Strewth Pass Cairns to Byron Bay

Take in the wicked East Coast route head south out of Cairns go barefoot bowling, stay at an Aussie cattle station, cruise through to Byron Bay

Cairns to Mission Beach
East Coast, here we come… We head to Mission Beach, where the rainforest meets the sea. This is one great place to stay over. If you’re lucky you’ll get to see a Cassowary, these are big birds with attitude.

Mission Beach to Townsville
(with optional Magnetic Island)
Next stop: city of Townsville for Magnetic Island. Stay aboard or jump bus for 2 or 3 days, take the ferry and relax, try sea kayaking, go for a walk… it’s chilled out here. Magnetic Island is the sunniest spot on the QLD coast. (More than 320 sunny days a year!) You’ll think you’ve landed in paradise. Get out for some hikes or try and spot koalas in their natural habitat.

Townsville to Airlie Beach
We make our evening arrival into Airlie Beach, access point for the Whitsunday Islands and a not-to-be-missed 2 or 3 day sailing trip (optional) followed by the traditional night on the town. This is Airlie Beach after all.

Airlie Beach to Sarina
There’s a few kilometers to cover after Airlie Beach before we get to Sarina Bowling Club. Here we’re invited to play bare-foot lawn bowls.

Sarina to Kroombit
Now we go inland, almost into the Outback, to our cattle station overnight at Kroombit. There’s a local payment to cover bush dinner, bunk accomm and brekkie. Don’t go to bed before getting bucked off the mechanical bull!

Kroombit to Hervey Bay
We don’t leave the station until the goats are rounded up by horseback (own expense), then be part of a real-life mini-rodeo which is loads of laughs. Stay behind for more or get back on the bus to Hervey Bay, an access point to the amazing Fraser Island. Along the way, eyeball the grand old architecture of Maryborough.

Hervey Bay to Rainbow Beach
We branch off to Rainbow Beach, which has awesome coloured sands (hence the name) and guided walks are possible. You can do Fraser Island trips from here with a 10 minute ferry onto the Island. At Rainbow Beach there’s a huge range of adventure activities on offer, from hang-gliding, shark diving to sea-kayaking with dolphins.

Rainbow Beach to Noosa
We take a few back roads and onto the highway and it’s not long before we turn for the Sunshine Coast and stop in the yuppie holiday spot Noosa.

Noosa to Brisbane
Heading out of Noosa, stay awake for interesting information from your driver-guide and gaze out the glass to the east for views of the Glasshouse Mountains, remnants of volcanoes from a long time ago. After a while, we turn into Brisbane. Brissie is Oz’s #3 city. Get off the bus. Stay a night. Stay longer.

Brisbane to Gold Coast
We hit the highway and it’s a short hop to The Gold Coast... 40 kms of golden sands, a land of theme parks, cheap rent luxury high-rise apartments, beautiful people, tanned wrinklies, nearby Hinterlands and great sushi bars. Try it for yourself and see…

Gold Coast to Byron Bay
It’s a short stage today. Head into Byron Bay, great beach, cool vibe, interesting locals. We’re sure you’ll love it so much you’ll get off and stay longer. Enjoy! Take a cheap day tour to Nimbin, town of happy hippies (optional).