🧳Part of the series·Tourism in Australia→
Aerial view of the coast at Noosa National Park, with beach and coastal bush
Photo: Dillon Hunt / Pexels

Between Brisbane and Cairns, on the northern stretch of the East Coast, two stops are worth the detour before continuing your trip: the Sunshine Coast (Australia Zoo and Noosa) and K'gari, formerly known as Fraser Island — the world's largest sand island. They're close to each other, so it usually makes sense to treat them as the same leg of the itinerary.

It's part of the East Coast — if you haven't planned the rest of your trip yet, the complete Australia travel guide helps you fit these stops in.

Sunshine Coast

Australia Zoo

Founded by the Irwin family (of Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter"), it's in Beerwah, about an hour's drive from Brisbane. Adult admission runs around AU$75-77. Worth setting aside the whole day — it's a large park, with shows scheduled throughout the day.

Koala clinging to a eucalyptus branch in Beerwah, Queensland
Koala in Beerwah, near Australia Zoo — Photo: Julie Sergeant / Pexels

Noosa

A beach town in the northern Sunshine Coast, about 150km from Brisbane. Hastings Street is the main street — restaurants, shops, direct access to Noosa Main Beach. Noosa National Park is about a 30-minute easy walk from Hastings Street, with a coastal trail (Coastal Track) leading to Sunshine Beach.

Aerial view of Noosa Heads, with the built-up shoreline next to the beach and bush around it
Noosa Heads — Photo: Tiam Tarran / Pexels

K'gari (Fraser Island)

Dingo walking on light sand on a beach, casting a long shadow
Photo: Line Knipst / Pexels

K'gari — the island's Aboriginal name, also known as Fraser Island — is the world's largest sand island. There's no paved road: all travel is over sand, by 4x4. It's also one of the few places in Australia with a population of genuinely pure dingoes (no crossbreeding with domestic dogs).

Why you can only visit by 4x4

A regular car can't handle the island; you need a real 4x4, either rented (for those with off-road driving experience) or as part of a guided tour — the most common option for a first visit.

4x4 parked on the sand at K'gari, next to the rusted wreckage of the SS Maheno shipwreck
4x4 on the beach at K'gari, near the SS Maheno shipwreck — Photo: Hunty Hunt / Pexels

Lake McKenzie

The island's most photographed spot: a crystal-clear freshwater lake, surrounded by brilliant white silica sand. Practically every one-or-more-day tour stops at Lake McKenzie for a swim.

Hervey Bay — the gateway

Access to K'gari is by ferry leaving from River Heads, near Hervey Bay. Hervey Bay is about 235km from Brisbane — 3.5-4 hours by car, or a 35-minute direct flight from Brisbane Airport.

Rocky coastline at Hervey Bay, with calm blue waters under a partly cloudy sky
Hervey Bay — Photo: Michelle Simpkins / Pexels

If your trip falls between June and November (peak: July to October), it's worth stopping in Hervey Bay before or after K'gari — it's considered the whale-watching capital of the world for humpback whales, with sightings practically guaranteed during peak season.

How to get there

  • From Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast: ~1h by car via the Bruce Highway to Australia Zoo; Noosa is a bit further, ~2h.
  • Sunshine Coast Airport (Maroochydore): about 30 minutes from Australia Zoo.
  • From Brisbane to Hervey Bay (base for K'gari): ~235km, 3.5-4h by car, or 35 min direct flight.
  • Sunshine Coast → Hervey Bay: following the coastal route, you can combine both stops in the same trip.

How much it costs

ItemPrice
Australia Zoo (adult admission)~AU$75–77
K'gari tour, 1 day (from Hervey Bay)~AU$200–315
K'gari tour, 2 days / 1 night~AU$680–800
HostelAU$15–40/night
3-4 star hotelAU$140–230/night

Base itinerary

2-3 days: day 1 — Australia Zoo. Day 2 — travel to Hervey Bay + 1-day K'gari tour. Day 3 (optional) — Noosa or whale watching, if in season.

4-5 days: the itinerary above at a more relaxed pace — a 2-day K'gari tour instead of a day trip, and more time in Noosa.

Official sources