Beachcombing on Rainbow Beach

CATHY Finch braves the sand highway in a 4WD on the Sunshine Coast's Rainbow Beach and survives to revel in the beauty of the Great Sandy National Park.

Just the spot ... there are great views of the surf break at Double Island Point from the Carlo Sand Blow/Tourism Queensland

THE message on the wall is loud and clear. Scores of four-wheel-drive vehicles are pictured in varying states of distress.

Some are clenched between rocks, others can only be detected by their roof racks pushing through the surf. All are totally water-logged with ocean swirling around their doors.

I'm hiring a 4WD and it's rather confrontational. "Are these recent shots?" I quiz. "Sure are," replies the agent.

"There're about 50 or 60 vehicles that get bogged every year. It's Rainbow Beach's biggest car wash."

"Great," I reply sarcastically as the click clack of the credit card machine takes a $2000 bond from my account. "Just don't drive like a backpacker and you'll be fine," he suggests.

Down on the beach it is low tide and I whip along the sand highway. The ocean shines cobalt blue and towering cliffs of sand blush with every colour of the rainbow.

Thankfully, there don't appear to be any menacing stretches of rock and sand to suck in cars and hold them there between tides.

Instead, we marvel at what the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park has on offer.

More than a jump-off to Fraser Island

Many people treat Rainbow Beach as a springboard community, a jump-off point to the more-publicised Fraser Island.

But this area is emerging, with a lot to offer.

Along the beach, fishermen pull long, slimy sand worms and bait up to catch dinner. Fishing is one of the area's most popular pastimes with dart, bream, flathead, whiting and tailor caught on the beach.

Families wallow in the water and tourists stop to capture the beauty of the area's only highrise - the coloured sand dunes.

On the inland track are freshwater lakes, many walks and spectacular tropical forests.

The Bymien picnic area can be accessed by conventional vehicle and from here are several walking tracks into lush rainforest areas.

"Tarzan" vines fall from the sky and the lush green foliage feels cool, fresh and squeaky clean. A 2km walk brings us out at the tea-coloured waters of Poona Lake where on a still day the lake provides perfect reflections of the native flora backdrop.

A sea of sand at Carlo

A pleasant 600m walk from the Rainbow Beach water tower winds us through pretty woodlands and purges us out over a sea of sand, the Carlo Sand Blow.

From up here we can see forever, with the closer panorama taking in Double Island Point, the historic lighthouse and Tin Can Inlet.

With 16ha of sand to play in, many turn up with their boogie boards to surf the dunes, while others lose themselves in the desert or perch on the edge of a cliff to enjoy the sunset.

We leave our footprints in the sand with no one but our shadows for company.

One of world's top jump for paragliders

For the thrill seekers, hurling oneself off the sand blow to hang glide or paraglide along the coastline is a popular pastime and there's no better place to do it. This site is said to be one of the top 10 jump sites in the world.

Back in town, Rainbow Beach is still a quiet little seaside enclave.

A few trendy restaurants have sprouted along the main street and the outdoor area of the local pub presents a top spot for a beer.

In the evening, we return to Rainbow Shores, our spacious self-contained accommodation nestled into the Cooloola Rainforest.

The resort has a golf course, two swimming pools, tennis courts and bicycles for hire. Its main attractions, however, are the proximity to the beach and award-winning restaurant. Local freshwater yabbies pan fried with garlic and lemon, tossed over an Italian style white wine risotto does sound a treat.

Sunday Mail (QLD)