SE Queensland is a travel mecca and home to Brisbane, Redcliffe, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. There is so much to see in this part of Queensland alone, from country and mountain hinterland to the State’s capital, Brisbane, so I hope you get some inspiration from my photography and blogs on this area.
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If you are travelling around Australia, the best way is by car. Not only do you get to see more but you will find more hidden gems that the average traveller doesn’t see.
Need A Car?
If you want to book a car, you can try using one of these car rental websites, EconomyBookings.com, DiscoverCars, or Expedia.
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Try using these accommodation websites to find a comfortable place to sleep after your day exploring, Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia.
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All prices and times were correct when this was written or updated, but please check the websites when you wish to visit.
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Brisbane SE Queensland
The capital of Queensland, Brisbane, holds a few surprises for visitors when you travel to SE Queensland, including a beach right in the middle of the city.
If you want more information on this area, you can read my blogs Brisbane City, Brisbane City Markets, Eat Street Northshore and Koalas Around Brisbane.
Brisbane City
City Hall
City Hall is open for all to explore from the Clock Tower at the very top to the Auditorium. The impressive architecture is on display from the moment you step through the doors.
Roma Street Parklands
Behind Roma Street, Bus and Train Stations, is the Roma Street Parklands, a welcome place to relax amongst nature. From lawn areas to gardens of all kinds from around the world, this is the place to get away from it all.
City Botanic Gardens
At the other end of the city from the Roma Street Parklands is the City Botanic Gardens. Here you have grass to lie on or have a picnic under trees over a century old.
As it is right beside the Brisbane River, there is nearly always a welcome breeze to take the sting out of the heat. Here a walkway along the riverfront gives you views of the Story Bridge.
It is also home to Old Government House, where you can take tours daily.
Brisbane River
Enjoy the Brisbane River by walking the bikeway or cruising on a tour boat or ferry. You can take in the fresh air beside the river and its activities.
Crisscross the river by taking advantage of the pedestrian bridges.
Enjoy the views of the city and river from the Kangaroo Point cliffs. You might even want to repel them.
Or enjoy watching the sun setting and the lights coming on over the city and Story Bridge.
Southbank Parklands and the Cultural Precinct
Southbank Parklands is the area where Brisbane comes to play, especially on the weekends and school holidays.
The Cultural Precinct is where the Gallery of Modern Art, State Library, Queensland Art Gallery and Queensland Museum is located.
It’s not only during the day that this area is popular. Southbank comes to life at night with the Collective Market Friday and Saturday nights and the lagoon a very popular place to cool off on a hot summer’s night.
Mt. Cootha
A trip to Brisbane isn’t complete unless you’ve visited the top of Mt. Cootha. Here you can enjoy views over the city and Moreton Bay any time of the day or night. Sunrise and sunset are especially popular.
Take a drive up or walk up through the bush up the trails dotted around the mountain.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the place to come to if you only have time to visit Brisbane and want to see Koalas. You can have your photo taken with a Koala and see wildlife roaming around, calling this place home.
You have plenty of other animals to see, such as Birds, Cassowary, Platypi, Flying Foxes, Lizards and Snakes or a couple of Dingo pups if you’re lucky.
Shows
Once again, you have shows showing what our native birds and farm life is like. A Raptor Flight show and Sheep Dog Show allow you to see how agile the birds are and how skilled the dogs are in herding sheep.
Rainbow Lorikeets
At 9.45 am and 4 pm, there is the feeding of the Rainbow Lorikeets. These colourful, wild birds come into the designated area to be fed, and then you can have photos taken with them. A few often hang around during the day, so you might be lucky and see them around if you’re not there when the feeding is on.
Koalas
Of course, you really want to see the Koalas, and there are plenty of them.
Have your photo taken with them or see how cute the joeys are with their Mums.
Botanic Gardens Mt. Cootha
The Mt. Cootha Botanic Gardens is a great place to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.
You can drive or catch a bus and enjoy the many walking trails around the mountain or take a stroll around the gardens.
From arid deserts to the Japanese Gardens, there is a lot to see here.
You could just take a walk around the lake and see the local wildlife.
As this is at the base of Mt. Cootha, you could continue up the mountain for the views.
Sunshine Coast SE Queensland
There is so much to see when you travel to this part of SE Queensland, the Sunshine Coast. Sometimes the most beautiful and tranquil parts of nature are overlooked. Here you’ll find a selection of the best parks, waterfalls and zoos showcasing nature on the Sunshine Coast.
Once again, having a car to get around is advantageous.
If you want more information on this area, you can read my blog Nature on the Sunshine Coast.
Noosa National Park
There is 15km of walking tracks here in the Noosa National Park, which will keep you busy all day.
The most popular track is the 10.8km return coastal track, which takes you to beaches you can’t reach by car. It’s on this walk that you might catch the sight of dolphins and humpback whales between June and November.
Mt Coolum
You have to be fit to do this 1.6km return walk up Mt. Coolum.
Buderim Falls
This walk has a great reward at its end with the rockpool at Buderim Falls, a popular swimming hole. Also known as Serenity Falls, this walk has two tracks leading to the falls, Harry Lane off Upper Lindsay Road and Quorn Close off Lindsay Road at the lower end.
Walking to the falls can be just as rewarding, especially from the Harry Lane entrance.
Wildlife HQ and the Big Pineapple
Wildlife HQ is another excellent little zoo on the Sunshine Coast located where the Big Pineapple is in Woombye. You can spend all day in this area if you take in the Zoo, Big Pineapple and TreeTop Challenge.
With only 200 animals, you won’t need all day to visit, but it can take 2-3 hours if you take your time going around.
Kondalilla Falls
Kondalilla Falls is a very popular walk on weekends and during the week.
You’ll need moderate fitness for this one, especially if you want to go to the very bottom of the falls. Even going from the car park to the picnic grounds is a steep downhill walk, but at least it is sealed.
The path goes up some stairs, and then it’s a slight to no incline to the 300 steps down to the rockpool and bottom of the falls.
From the rockpool, you can take the trail to the bottom of the falls. This path is steeper but you can do it anti-clockwise or clockwise in about an hour.
Gardner’s Falls
Gardner’s Falls is not a strenuous walk, just a lovely stroll beside the Obi Obi Creek for 400 hundred metres.
Calmer pools are safe for kids as long as parents keep their eyes on them. At the falls, you have a deeper waterhole which is popular with teenagers and adults.
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve
The Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve Rainforest Discovery is a 55-hectare subtropical rainforest that is a great place for all ages of the family.
BBQs, picnic tables and parkland are available, or there is the Mountain View Cafe where you can enjoy your lunch or a snack. Don’t forget to put your rubbish in the bin or take it home with you.
Keep an eye out in the undergrowth for Pademelons and all the birds flitting about the branches. Also, watch out where you’re stepping as snakes and lizards may be on your path.
The best views across the Glasshouse Mountains and South East Queensland are also from up here.
Maleny Botanic Gardens and Bird World
Just an eight-minute drive down the road from Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve Rainforest Discovery Centre is the Maleny Botanic Gardens and Bird World.
Over 18 acres of beautiful gardens are there for you to freely wander around with ponds and viewpoints across the Glasshouse Mountains.
Birds big and small are on show in large aviaries but be prepared for them to land on you.
Australia Zoo
Home of the Crocodile Hunter, Australia Zoo is also home to Crocodiles. You’ll see the Crocodiles performing in the Crocoseum as well as the birds in flight show.
Shows are timed during the day, so you not only get to see all the animals here but others like Otters, Tigers and everyone’s favourite, the Koalas up close and awake.
It’s an easy walk around the 1000 acres, exploring animals from all over the world. The zoo has been split into zones with Africa, Wetlands, Bindi’s Island, walk-through Kangaroos and Koalas, Snakes and the Tiger Temple.
Redcliffe Peninsula SE Queensland
This part of SE Queensland is often overlooked when you travel here, but there is so much to see and do on the Redcliffe Peninsula.
For more information, look at my blog Redcliffe Queensland.
It is best if you have a car as it’s only a 45-minute drive north, but if you don’t you can catch the train to Kippa-Ring, an hour from Brisbane Central, and use the buses to get around. You can find the link here to plan your journey. You can easily spend a long weekend.
Get up Close with the Pelicans
Arrive at 10.00 am for your visit to the Clontarf Information Centre and you’ll see the local Australian Pelicans up close as they are fed. This is how their health is checked and they eagerly await a snack.
Information boards along the walkway, educate you about the history of the area.
Between July and November, it’s Magpie Season and as they are nesting they may swoop you as you pass by causing scratches or worse on their attack, so watch out.
Fly a Kite at Pelican Park – Kite Fest
When the winds are blowing off Bramble Bay, this is a popular park to come and fly a kite.
Every year Kitefest is held in Pelican Park. In 2022 it will be on the weekend of 17-18 September. This annual celebration of kites brings domestic and international kite flyers of all shapes and sizes.
Enjoy the Sunset over the Water
Picnic at Suttons Beach
You can walk the pathway from Scotts Point Beach, Woody Point to Scarborough Beach. All this stretch is made up of safe beaches for families to swim at. Some are patrolled, but not every day, and you can check out when the patrols are from the BeachSafe website here.
Settlement Cove
On a hot day, the Settlement Cove Lagoon is the place to be. The Lagoon is a safe swimming spot for all ages with a toddler pool and playground at the northern end.
Bee Gees Way Redcliffe
The Bee Gees Way is a celebration of the lives of the Brothers Gibb. It was on the Peninsula that their career began in the late 50s, and early 60s.
Watch the Sunrise Over Moreton Bay
All along the Moreton Bay shoreline are great places to watch the sunrise. See the changing colours in the sky as you walk along the foreshore.
Scarborough
If you are walking or cycling the pathway then you’ll come to the Northern end of the Redcliffe Peninsula at Scarborough.
Cafes line the village which is across the road from Scarborough Beach.
Rothwell
Running beside the tracks between Kippa-Ring Train Station to Petrie Train Station is another cycle/walkway. This 12.6km path takes you through wetlands, and you’ll see artworks of the local wildlife, Anzac tributes and historical commemorations to the local Aborigines.
Another one of the colourful splashes here is the Water Tank on Morris Road.
Cycle/Walkway to Deception Bay
The path takes you through parklands, Koala habitats, mangroves and more beaches through to Deception Bay.
Keep an eye out for more local wildlife. Kangaroos may be seen on the grassy parklands at dawn and dusk, and if you look up into the Gum Tree branches, Koalas are in the area.
North Lakes
North Lakes also has a great walkway around Lake Eden with plenty of wildlife to keep a lookout for.
As you walk around the 1-mile path, you will see water dragons and all types of birdlife keeping you company. Swans, turtles, ducks and swamphens also call this lake home.
Gold Coast Hinterland SE Queensland
Easy Waterfalls to See
By far the most popular part of SE Queensland and where most people travel to is the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast Hinterland though is where you can enjoy nature away from the hustle and bustle of the coast.
This post has mostly waterfalls on it, but I did add a couple of other places just because the views are amazing, and since you’re in the area, why not?
Check out the Springbrook National Park website here to read more on the times and difficulty of the walking tracks. It’s also good to check out what the track conditions are like, especially after rainfall.
Natural Bridge – Gold Coast Hinterland South East Queensland
Natural Bridge is located near the NSW/Qld border in the Gold Coast Hinterland. It’s an easy 1 km track that suits all ages.
The Walk
Go straight to the lookout and see Cave Creek fall into the cave.
The Cave
You have the choice of three views once you get down to the cave. Down the stairs takes you into the cave, which has bats and glowworms inside. You will probably see the bats, but the glowworms will only be seen at night.
There are toilets here, and there is a cafe back on the main road, turning right from the entrance.
Glowworms at Night
You can explore the area by night and see the glowworms shining in the cave. Make sure you bring a torch with you as there is no other lighting, but do not shine anything on the glowworms as their lights will go out for up to an hour.
Purling Brook Falls
Purling Brook Falls is the longest walk at 4km and two hours return if you want to do the circuit and go to the bottom of the falls.
From the car park, the first viewing platform is only a short away, so you can still see the falls without doing the full circuit.
This track can be dangerous in places, especially after rain. It is steep and has steps as you go down to the valley floor and back up, but if you do it, you’ll be rewarded with views like this at the bottom. The easiest way is in a clockwise direction, as the steps are on the western side.
See Other Attractions in the Gold Coast Hinterland SE Queensland
Best of All Lookout
Once again, on the NSW/Qld border, but this time, you get the view over Northern NSW, including Mt. Warning, and if it’s a perfect day, the views are all the way to Byron Bay and it’s only about 500m from the car park.
Canyon Lookout
Just along the road before you get to Purling Brook Falls is the Canyon Lookout, giving you views across the Hinterland and the Gold Coast and this time only 30m from the car park.
Tamborine Mountain
Tamborine Village – Gallery Walk
At the northern end of the Gold Coast Hinterland is Tamborine Village. This quaint village in this part of SE Queensland is a popular travel destination on weekends as locals and tourists enjoy the local fare.
Cafes, delicacies, treats, craft beers and wineries are here for you to explore, as well as walks in nature and the Botanic Gardens.
Curtis Falls
The large car park has an overflow, which may be useful on those busy weekends. It is only a 500m, 15-minute walk to the falls lookout. The track is good, with a slight incline and some stairs to negotiate.
It’s a very popular spot for photographers.
Rockpools further along the river are popular places to swim safely, especially on a hot summer’s day.
Another refreshing place to be after your walk is at the Pavilion Garden Bar next to the car park. You’ll enjoy the delicious food and craft beers before starting on another attraction in the area.
Tamborine Mountain Rainforest Skywalk
Less than a 10-minute drive from Curtis Falls is Tamborine Mountain Rainforest Skywalk.
This walk will take you through the many layers that make up the rainforest, from the forest floor to the canopy.
You will enter and exit the rainforest through the Eco Gallery with information on the flora and fauna in the area.
Upon going outside, you are straight onto the Skywalk that will take you into the forest canopy.
Most of the walk is a gentle slope down to the forest floor with markers showing you the way around.
A large car park, gift shop, toilets and a cafe are here, with the cafe having views over the rainforest. There are a few steps in the park, a stroller can be taken around without much problem.
The walk is 1.5km long, and you can take as long or short as you wish as it is self-guided. The average time is about 45 minutes to 1 hour, and it’s great for all ages.
Witches Falls
Witches Falls is one of the hardest of the tracks that I have listed. This 3.6km track is steep, and after rain, it can be muddy and slippery.
The car parks aren’t large as you have parks just off the side of the road.
You need to be there after any recent rain to see any water falling. The viewing platform is a short detour off the track, but you will be next to the falls.
The Gold Coast Hinterland is an excellent place to get back to nature and get away from all the hustle and bustle of the high-rises on the Gold Coast.
There are so many places to enjoy your lunch on the picnic tables provided at most of the locations. Don’t forget to take all your rubbish with you if there aren’t bins supplied.
Travel to Currumbin Gold Coast SE Queensland For Koalas
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is located at Currumbin on the Gold Coast.
Whether you’re based down here or not and want to see Koalas, this is the place to come to.
What To See
There are many native animals at this park with the usual shows and talks throughout the day.
Aviaries
Not far from the entrance is a bird aviary, where you can walk through looking for native birds.
Shows
There are plenty of shows to see as you wander the grounds throughout the day.
Make sure that you plan the day well to fit everything in, from Australian culture to the Free Flight Bird Show.
Crocodile
Another great show that you have to see is the Crocodile show. Get there early for this one to ensure that you get the right spot to watch the show.
The Lost Valley
After seeing the Crocodile show, you should head to the Lost Valley. Home to the rainforest, it is reminiscent of Gondwanaland thousands of years ago.
Many animals here include the Red Panda, Tree Kangaroo, Lemur, and many more.
The Lemur enclosure is a walk-through area, sharing the area with local birds. With the Lemurs, you can look but don’t touch them. You can still get very close to them as they wander around.
Rainbow Lorikeets
Lorikeet feeding happens twice a day, at 8 am and 4 pm. It is just outside the entrance, so you can enjoy this experience without paying to go in. A gold coin donation is all that is required for the food that you can feed the Lorikeets. They are so used to humans that they will land on you without an invitation.
Koala
Of course, what you have come to see is the Koalas which are dotted all over the park.
Near the entrance are the Koalas that you can have a photo taken with. The Nursery with the Mum Koalas and their babies is near the back of the park.
Conclusion
I hope you get ideas about what you will see and do in SE Queensland when you travel. Brisbane is a great base to see Redcliffe, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, as well as many other regional destinations.
I hope that you enjoy your time here.
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Caution
Remember, this is SE Queensland, the skin cancer capital of the world, so when you travel here bring sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses. If it has been raining, you also may need insect repellent, as the mosquitos show no mercy and don’t forget your water.
I hope that you have enjoyed viewing SE Queensland through my Nikon and get to travel here one day and find your own experiences.
Links
If you’d like to read more of my blogs on Australia, you can find them on the following links; Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Camping and Silo Art, or if you’re after New Zealand, the United Kingdom or Photography, you can click on their links.
Travel Resources
- Flights, Accommodation & Car Hire – You can search for the cheapest flights and accommodation using Booking.com, Skyscanner, Hopper and WayAway, which has 5% cashback.
- Car Hire – Take to the open road with great deals from EconomyBookings.com, RentalCars.com and DiscoverCars.
- Train & Bus Tickets UK & Europe – Use Trainline to plan and book your rail and train travel in the UK and Europe.
- Travel Insurance – is your number one thing to pack when you’re travelling. Cover-More Australia, Cover-More New Zealand, EKTA, Travel Insurance Master and Insubuy are invaluable in keeping you insured during your travels.
- Attractions – buy before you leave home with these great sites, Big Bus Tour, Get Your Guide, GoCity and Viator.
- House Sitting – is a great way to save on accommodation and Trusted Housesitters has house sits all around the world for you to try.
- Photo Editing – is a great way to bring your photos to life and you can try Luminar Neo, which I use.
- Visa Applications – apply online for your visa requirements with iVisa.
- Sim cards – Try Airalo is the world’s first eSIM store that solves the pain of high roaming bills by giving travellers access to eSIMs (digital SIM cards).
If you want more, try my Travel Links and Resource page.
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Your photos have definitely inspired me to see more of South East Queensland, Kim. Hopefully one day and saving this just in case! So much to see.
Thanks, Alma, I hope that you do get to see all it has to offer one day.
Seriously you are such an amazing photographer. I loved everyone of these images!
Thanks, Laureen, I really appreciate your comments.
An extensive and detailed overview of the sights worth seeing in SEQ, and a delightful trip down memory lane of my birth city.
Thanks, Marilyn. I hope that it bought back good memories.