Queensland

Queensland is a sprawling amalgam of stunning scenery and eccentric personalities. Its most famous attraction, the Great Barrier Reef, is by no means the only thing worth seeing; the Daintree Rainforest and the Queensland outback are also worth a look. White sandy beaches grace almost the entire coastline and a string of islands and coral atolls dangle just off shore. At the southern end, the sun shines on the Gold Coast beaches and in the north, from Townsville to Cape York, the rainforest teems with flora and fauna.

Brisbane is the state capital and it brims with style, boasting world-class theatre, shopping, markets, art galleries and restaurants, yet it retains the relaxed warmth of a country town.

As you travel north, you'll be tempted by one tropical island after another until you hit the cluster of 74 that makes up the Whitsunday and Cumberland groups. Then you enter a land where islands, rainforest, mountains, and rivers unite. Green sugarcane fields are everywhere.

Cairns has rainforest hills and villages to explore and a harbour full of boats waiting to take you to the Great Barrier Reef. Cairns is a good base, but savvy travellers head an hour north to the village of Port Douglas - the gateway to the Daintree rainforest.

Queensland has something for everyone and is, as they say, beautiful one day and perfect the next.