Queensland's green getaways

MAKE a clean getaway of the city smog to Queensland's unspoilt tropical paradise, with our pick of the state's best eco escapes.

THEY'RE clean, green and unspoiled tropical paradise.

Queensland's famous beaches, stunning mountains and vast Outback have rightly put the state on the eco-tourism map – so next time you plan a weekend away, consider a green getaway.

HIDDEN VALLEY

Where: Paluma

Just one hour outside Townsville is the rainforest haven of the Paluma Range National Park.

Almost two-thirds of the park is in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and it is perfect for wildlife-spotters and bushwalkers.

Swimming is allowed in Little Crystal Creek, 7km along the scenic road to Paluma, and Big Crystal Creek, about 2km north of the Paluma turn-off.

Camping is allowed with a permit at Big Crystal Creek, alternatively  you can stay at Hidden Valley Cabins, Australia's first 100 per cent solar-powered and carbon-neutral tourism operator. Hidden Valley offers accommodation in quaint cabins and its new Interpretive Centre explains how solar energy is used to save 78 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

The family-run business also operates Hidden Valley Tours, a three-day trip incorporating hiking, fishing, swimming and sightseeing in the Paluma and Hidden Valley regions.

A trip highlight is a visit to spectacular Wallaman Falls, the highest sheer drop waterfall in Australia.

How to get there: Paluma is an hour's drive northwest of Townsville. From Townsville, head north on the Bruce Highway towards Ingham.

Turn left at Paluma Range National Park and follow the signs to Paluma.

More: Call Hidden Valley Cabins on [phone] or 1800 466 509.

CAPE TRIBULATION

Where: Daintree

Cape Trib is where the reef meets the rainforest; a chance to experience two of our most important World Heritage areas in the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics and where it is impossible not to get lost (metaphorically speaking) in the beauty of your surroundings.

How you spend your weekend is a choice or combination of beach and rainforest activities, going on reef trips and croc-spotting tours, sea kayaking and horse-riding, cycling and four-wheel-drive tours, to guided rainforest walks.

And just because it may be wilderness, you won't have to forgo comfort.

Cape Trib has its own small village which is worth stopping at for a coffee and a shop, while there are plenty of private and comfortable places to stay, and a spa.

Also take a visit to the Daintree Entomological Museum. The collection of bugs and butterflies has taken more than three decades to assemble.

How to get there: About 100km north of Cairns via the Cook Highway to the Daintree River crossing.

CAPE GLOUCESTER

Where: Whitsunday Coast

Conceived in 1995 with the purchase of 61ha on the eastern shore of Edgecumbe Bay, Cape Gloucester Eco-Resort was designed to be a small, inviting and environmentally sustainable project.

With only three one-room open-plan cabins, three two-bedroom cabins and four adjoining motel-style units, it is on a pristine beach facing the beautiful Passage Islet and is proudly ecologically sustainable with a seven-star eco plan.

Enjoy beachcombing, splashing in the salt-water pool, kayaking, boating, island hopping, bird-watching and snorkelling, plus there is a cricket pitch and volleyball court.

Fishing is great, even from the beach, because the tidal flow from adjacent Gloucester Passage collides with the mangrove eco-system of Edgecumbe Bay in front of the resort.

In winter months, you can spend hours whale-watching.

How to get there: Cape Gloucester is about 60km from Proserpine Airport and Airlie Beach. The nearest airport is Proserpine (daily flights on Virgin and Jetstar). If driving, take the turn to Airlie Beach from the Bruce Highway, then turn left and follow the signs to Hydeaway Bay and Dingo Beach. There are two long stretches of unsealed road, navigable by ordinary sedan.

More: Call Cape Gloucester Eco-Resort on [phone].

O'REILLY'S GUESTHOUSE

Where: Lamington National Park

Part of the Gondwana rainforests of the Australian World Heritage area, the park includes subtropical rainforest, warm temperate rainforest and nearly all of the Antarctic-beech cool temperate rainforest.

It is the perfect spot for getting back to nature with bushwalks, bird watching and spotlighting for nocturnal animals.

O'Reilly's Rainforest Guesthouse opened in 1926 and offers a range of guest rooms to cater to all tastes.

The guesthouse offers interpretive rainforest walks, guided four-wheel-drive excursions, adventure activities and evening tours.

A rainforest boardwalk used by 300,000 people a year takes guests to the famous Tree Top Walkway. The 160m circuit through the rainforest canopy gives visitors a bird's eye view of the forest – with minimal impact on the ecology. For the more adventurous, there is the Giant Swing and the Leap of Faith.

If you prefer to get even closer to nature, there are several campsites in the park at Stinson Park in the Southern Lamington, where a hike leads to the wreck of the infamous 1937 Stinson plane crash.

How to get there: Lamington National Park is two hours by road south of Brisbane and 90 minutes by road west of the Gold Coast.

More: Call O'Reilly's Rainforest Guesthouse on 1800 688 722, and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service campsites on 13 13 04.

CARNARVON GORGE

Where: Central Queensland

Carnarvon Gorge doesn't just have some of the most spectacular native flora and fauna, it also has some of the best-preserved ancient Aboriginal rock art in Australia.

You can choose to rough it in the designated camping grounds or stay at the Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge or the Takarakka Bush Resort.

There is a range of walks over 21km of graded tracks from easy, flat strolls to steep treks.

Include in your itinerary a walk to the cool, shady Moss Garden where ferns and moss thrive in cracks in the sandstone and, if you have the time, the full-day walk to the Art Gallery where Aboriginal art and carvings depicting goannas, hand prints, boomerangs, tools and emu claws cover the cliff face.

If it's too strenuous or too long to fit into your weekend, there are shorter walks that lead to other rock art locations.

If it is warm for swimming, the Rock Pool walk leads to a shaded picnic area and rock pool. If you're not keen to get wet, spot the platypus and turtles.

How to get there: Carnarvon Gorge is a 10-hour drive from Brisbane or six hours from Roma.

FRASER ISLAND

Where: Fraser Coast

It is the world's largest sand island, but there is more to Fraser Island than beaches – there are also lakes (Fraser has the second largest concentration of lakes in Australia, after Tasmania), creeks and rainforests.

Visitors to the World Heritage-listed island can swim, laze on the pristine white sands, fish from the beach and take a day cruise to try your luck at whale spotting (late July to early November).

But there is also plenty to do away from the beach.

Champagne Pools at Middle Rocks is a romantic and secluded spot with rock pools of bubbling sea water. Visit the wreck of the Maheno which is buried in the sand just north of Happy Valley, or wait on the viewing platform at Lake Allom for a chance to see some freshwater turtles.

Fraser Island is also home to 325 species of birds, wallabies, possums, flying foxes, echidnas and eastern Australia's purest population of dingo (make sure you check the EPA tips on how to stay dingo-safe).

There are three resorts – Kingfisher Bay, Fraser Island Retreat and Eurong – and campsites and houses for rent.

How to get there: There are many ways to get to Fraser – with your own four-wheel drive via the ferry from Hervey Bay or Rainbow Beach (permits required); passenger ferry for day-trippers or by air.

Sunday Mail