Distance:                 approx 1044 miles/1681km
Total driving time: approx 22 hours
Tour:                         recommended 10 to 14 days

The amount of time you spend in Brisbane is completely your choice, depending on the time you have available but most of its most prominent attractions can be viewed in a day. Be sure to visit The Clock Tower at City Hall in the centre, where you can climb the winding staircase to get a panoramic view of the city. If you fancy some relaxation, head to the Botanical Gardens or, if you have shopping on your agenda, head to Queen Street where you can find department stores and shopping malls.

To start your tour up to Cairns, head north from Brisbane and take the Bruce Highway bound for the Sunshine Coast. Once out of Brisbane’s suburbs, you are confronted with some of Queensland’s most beautiful scenery and beaches.

A popular stopping point with tourists is at Landsborough to visit the Glasshouse Mountains. A climb (well, more of a walk) up Mount Ngungun takes visitors around two hours, but with its array of eucalyptus and vegetation (not to mention the scenery on offer) as you begin your ascent, it is well worth the effort.

Less than fifteen minutes drive away lies Noosa National Park which provides a refuge for native wildlife such as the ground parrot, wallum froglet, koalas and black cockatoos. Whilst at the park, be sure to take one of the four designated trail paths to ensure you get the most from your visit. Should you be looking for somewhere to stay overnight, head to the coastal town of Noosa Heads, renowned for its famous surf beaches.

A 200km drive will bring you to Kingfisher Bay, where tourists can park their car securely and take a ferry to the highly recommended and World Heritage-listed Fraser Island. Here, you can explore the world’s largest sand island by guided tour or, if the adventurer in you is willing, hire a 4WD vehicle to enjoy the “beach drive”  - but keep an eye out as the “highway” is shared with Air Fraser! When crossing the bay in the ferry, it is possible to see the migrating humpback whales from the deck between June and November.

After returning to the mainland, make the town of Rockhampton 380km away your next port of call. To break up the journey, take a stop off at the famous Bundaberg Rum Distillery. Here you can take a guided tour of the distillery and sample first hand, why the Rum is one of Australia’s most popular tipples (as long as you aren’t driving obviously!). At the visitor centre, you can catch a spot of lunch, or purchase some of the rum to take away with you.