Qld tourism: 30 new experiences to enjoy

There’s no shortage of new holiday experiences opening up across Queensland, and we’ve assembled 30 of the most exciting.

There is no shortage of exciting holiday experiences opening up across Queensland.

From premium resorts and hotels, to new animal encounters and outdoor adventures, the Sunshine State’s tourism product is evolving and ready to welcome local visitors.

CITIES AND CULTURE

Brisbane Indigenous fishing experience

Go Fish Australia brings this new Aboriginal fishing experience where guests arrive on a ferry or fly in on a private helicopter to experience fishing with a Quandamooka traditional owner. Half-day, full-day or multiple-day experiences are available, and focus on fishing and bait collection on the surf beaches of Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island). Learn to fish, cook and flavour your catch with bush tucker using traditional methods taught by a Quandamooka guide.

Crystalbrook Vincent

Hospitality company Crystalbrook Collection has unveiled Crystalbrook Vincent at Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves. Set beneath the Story Bridge, Crystalbrook Vincent, formerly known as The Fantauzzo, is Crystalbrook Collection’s seventh property to open in three years; the acquisition making the group Australia’s largest independent five-star portfolio of hotels and resorts. Crystalbrook Vincent is known for its artistic touch and passion for environment sustainability.

Kiff & Culture Tours

A new travel company is bringing “Kiff” (cool) and culture to South East Queensland with relaxed food and drink tours of Brisbane and Mt Tamborine. It blends some of the area’s best food and drink experiences with local culture and natural scenery to create epic experiences. Kiff says the “tours are relaxed with guides who feel like friends and have every detail taken care of so that you can relax and enjoy the ride”.

Hotel X

It’s the Fortitude Valley hotel that marks the spot between the bars of Howard Smith Wharves, the boutiques of James St and the best restaurants and clubs in Brisbane. Hotel X opened earlier this year and is home to popular new rooftop hotspot, Iris Rooftop, and restaurant Bisou Bisou.

Bisou Bisou bar and restaurant at Hotel X in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley

Museum of Brisbane Public Art Walking Tour

The museum has just launched guided walking tours of the city’s public art to help culture vultures “examine the representations, controversies, risks and dynamic additions to Brisbane’s squares, lanes, foyers and streetscapes”. The tours cover familiar public art realms and some hidden gems. There’s also a pit stop at the The Hyatt Regency. The tours go for 90 minutes and cover 2km and are suitable for all fitness levels and abilities.

River to Bay

River to Bay runs tours between Brisbane and Moreton Bay and its islands. In March, it launched a new Best of Moreton Bay Day Tour using a high-speed vessel to take passengers on a scenic adventure to three islands to enjoy snorkelling with fish and marine wildlife at the Tangalooma Wrecks, koala-spotting and sightseeing at Dunwich (Goompi) on North Stradbroke Island, and exploring historic sites at St Helena Island. It also added Felons Brewing Co at Howard Smith Wharves to its popular River To Bay Brewery Tours.

The Straw House

Stanthorpe, two hours from Brisbane, is home to the house the three little pigs built. The tiny house made from a retired 20-tonne wheat trailer opened in May. It sits on the edge of the old vineyard among the animals, but is a luxury stay for two adults and comes with all the trimmings, bathrobes, magazines, wines, chocolates, tea and coffee.

Cali Beach Club

The new Surfers Paradise venue will be Australia’s largest day and night entertainment precinct when it opens in September, featuring four large pools, luxe poolside cabanas, two restaurants and four bars, sports facilities and an outdoor moonlight cinema.

Surfers Pavilion

One of the Gold Coast’s vibrant new waterfront food and drink venues opened in April at the old Helm Bar & Bistro site on Ferny Ave. Located in the heart of Surfers Paradise, guests can choose from an interactive oyster and champagne station, enjoy a cold drink from the Frosé Bar and listen to live music on the deck.

The Nerang River outlook at Surfers Pavilion, formerly Helm Bar and Titanium Bar

HOTA (Home of the Arts), Gold Coast

Surrounded by parklands and a lake, HOTA (Home of the Arts) is a vibrant cultural precinct in the heart of the Gold Coast. The precinct presents live music, theatre, dance, comedy, opera, kids’ shows, art, cinema and everything in between. The $60.5m HOTA Gallery, which opened in May, spans across six levels and includes more than 2000sq m of international standard exhibition space, making it the largest public gallery outside a capital city in Australia.

The Benson Hotel, Cairns

An iconic landmark in the heart of the city, the Benson Hotel has been reimagined and reinvigorated as an exciting new four-star boutique property which is set to become a Cairns City favourite. Locally owned by well-known business couple Adam and Katrina Adams who had a passionate vision to add to the Cairns tourism and business landscape with this funky Art Deco-inspired interior design and fit out. Offering six different room types from comfortable doubles to terraced apartments and the Benson Suite with views across Trinity Inlet.

Yeppoon Surfside Motel, Capricorn

Not a new opening, but Surfside Motel has just reopened after a major refurbishment, transforming it from an honest 1958-built classic into an Instagrammable Palm Springs-inspired gem. The rooms are coolly decorated, and each comes with ensuite, airconditioning, a kitchenette with cooking facilities, Wi-Fi connected to smart televisions, and parking.

Sibere Rodrigues delivers cocktails at The Benson hotel restaurant in Cairns.

NATURE AND WILDLIFE

Cedar Creek Lodges

The Lotus tents at Cedar Creek Lodges take glamping to the next level, surrounded by rainforest with an ensuite allowing guests to shower under the stars. Cedar Creek Lodges shares a 129ha property with Thunderbird Park on Mt Tamborine. Make the most of time on site by experiencing some of Queensland’s most exciting adventure activities including TreeTop Challenge high ropes course, Canyon Flyer Guided Zipline Tour or dining in the Rainforest Restaurant.

WanderPods by Wander

The WanderPods by Wander estate at Wyaralong, in the Scenic Rim region, will soon be home to five eco-luxury cabins known as WanderPods. The new accommodation will include three one-bedroom configurations and two, two-bedroom configurations. Each pod will feature a kitchenette, hot showers, flush toilets, eco-linen and views across the countryside, Lake Wyaralong and Mt Joyce. WanderPods have solar and rainwater harvesting facilities, advanced wastewater treatment systems and back-up generator to ensure guests are never left in the dark.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Currumbin is offering a unique animal encounter – Breakfast with the Koalas. It’s a new experience that allows visitors to indulge in a gourmet breakfast surrounded by our favourite cuddly marsupial. Breakfast is a set menu with five choices, and guests can get a photo with the koalas afterwards before exploring the sanctuary. Tours run from 8am, Friday to Sunday.

Hazelwood Estate

After years of planning, design and construction, Hazelwood Estate started taking bookings this month. The luxury country retreat is on the edge of World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park near Binna Burra, and is a privately-owned polo complex and Wagyu beef farm. Experiences include horse riding and walking trails, wagyu tasting, bee keeping tours and luxury spa treatments. The Paddock restaurant promises a “relaxed luxury approach and casual fine dining experience”.

Starry Nights Luxury Camping

Starry Nights is a luxe glamping retreat just outside Woombye in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. It offers safari-style glamping suites in the middle of peace and tranquillity. Each glamping tent features a kingsize bed, lounge area, kitchenette, a fireplace for cool winter nights, ensuite rain-head shower and toilet, and a freestanding bathtub that makes the most of the hinterland views.

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Starry Nights luxury camping in the Sunshine Coast hinterland

Mayan Farm

Mayan Farm, on more than 40ha of grazing land along Kin Kin Creek in the Noosa Hinterland, offers luxury, environmentally-friendly accommodation. The villas are built from rammed earth and recycled timbers including railway sleepers, old bridge timbers and the original slab hut on Mayan Farm. As a working farm, it houses a large variety of free-roaming livestock including Droughtmaster cattle, quarter horses, a small flock of sheep and Muscovy ducks.

Noosa Eco Retreat

Located on a private 40ha site, Noosa Eco Retreat has six spacious eco-luxe yurts and is limited to 12 adult guests at any time. Stay at either the Mountain View Yurt or Beauty Spot Yurt – both are self-contained and offer unparalleled views of Mt Cooroora. The retreat has access to Noosa’s trail network and is less than 1km from the distillery, restaurants and cafes of Pomona. Book an outdoor yoga class or on-site massage.

Passions of Paradise citizen science tour

Experienced, certified divers can join conservationists assessing reef health on the Great Barrier Reef with a new tour launched in Cairns by Passions of Paradise. The locally-owned research team stepped up their reef nurturing and monitoring programs during Covid while passenger numbers were low. Passions of Paradise is one of five operators based in Cairns and Port Douglas participating in the Coral Nurture Program.

Talaroo Hot Springs, North Queensland

Formed over millions of years, Talaroo Hot Springs are unique in Australia with water discharging at a scorching 62C and flowing into pools and terraces across the mound. The springs are home to an extraordinary ecosystem with aquatic animals and plants found nowhere else on earth. Located between the towns of Mount Surprise and Georgetown on the popular Savannah Way trail, Talaroo Hot Springs – a new Indigenous experience – opened a caravan and campground in June. There are 16 powered and 14 unpowered sites around purpose-built amenities and a camp kitchen, 200m from the beautiful Einasleigh River.

Taking a dip at Talaroo Hot Springs between Mount Surprise and Georgetown in far north Queensland

ISLANDS AND BEACHES

Wildcat Mackay

Red Cat Adventures’ new Mackay-based catamaran is set for tours in time for summer. Opening in October, the new catamaran will provide a smooth ride for tourists to experience incredible islands, beaches, snorkelling and fishing spots of the Mackay region. The main tour will be an exclusive day trip, as well as offering adventurous outer reef experiences and pioneer river cruises.

Heli skydive

Here’s one for the adrenaline junkies. Skydive Australia and Sea World Helicopters has launched a heli skydive experience, giving you the opportunity to skydive directly onto Main Beach at Surfers Paradise. Skydive Surfers Paradise operates three days a week, Friday to Sunday.

Loea Hotel, Maroochydore

Starting life as another ’70s roadside motel, Loea has been reimagined as a coastal chic retreat offering 10 guest rooms, a walled garden and a magnesium pool. Guests can snack on locally-made treats from the on-site vintage food truck and choose to chill in one of the outdoor zones or hire an old-school cruiser bike and make a beeline for the local beaches and riverways, restaurants, shops and surf breaks.

Lady Enid Whitsunday tours

Classic yacht Lady Enid is a beautiful way for adults (18 and over) to experience the Whitsunday Islands without the crowds. Launched at the start of the year, three new tours include Whitehaven Beach and snorkelling, Langford Island and snorkelling, and Sunset Sailing.

Having sailed the Sydney-Hobart multiple times, the Lady Enid now sails around the Whitsundays. Picture: Russ Benning

The Mysa Motel, Palm Beach

The old Palm Trees Motel has been artfully refurbished by husband-and-wife-duo Eliza and Jason Raine into a sustainable, seven-room motel that opened in March. The motel has a quintessential motel vibe featuring retro designs such as breeze blocks, neon and fibreglass sun lounge chairs. The motel’s light-filled rooms are decked with vintage images of Gold Coast attractions and destinations, shot by internationally-acclaimed and locally-based photographer, Trent Mitchell.

Meriton Suites Surfers Paradise

The five-star beachfront accommodation at Surfers Paradise is Meriton Suites’ latest hotel offering on the Gold Coast. It occupies the first 31 levels of the stunning 252m-high “Ocean” building and features spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom suites with balconies.

Sea World whale watching

Sea World is also offering visitors a chance to share the most important meal of the day with some of their biggest stars – humpback whales. Brekkie of bacon and eggs or a mushroom and spinach burger is served early, about 6am, before the Spirit of Migaloo boat heads out to the famed Humpback Highway. Guests learn about the whales from passionate guides, listen to the whales sing through underwater microphones and develop a deeper connection to the region and its wildlife.

Wonder Reef

Australia’s first purpose-built floating reef will soon be installed on the Gold Coast and will officially open to the public in early 2022. Nine sculptural reef flutes are being installed at a depth of 30m onto the ocean floor. The $5m dive attraction, 2.5km offshore from Main Beach, is being delivered jointly by the Queensland Government and the City of Gold Coast.

OUTBACK

The Staging Post, Outback Pioneers

The first section of the Outback Pioneers’ new heritage accommodation at Longreach, The Staging Post, opened in May. The Stables and The Coach Inn rooms have been finished in a rustic-luxe style, inspired by the pioneering and stagecoach era of Queensland’s past. The rooms sleep between two and four people and feature airconditioning, Wi-Fi and an ensuite. The Stables, having reimagined the building where the stagecoach horses were historically housed, is the go-to boutique accommodation option for anyone looking for that little extra decadence.