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Explore Queensland: Gold Coast to Port Douglas

Embark on a 9-day journey through Australia’s vibrant coastlines and rich cultural landscapes, from the Gold Coast’s glittering beaches to Port Douglas’ tropical paradise. Explore iconic destinations like the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, and Mossman Gorge.

9 Day Explore Queensland: Gold Coast to Port Douglas
Brisbane/Meanjin to Port Douglas

Discover the best of Australia with this thoughtfully curated 9-day tour that takes you from the lively Gold Coast to the tropical paradise of Port Douglas. Soak in the Gold Coast’s glittering beaches, enjoy close encounters with native wildlife at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, and taste the flavors of Tamborine Mountain on a guided culinary tour. In Port Douglas, sail to the Great Barrier Reef, immerse yourself in Aboriginal culture in the Daintree Rainforest, and float serenely along the Mossman River. 


DIRECT TRAVEL EXCLUSIVE BONUS: AUD $100 Food & Beverage credit per room per stay at select hotels, when you travel by March 31, 2026.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Gold Coast Adventures

•  Visit the iconic Surfers Paradise with 300+ sunny days a year.

•  Experience a unique Aquaduck City Tour and River Cruise, combining city exploration with scenic waterways.

 

Wildlife Encounters

•  Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: Get up close with koalas, kangaroos, and exotic species like lemurs and red pandas. Includes a Koala photo opportunity.

 

Gold Coast Hinterland Exploration

•  Full-day Tastes of Tamborine Mountain Tour: Guided rainforest walk, wine and coffee tastings, artisan spirits, and local produce.

 

Great Barrier Reef Experience

•  Snorkel at Mackay Coral Cay with a marine biologist-led tour, glass-bottom boat viewing, and premium reef experiences.

 

Immersive Aboriginal Culture

•  Ngana Julaymba Dungay Tour: Guided exploration of the Daintree Rainforest with an Aboriginal guide, bush tucker tasting, and traditional hunting practices.

 

Mossman Gorge Adventure

•  Traditional Kuku Yalanji smoking ceremony, rainforest walk, and serene River Drift Experience.

 

ACCOMMODATIONS AND OTHER INCLUSIONS

• Gold Coast: Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise (4 Nights in a Standard Room)

• Port Douglas: Peninsula Boutique Hotel (4 Nights in an Ocean View Suite)

• Private Transfers between airports, hotels, and tour locations

 

With luxury accommodations, private transfers, and exclusive experiences, this tour offers the perfect blend of adventure, relaxation, and cultural discovery. 

DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

Ask for pricing and how we can further customize this tour for you!

Day 1: Brisbane (Meanjin)

Transfer to the Gold Coast
Accommodations: Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise
Includes: Private Car/Driver Transfer from Brisbane International Airport to Surfers Paradise Hotel. Afternoon City Tour and River Cruise
EXCLUSIVE BONUS: AUD $100 Food & Beverage credit per room per stay.

Gold Coast: Located an hour's drive south of Brisbane and stretching along 70 kilometres of coastline lies Australia's biggest, busiest and most vibrant tourist resort - the Gold Coast. The impressive coastal strip is dominated by high-rise accommodation, retail and tourist shops, international-standard resorts and restaurants, nightclubs and neon signs. The most famous stretch of Gold Coast beach is glittering Surfers Paradise. The Gold Coast has a warm, balmy climate with over 300 sunny days per year. Together with the cooler subtropical rainforest ranges in the hinterland, with their wealth of scenic treasures, the Gold Coast is extremely popular with tourists and residents seeking a relaxed lifestyle in great surroundings.

Your hotels is located on the southern end of Surfers Parade, between the Cavill Avenue entertainment strip and the Broadbeach local shopping and dining scene. The hotel is set across two towers with a choice of hotel rooms and self contained apartments, with sweeping views of the Gold Coast coastline or the hinterland from the private balcony.

Afternoon City Tour and River Cruise: This 1 hour tour aboard the amphibious ‘Duck’ combines an informative city-tour with a unique and exciting river cruise, travelling past the glitzy waterfront mansions of the rich and famous and taking in the spectacular views of the Gold Coast waterways and its famous landmarks. At the completion of your tour, make your own way to your accommodation.

Day 2: Gold Coast

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Accommodations: Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise
Includes: Breakfast. Private Car/Driver Surfers Paradise to Currumbin and return. Group Koala Photo, Park Entry, shows, access to the wildlife hospital viewing platform, and use of the miniature train.

Enjoy a close encounter with Australia's native animals such as koalas, kangaroos and wallabies, Tasmanian devil, wombat and echidna. Experience one of the daily shows such as wild lorikeet feeding, free flight bird show, and visit the Wildlife Hospital to see the vital work the veterinary team and volunteers do to secure the future of Australia's wildlife. Discover Lost Valley as you wander along elevated boardwalks to interact with exotic species such as Lemurs, Cotton-top Tamarinds, Red Panda and reptiles.

Day 3: Gold Coast Hinterland

Full Day Tastes of Tamborine Mountain Tour
Accommodations: Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise
Includes: Breakfast. Pick up and drop off from selected locations, lunch with a glass wine, beer or juice, wine tasting, coffee plantation tour and tasting, distillery tasting, National Park fees.

On this 7.5 hour tour, experience Tamborine through the eyes of a local. Enjoy a guided walk through the rainforest, taste locally grown produce at lunch and try the region's best coffees and artisan spirits. Meet passionate local producers, buy handmade art and crafts then take in the waterfalls and lookouts of the Gold Coast's most famous mountain top village. Whilst on the tour your guide will tell the stories of the local people, history of the region, show you their favourite spots and share their knowledge on the rainforest’s unique flora and fauna. At the completion of your tour, you will then be transferred to your Gold Coast accommodation.

Day 4: Gold Coast

Accommodations: Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise
Includes: Breakfast.

Today is a free day to relax and explore on your own.

Day 5: Gold Coast to Port Douglas

Accommodations: Peninsula Boutique Hotel
Includes: Breakfast. Private Car/Driver from Surfers Paradise hotel to Gold Coast Domestic Airport, and from Cairns Domestic Airport to Port Douglas hotel.
EXCLUSIVE BONUS: AUD $100 Food & Beverage credit per room per stay.

Port Douglas: Located just north of Cairns, Port Douglas offers a sophisticated and low-key escape for travellers in an unpretentious and relaxed tropical environment. Shop in the boutique clothing stores, dine in the exquisite alfresco restaurants and enjoy the islands and coral cays of the nearby Great Barrier Reef. A visit to Four Mile Beach is essential where you can laze away the day on the pristine sand. Port Douglas is also a popular base from which to explore the rainforests of the Wet Tropics, Daintree and Cape Tribulation. Flagstaff Hill Walking Trail is an easily accessible summit that serves as Port Douglas’ ultimate viewing point, providing majestic, sweeping views of the sandy Four Mile Beach below as well as the surrounding mountain and sea panorama. The lookout is accessed via steps at 4 Mile Beach’s north end.

This adult only boutique property is located directly opposite Four Mile Beach and is at the quiet end of Macrossan Street. The hotel offers spacious contemporary guest rooms which have been designed with the tropics in mind. All rooms have a discreet kitchenette and a large private balcony or terrace.

Domestic flights are not included in your arrangements. Please ask for details

Day 6: Great Barrier Reef

Full Day Outer Reef Mackay Coral Cay
Accommodations: Peninsula Boutique Hotel
Includes: Breakfast. Hotel pick up and drop off, morning and afternoon tea, buffet lunch, snorkelling equipment, optical mask, seasonal lycra snorkelling suits, wet suites & floating devices, instruction and in-water assistance, guided snorkel tour, glass bottom boat viewing and reef interpretation.

Your tour commences with a transfer from your hotel to the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina, where you will board your vessel. You can sit back and relax on the beautiful yacht and set sail to the Coral Cays of Mackay or Undine Reefs. You will enjoy an authentic sailing experience, following the coastline and views of the Daintree mountains. Once at the protected sites at the Coral Cays, nature activities will include snorkelling over the pristine coral reef with a qualified marine biologist offering reef interpretation on a guided snorkel tour. A glass bottom boat coral viewing tour is also on offer. Premium reef sites showcase abundant marine life, including encounters with turtles and an amazing display of giant clam gardens, beautiful corals and a wide variety of fish. Exploring the white sands of the coral cays will relax the mind. Soak up the sun, peace and tranquility and swim in turquoise clear waters. Small numbers of guests ensure personal interactive communication with our experience guides. A tropical buffet lunch, morning and afternoon teas & coffees, supplied by local plantations, will compliment a day of adventure and relaxation. Expert guiding and 1st class services are all included from helpful, friendly crew.

Day 7: Port Douglas

Afternoon Ngana Julaymba Dungay (Daintree) Tour
Accommodations: Peninsula Boutique Hotel
Includes: Breakfast. Hotel pick up and drop off, Professional Aboriginal Guide, Bush Tucker Tasting (seasonal & tidal), afternoon tea.

This morning is free to relax and explore on your own.

Afternoon Ngana Julaymba Dungay (Daintree) Tour: On this 4 hour tour you will spend the afternoon with a local Aboriginal tour guide, learning about culturally significant areas and the relationships the Kuku Yalanji still have with their land. Learn the history, culture and traditions of the local Aboriginal people and the area. Enjoy a guided walk through the rainforest and coastal habitats learning about the environment, different foods and medicines utilized from nature, sample some bush tucker, collect shellfish and try traditional Aboriginal hunting practices, have a go at spear throwing and if you are lucky, catch a mud crab. To complete the adventure cool off in a pristine freshwater stream. At the completion of the tour, you will be transferred back to your Port Douglas accommodation.

Day 8: Mossman Gorge

Full Day Mossman Gorge Adventure Day
Accommodations: Peninsula Boutique Hotel
Includes: Breakfast. Hotel pick up and drop off, lunch, traditional smoking ceremony, guided rainforest walk in Mossman Gorge, River Drift Experience, all safety equipment.

This 8 hour tour will enable you to immerse yourself in a rainforest experience like no other! After being collected from your accommodation you will travel to Mossman Gorge to experience a traditional Kuku Yalanji smoking ceremony; you will be cleansed of bad spirits and have traditional rainforest body paint applied. Explore the Daintree National Park during a 1.5 hour interpretive walk, which will leave you with a deeper understanding of this breath-taking rainforest. After lunch, travel to the Mossman River for a one of a kind River Drift tour; a unique experience that offers a blend of hiking and serene river floating in the lush rainforest of the Mossman River. You will return to Port Douglas, where you will be transferred to your accommodation.

Day 9: Port Douglas

Return Home
Includes: Breakfast. Private Car/Driver Port Douglas to International Airport.

Today marks the end of your Gold Coast to Port Douglas tour.

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Terms & Conditions

All rates will be quoted in the applicable currency and will be valid for travel during the seasonality dates booked. Should existing Government charges change or new charges be introduced prior to travel, we reserve the right to requote. International airfares may be subject to fuel surcharges at the time of booking. Rates are not valid over special event periods when surcharged rates and/or minimum stays may apply. All tours must be started and completed within the validity dates of the rates shown for the specific rate to be applicable. Travel that crosses between rate validity, or where there is a seasonality note, will be subject to a special quotation. All prices are subject to the availability of the specified services and contracted rates at the time of booking. COST EXCLUDES • Internal Australian flights (unless otherwise specified) • Internation flights • Supplier surcharges when date/time of service required occurs on a public holiday or outside of standard hours • Optional tours and services • Meals other than those specified above • Beverages • Gratuities • Items of a personal nature (e.g. telephone calls, mini bar, laundry, etc.) • Travel insurance (cancellations, loss of deposits, delays, etc.). For Bluey's World The Supplier is Andrew Kay Events Pty Ltd. Supplier hereby grants to Southern World a limited, non-transferable, non-exclusive license to use all logos, names or marks pertaining to “Bluey’s World: Brisbane” (the “Event”) for the purpose of merchandising and promoting the Event.