tree Bay, a picturesque headland in Noosa National Park in south-eastern Queensland. 

The area is part of the wider region known as Australia’s Nature Coast – incorporating Fraser Coast and the Sunshine Coast – which has one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. 

About 300km long, one minute you can be in a glitzy hotel, the next, waist deep in pristine rainforest. 

We are staying at Noosa Heads, about 130km north of Brisbane, at the edge of the national park. With its year-round balmy climate, long golden beaches and chic, laid-back ambience, it is one of Australia’s favourite holiday destinations. 

From Noosa we make our way northward in a 4x4, courtesy of Surf and Sand Safaris, one of the oldest four-wheel drive companies in Queensland. Pelicans float serenely on the Noosa River as we board the ferry at Wooroi Creek and our driver Glen tells us there are “plenty of koalas and kangaroos” to be found in the bushland nearby.

The ferry crossing takes about 30 minutes to get to Noosa North Shore, part of the Great Sandy National Park. We pass through swampy creeks and hundreds of eucalyptus trees, their scent heavy in the air, before hitting the Great Beach Drive.  

A gleaming, 200km-long strip of pure white sand, the Great Beach Drive is a more photogenic alternative to the Bruce Highway and connects the Sunshine Coast with Fraser Island. Sand as far as the eye can see stretches in each direction, the aquamarine Pacific shimmering in the piercing sunlight. 

After a two-hour drive, with a stop to take in the spectacular views from the lighthouse at Double Island Point (named by Captain Cook), we reach Rainbow Beach. So called because of its multicoloured sand cliffs, oxidised over hundreds of thousands of years into vibrant golds, coppers and tans, this was originally a sand-mining town.

Nowadays, it is an easy-going holiday resort in the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park, known for its fishing, ecotourism and as the gateway to Fraser Island.  

Next morning, after a breakfast of eggs Benedict and freshly squeezed orange juice at the homely Cafe Jilarty, we begin the three-hour journey up to Hervey Bay Airport to catch a light plane to our next stop.

Lady Elliot Island, the southernmost island of the Great Barrier Reef, is a beautiful coral (rather than sand) cay, with some of the best diving and snorkelling in the whole reef. It has been voted by Padi (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) as one of the world’s top five islands off which to see giant manta rays.

A week after our visit, naturalist Sir David Attenborough was there filming for his forthcoming series on the Great Barrier Reef. In the shallow waters around the island you can expect to get up close and personal with friendly green turtles, neon parrotfish and reef sharks. During the winter months of June to October you might also catch sight of humpback whales, which come here to mate.   

It is hard to leave this gorgeous place but the following day, after a 45-minute flight back to Hervey Bay Airport, it is time to push on to our final stop.

Known to the Aborigines as K’gari – or paradise – Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and is home to kookaburras, freshwater lobster, lizards and snakes, as well as the feared huntsman spider and Australia’s purest strain of dingo. It is also a haven for sharks and it would take a brave soul to swim in the sea, but the island’s network of more than 100 freshwater lakes makes an ideal alternative. 

At Eli Creek, a huge freshwater spring that pours four million litres of fresh water into the sea every hour, we follow the boardwalk inland to the spring’s origins, where a few people are splashing around in the cool water. The lush vegetation gives it the feel of a jungle and, even though there aren’t any koalas here, the exotic cries of lorikeets and kookaburras make a fitting end to a magical trip.

Way to go

A two-bedroom self-catering suite that sleeps six at Oceans Mooloolaba, starts from £284 a night (oceansmooloolaba.com.au). A double room at the Sheraton Noosa Resort & Spa starts from £127 (sheratonnoosaresort.com). A beachfront cabin at Lady Elliot Island starts from £80 per person per night, including breakfast, dinner, guided reef walk, glass-bottom boat tour and snorkelling equipment (ladyelliot.com.au). A double room at the Kingfisher Bay Resort Fraser Island starts from £89 a night. Return fares from London to Brisbane with Etihad Airways cost from about £715. Book at etihad.com. For more information, see visitqueensland.com. Rainbow Beach Ocean Palms Resort rates start $249/night (£115 for a min 2 night stay) for a 1 bedroom apartment with ocean views.