Destination Overview

Queensland is subtropical in the south, where summers are warm, winters are mild and autumn and spring offer the very best climates; and tropical in the north, where the wet season (throughout summer) can be quite humid and hot, while the dry season (throughout winter) is quite dry and mild.

Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is one of the oldest living societies on the planet and their intricate history and traditional practices can be experienced in so many ways, all across Queensland.

Whether you’re into learning more about indigenous art, going bush or just want to inject a touch of culture into your holiday make sure you take the time out to tick some of these suggested adventures off your bucket list.

• Gain a deeper understanding about the unique culture first hand and learn traditional techniques, like collecting and preparing bush tucker, throwing a boomerang.
• Go bush with an Indigenous guide at the Mossman Gorge Centre and be enchanted by the stories and heritage of the traditional owners of the gorge.
• Listen to the tales behind contemporary art and traditional rock paintings left by past generations.
• Head to Carnarvon National Park where Aboriginal history is revealed through the park's rock art sites.
• Lawn Hill National Park is considered to have one of the longest continual occupations by Indigenous, dating back at least 17,000 years and may extend beyond 30,000 years.
• Visit Thursday Island. As well as being a top fishing spot, you can experience the island culture of the Torres Strait Islanders here.
• Back on the mainland in Tropical North Queensland, you can take a 4WD adventure to ancient Aboriginal sites in Cape York, visit the Daintree Rainforest interpretive centre or source your own fresh seafood the traditional way on the Great Barrier Reef.
• You can even be pampered with indigenous inspired spa treatments set in the beautiful Daintree Rainforest.

In Queensland, they’re all about natural beauty. UNESCO has recognised this by listing five of their wonders as World Heritage areas. These areas are recognised worldwide for their importance as natural and cultural symbols and they’re super proud to show them off.

While you’re here, tick off one or all of our World Heritage Listed areas:

• The Great Barrier Reef was the first Queensland site to be recognised for its representation of major stages of the earth’s evolutionary history and as the largest coral reef system on the planet.
• Gondwana Rainforests of Australia straddles Queensland’s southern border and encompasses Lamington, Springbrook, Mt Barney and the Main Range National Parks. This area is the most extensive remaining area of sub-tropical rainforest and is home to nearly all of the world's Antarctic beech rainforest.
• Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and is noted for its exceptional beauty, ever-evolving coastal sand dune formations and habitats, as well as 250km of sandy beaches.
• A slightly prehistoric twist sees ancient Australian mammals preserved in limestone at the Riversleigh Fossil Mammal site in Outback Queensland on the list. Some fossil deposits date back 25 million years.
• Extending from Cooktown to Townsville and including the Daintree Rainforest, the Wet Tropics Rainforest of Australia protects Australia’s largest remaining area of wet tropical rainforest with cultural significance for the Aboriginal people who have called this area home for thousands of years.

Aim to reach all five World Heritage Listed areas and you’ll have an adventure plan that covers off most of our beautiful state!