AUSTRALIA: A list of things you may like to do

Things to do in Australia > Queensland

Queensland

Brisbane • Gold Coast • Sunshine Coast • Bundaberg • Cairns It is our contention that Queensland is pretty much the happiest place on earth.

In Queensland, it is illegal to own a rabbit - unless you are a magician. This is one of the most sensible laws anywhere in the country.

The Theme Parks

The Gold Coast is probably most well known for being home to Australia’s best theme parks.

Wet ‘n’ Wild, Seaworld and Movie World are all part of one unholy alliance, leaving Dreamworld out in the cold and not invited to the “Three Park Super Pass” scheme.

Wet 'n' Wild

Website • Google Maps

Nothing but water slides.

Tom's picture Tom Says: It is probably my favourite thing in Queensland.

Seaworld

Website • Google Maps

Seaworld is a sea world. There’s a bunch of wildlife exhibits, you can swim with dolphins and so on. They also have a bunch of waterslides.

Movie World

Website • Google Maps

Warner Brother’s Movie World on the Gold Coast is all about Movies. There’s even a studio next door, and its slogan is “Hollywood on the Gold Coast”

All the rides are appropriately film/cartoon themed.

Dreamworld

Website • Google Maps

Aside from being the odd one out, Dreamworld’s other claim to fame was the Australian series of Big Brother being filmed on the premises. They used to open the complex up when it wasn’t occupied, but it has since been knocked down.

Dreamworld now also has an accompanying water park, WhiteWater World. Together, they are the country’s largest theme park.

Tamborine Mountain

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia • QLD National Parks info page

Home to many an amazing waterfall

Also home to exciting tea places, places that offer scones and botanical gardens. It’s part of the Gold Coast tourist region, so there’s a lot of places that you can pay to do things.

The Parks up here all seem to have little paths off to the side, they make me happy, unlike parks down here in Melbourne which have an air of “You shall have fun here, and here. BUT NOT OVER THERE!”

South Bank

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia

A nice, long, park that most of the below items are scattered through.

On the weekends, there are often sweet “farmer’s” markets, with many tasty treats and fancy nick-knacks on offer.

In contrast with Melbourne, South Bank is two words.

State Library of Queensland

The State Library of Queensland is home to the Tree of Knowledge, birthplace of the Labor Party across the globe. There are also a number of interesting, if thinky, exhibits on various pieces of Queensland history. Not to mention every book published in Queensland since that’s what State Libraries do.

Queensland Museum/Sciencentre

The Queensland Museum is your standard museum: Home to many an exhibit, some of which are hands-on. It also includes two different Art Galleries

Streets Beach

Yes, the bastards actually put a beach in the middle of their city. I mean, technically, the beach is just a big old open-air swimming pool, but it’s the thought that counts.

The Wheel of Brisbane

One of those ferris wheel contraptions that are all too common these days, the Wheel of Brisbane is wheel-shaped and in Brisbane.

Brisbane Maritime Museum

As it says on the tin, the Brisbane Maritime Museum is home to quite a few boats. Boats are cool.

South Brisbane Railway Station

It has super ornate benches that you can sit on.
Also, it seems way too old to not have been knocked down and replaced with something sleek and soulless.

Roma Street Gardens

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia

While yes, we mention a large number of Gardenses in this rambling document, Roma Street
1) has a kiddie “train”
2) has waaaay more different types of plants than any of the others. There’s like five specific zones. It’s awesome.

There is also a lookout over the lake that is absolutely fantastic for people watching.

Often lizards and other, less cool, animals hang out there, chillin’

Just outside the gardens, at the very top of the hill is the Old Windmill, one of the city’s oldest buildings

Roma Street Gardens

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia

While yes, we mention a large number of Gardenses in this rambling document, Roma Street
1) has a kiddie “train”
2) has waaaay more different types of plants than any of the others. There’s like five specific zones. It’s awesome.

There is also a lookout over the lake that is absolutely fantastic for people watching.

Often lizards and other, less cool, animals hang out there, chillin’

Just outside the gardens, at the very top of the hill is the Old Windmill, one of the city’s oldest buildings

Queen Street Mall

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia

Instead of cars (aside from the cars of idiots) this street contains thousands of shoppers. There’s like 800 shops, all ready for your delicious money.

Brisbane’s major bus station deep underneath the Mall as well, if that’s your cup of public transport tea.

Mount Coo-tha

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia

A nice, tall mountain in the inner north part of the suburbs which offers your standard sweet city view.

There’s a planetarium at the bottom of the mountain too — although planets are the same no matter where you see them, to be honest.

Moreton Island

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia • QLD National Parks info page

Just over an hour from Brisbane by ferry is the world’s third-largest sand island, Moreton Island. Most of the place is a National Park, but you’re still welcome to poke around.

Tangalooma Resort lets you come up and hand-feed wild dolphins each night

Brad's picture Brad Says: Is it a night time activity because it should be illegal? No idea, I'm not a lawyer.

There are 90-metre high sand dunes here that are used for something called Sand Tobogganing. It sounds abrasive.

Milaa Milaa Falls

Google Maps • Wikipedia

The Milaa Milla Falls is a waterfall in the town of Milaa Milaa. They are pretty impressive looking, and have been used in many different advertising campaigns, generally with women flicking their hair in a nice fibonacci spiral. This leads to a lot of people trying to recreate similar pictures with either their hair or beard.

Nearby is The Falls Teahouse, which is an excellent place to get lunch.

Lake Eacham

Google Maps • Wikipedia • QLD National Parks info page

Lake Eacham is an isolated lake in an extinct volcano — a lake that has an average depth of over 60 metres. Another interesting thing about the lake is that there are no known streams either going in or out… this fact, combined with the rocks that make up the local environment makes for the clearest water that I have ever swum in.

Aboriginal Legend

The local Aboriginal peoples have a legend of how the lake was formed. Geological evidence dates the volcanic activity to 12,000 years ago, making this an oral account of an event six times as deep into the past as Julius “I was stabbed 23 times and then field-promoted to god” Caesar:

Two young fellas were trying to spear that wallaby. But they missed and hit a flame tree.

That’s a sacred tree.

The young fellas not supposed to be out hunting. They weren’t initiated. Their elders told them to stay put, not go out hunting. But they didn’t listen. When they pulled their spear out, part of a grub came out with the spear, which was a witchetty grub. They started cutting down that tree to get more grubs. When they cut down that tree, the ground began to shake.

Those two fellas had made Yamini [the Rainbow Serpent] angry. Then the sky turned orange, then all these people back at the camp, the earth went from underneath them, sucked them in, whoosh, they all got drowned.

Where they were camped became Bana Wiingina [Lake Eacham].

Kondalilla Falls

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia

The rockpool above the main falls is a nice place to swim, although the water is super cold. There is also the ability to jump from the rocks above which can be fun, if you like being terrified?

There’s a nice view from the bottom of the falls, but it’s probably not worth the trip if you’re only coming to go for a swim.

The drive from Brisbane is also very picturesque.

Kangaroo Point Cliffs

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia

The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are one of the coolest things about the Brisbane CBD. No other capital city offers you the chance to go abseiling just across the river from the CBD in your lunchbreak or whatever, but that’s just how Brisbane rolls.

They also look pretty sweet at sunset, or when you’re riding a bike along the Brisbane River.

Other things you can do here include rock climbing (obviously) and kayaking.

Infinity

Website • Google Maps

A weird maze with lasers and mirrors. Lots of illusions. Very futuristic. Do your best not to walk into the mirrors.

It can be difficult to sit back and enjoy it rather than try to figure out how everything works.

A must-see attraction that you must see.

Australian Camp Oven Festival

Website

Held in October at Millmerran, near Toowoomba; the Australian Camp Oven Festival is basically a big campsite full of people who are amazing at campfire cooking and only too happy to teach you.

Aside from food, other drawcards include damper-throwing contests, bush poetry readings, sheep shearing demos, and miniature racing pigs, of all things.

Great Barrier Reef

Website • Wikipedia

A large system of coral off the coast of most of Queensland.

It’s the largest reef in the world. On the World Heritage List. You’ve probably heard of it.

Babinda Boulders

Google Maps • Wikipedia
warning sign WARNING: Deaths in the waterfalls downstream are common. Exercise extreme caution.

Babinda Boulders is a warm and crystal clear pool in the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area. As well as being one of the best swimming holes I’ve ever visited, the surrounding rainforest is some of the oldest species of plant on earth.

There are also some great boulders that you can jump off of and into the swimming hole.

Dating to the earliest days of life outside the ocean, these plants don’t flower, or even have the vascular leaves of later species.

Aboriginal Legend

The local Aboriginals have a legend as to the origins of the dangerous part of the creek downstream from the swimming hole:

A beautiful girl named Oolana, from the Yidinji people, married a respected elder from her tribe named Waroonoo. Shortly after their union another tribe moved into the area and a handsome young man came into her life.

His name was Dyga and the pair soon fell in love. Realising the adulterous crime they were committing, the young lovers escaped their tribes and fled into the valleys. The elders captured them, but Oolana broke free from her captors and threw herself into the still waters of what is now known as Babinda Boulders, calling for Dyga to follow her.

As Dyga hit the waters, her anguished cries for her lost lover turned the still waters into a rushing torrent and the land shook with sorrow. Huge boulders were scattered around the creek and the crying Oolana disappeared among them.

According to the legend, her spirit still guards the boulders and that her calls for her lost lover can still be heard.

Australia Zoo

Website • Google Maps • Wikipedia

Owned by the family of the late, great Steve “the Crocodile Hunter” Irwin, Australia Zoo is stereotypically associated with crocodiles and obviously other “Australian” creatures as well, but there are also animals from Asia and Africa there too.

They also do a lot of research on crocodiles both at the Zoo and in the wild, as well as Croc Rescue. This was largely what was covered in Steve Irwin’s TV show.

Tom's picture Tom Says: I think that this is probably my favourite zoo in Australia, it is a lot more interactive and the type of animals is somewhat different to regular zoos.