Queensland: The destination where you'll get several holidays in one

Where adventure meets paradise - if you're planning a trip Down Under, Queensland has every landscape you can dream of and a visit here can pack several holidays in one - so to be sure you get the most from it all, it's best to book with a specialist who knows this sunny state inside out.

Tapping into the best of the region is easy with the Turquoise Holiday Company. Whether you want to know about the best time to visit, the most authentic experiences or unforgettable places to stay, this luxury tailor-made tour operator has you covered. Your Turquoise specialist can piece together a perfect, one-of-a-kind itinerary that's uniquely memorable.

Tropical North Queensland is home to endless palm-lined, golden beaches, the World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics containing Daintree National Park and the breathtaking Great Barrier Reef. With easy road and air links, you can effortlessly combine the islands of the Great Barrier Reef with a rainforest retreat or a 4WD outback adventure. The weather is also perfect in the British summer months, with April to October offering warm sunny days.

The Daintree Rainforest

Queensland boasts the impressive Daintree National Park situated within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics, a vivid green tangle of rainforest that is one of the most important sites on the planet. At an estimated 180 million years old, the Daintree is older than the Amazon rainforest, and visiting it feels like stepping back in time. Rainforest adventures are easy – explore on foot, enjoy a 4WD adventure or take a cruise down the river. A precious botanical treasure, the Daintree is a living museum that catalogues the evolution of plant life on Earth.

Queensland Outback

Outback Australia evokes visions of infinite red desert plains, spiky spinifex and lone white gum trees punctuated against a seemingly endless blue sky. Queensland boasts more than its fair share of outback or bush which covers not just desert terrain but gulf country, wetlands, savannah and cattle stations so vast they defy belief.

Everything seems larger here; the sky, the history and the characters! You could be forgiven for thinking that going outback means roughing it and of course, if you want to do this, you can, but if you’d prefer to experience Australia’s legendary outback more effortlessly, Queensland can accommodate you in style.

Port Douglas

Nowhere does seaside village charm better than Port Douglas. Once a sleepy enclave, now a vibrant resort town with bags of city-like style – ‘Port’, as everyone calls it, has alfresco eateries and enticing bars from informal and mellow to chic and buzzing, and is worth the one-hour breath-taking coastal drive from Cairns. Enjoy a cruise to the reef from Port Douglas Marina and stay in one of the boutique aparthotels close to the beach.

Turquoise’s Queensland Classics itinerary is quite simply the quintessential Aussie experience neatly packaged into one classic trip. Soak up the serenity and age-old healing spirits in Daintree Rainforest staying in one of Australia’s most luxurious lodges, before heading to the rugged outback for an authentic Australian adventure at Mount Mulligan station and the unerring romance of a southern night sky before flying to beautiful Lizard Island, one of the most stylish island resorts in the Great Barrier Reef – a glorious far-flung treasure surrounded by impossibly clear waters and the paint pot bright colours of the reef.

Southern Queensland boasts the perfect combination of rainforest, wildlife and beach and with so much on offer, you can easily fill a few weeks enjoying an unforgettable array of experiences.

Brisbane

Dissected by the Brisbane River, Brisbane is a collection of urban areas offering an eclectic mix of experiences combined with a superb dining scene. Brisbane is the international gateway airport for southern Queensland, and you can easily pick up a car and enjoy the 60-minute drive north to the Sunshine Coast. The hinterland is only a 25-minute drive inland from Noosa while the Fraser Coast is just 2 hours further north.

Noosa

This fashionable and buzzing gem of a town has been luring beach lovers for years with its casual vibe, stunning beaches, vibrant dining scene and rich surf history. The cafés of Hastings Street, Noosa’s famous main thoroughfare, are social hot spots for locals and visitors alike and a quick latte at any one of them, will soon introduce you to the town’s seductive joie de vivre. Go stand-up paddle boarding, jet-skiing and kayaking or try catching waves with one of Noosa’s home-grown surf experts.

Sunshine Coast Hinterland

Introduce a few days of serenity to your Southern Queensland journey with a stay in one of the hinterland villages such as Maleny or Montville. Charm personified, they are the gateway to the rainforest-clad Glasshouse Mountains where you can climb, abseil, bushwalk or simply take a picnic and enjoy the spectacular views.

K’Gari (formerly Fraser Island)

Carpeted with rainforest, freshwater lakes and creeks that spill onto golden beaches, the world’s largest sand mass is so much more than a mere desert island. Access the island by boat or plane, go exploring by 4WD with a local expert, join a whale-watching cruise or even take a flightseeing tour.

Strictly four-wheel-drive territory only, you will trade the city freeways for K'gari’s very own sandy highway, Seventy-Five Mile Beach, which runs along the island’s eastern coast, famed for its surf breaks.

Lamington National Park

Just two hours from Brisbane, in the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforest, Lamington National Park is a sub-tropical rainforest of crystal-clear creeks, cascading waterfalls and for those who love a view, jaw-dropping panoramas of the coastline.

Turquoise’s Surf, Sand & Sea itinerary covers the very best of South Queensland, taking in the bright lights of Brisbane, the surf lifestyle in Noosa and then heading for adventure exploring K'Gari. Finally, end your time with a stylish stay at the glamorous qualia on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays islands, in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef.

Offshore, over 900 islands lie sprinkled along Queensland’s 7,000km coastline, from Moreton and Stradbroke Islands off Brisbane to the unspoiled paradise of the Torres Strait. Visit one of the 74 tropical islands within the Whitsundays, hike alongside koalas on Magnetic Island off Townsville, or arrive in luxury by helicopter to Orpheus Island. From Cairns, explore family-friendly Green Island, ruggedly sumptuous Haggerstone Island, or discover luxurious Lizard Island and Bedarra Island. Turquoise can create tailor-made itineraries to help you enjoy the best island life that Queensland has to offer.

Family-owned and run, The Turquoise Holiday Company has been committed to offering dream holidays for its customers since 2002. In-depth and personal connections to the properties they deal with, and a genuine passion for all the destinations they travel to means that a holiday with Turquoise offers guaranteed first-hand advice, expert knowledge, and unrivalled customer service.

Get in touch with the team at Turquoise to start planning your bespoke Queensland itinerary – head to www.turquoiseholidays.co.uk and make an enquiry or call 01494 678400.