Australia’s Nature Coast is abundant in adventure and wildlife. Combining two of the eastern state of Queensland’s most diverse regions, the Fraser and Sunshine coasts, it brings together a number of unbeatable natural experiences including two UNESCO Biosphere reserves side by side and the unique encounters that goes with it – spot just-hatched sea turtles making for the ocean, a humpback whale courting, or the wompoo fruit-dove issuing its booming ‘wallock-a-woo’ call. The mix of national parks, rainforests, beaches and waterways ensure you’ll get an experience unlike anywhere else in the world, and now it’s even easier to get there thanks to the free nights on many of DialAFlight’s Australia’s Nature Coast itineraries.
The Fraser Coast – Uniting UNESCO-listed Fraser Island with the Great Barrier Reef, the Fraser Coast’s shoreline is fringed by rainforests and contains some of the planet’s biggest wildlife experiences. Humpback whales visit Hervey Bay between mid-July and November, when thousands migrate to frolic in this natural playground. Fraser Island offers visitors a fresh blast of adventure by land, air or sea, whether it’s an aerial tour over its sands, lakes and rainforests, cruising across the Great Sandy Straits wetlands or hiking Fraser Island’s Great Walk. The birdwatching here is as impressive as the scenery – you can spot over 350 species.
Remarkably, the underwater wildlife is even more diverse: over 1,500 marine species live at the coral cay of Lady Elliot Island – including green and loggerhead turtles, manta rays and humpbacks – making it a Mecca for diving. Meanwhile on the 100km motor along The Great Beach Drive – taking in the Fraser and Sunshine Coasts – you’re likely to roll past kangaroos, dingoes and even the odd whale.
The Sunshine Coast – Boasting 300 days of glorious sol each year, it’s easy to see how this coast earned its name. From the rolling surf and secluded sands of Rainbow Bay, to the majestic Tin Can Bay -where you can hand-feed wild dolphins – it’s a postcard-perfect paradise. Australia Zoo allows you to meet Oz’s classic animals and see the crucial work done in its wildlife hospital. Nature experiences abound too. The Noosa Biosphere Reserve alone boasts 1,500 km sq of wetlands, sand dunes and water inlets. Then there’s the hinterland. Stretching through the UNESCO-listed-hills of the Glass House Mountains, you can discover many national parks here, as well as trying rock climbing, bush walking and abseiling. With adventure writ large over every metre of its length, Australia’s Nature Coast is the fulfilment of this vast land’s eastern promise.