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Brisbane to Cairns Experience: Sand Dunes & the Whitsundays

10 days, Brisbane to Cairns

10 days

Brisbane to Cairns

From$2294USD
was $2699
Valid on Dec 27 2025
Trip Code: OABC

Need a flight? We can help.

Call us to book your flights! We'll find you the best option!

Special Offers

Expires on Oct 01, 2025 03:59 UTC
Promo Code G26SDQ015AUS02

Is this tour for me?

Travel Style: 18-to-Thirtysomethings

Fast, fresh, and fun adventures that never slow down, made for young, budget-minded travellers.

Service Level: Basic

Simple and clean hotels and hostels; affordable public and private transport; lots of optional activities.

Physical Rating: 3 - Average

Some tours may include light hiking, biking, rafting, or kayaking in addition to walking.

Trip Type: Small Group

Small group experience; Max 20, avg 16

Age requirement: 18-39

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10 days

Brisbane to Cairns

From$2294USD
was $2699
Valid on Dec 27 2025
Trip Code: OABC

Need a flight? We can help.

Call us to book your flights! We'll find you the best option!

Special Offers

Expires on Oct 01, 2025 03:59 UTC
Promo Code G26SDQ015AUS02

See how your trip uplifts communities

In a number of impactful ways, your adventure directly benefits the local people and places we visit.

Trees for Days

Help us spread love around the world with Trees for Days. Together with Planeterra, we'll plant one tree in your name for every travel day.

Trees planted for this trip: 10

Ripple Score

Create ripples that change lives. The higher the Ripple Score percentage, the more money stays in the local communities you visit.

Ripple Score for this trip: 100

Map of the route for Brisbane to Cairns Experience: Sand Dunes & the Whitsundays

Places visited

Itinerary Notes

Please note that most 18-to-Thirtysomethings accommodation in Australia is multi-share. For more info, see our Trip Details.

Itinerary

Day 1Brisbane

Arrive at any time.

Welcome to the “Land Down Under”! Tonight, gear up and get ready for a night out in Brisbane with the group. Enjoy an evening filled with friendly vibes, epic times, and dope views of the city as you sip some local bevvies with your new travel pals by your side.

Exclusive Inclusions:

Your Welcome Moment Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group| Your First Night Out Moment Connect With New Friends

Day 2Brisbane/K'gari (Fraser Island)

An early rise today starts your journey to K'gari (Fraser Island) World Heritage Area. Upon arrival to the largest sand island in the world, you will go through a traditional welcome by the Butchulla people, setting the tone for what's to come. After the welcome ceremony, get straight into the 4WD adventure. Swim in Boorangoora (Lake Mckenzie), hike beneath the amazing rainforest and walk along the beach during sunset. At night, sit around the campfire with your new found friends.

Meals included:

Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Day 3K'gari (Fraser Island)/Noosa

Today you'll climb sand dunes, see the Maheno shipwreck and swim in the crystal clear Eli Creek that pumps millions of litres of spring-fed fresh water into the ocean every hour. In the afternoon, say goodbye to K'gari and head to your next beachy destination, Noosa.

Meals included:

Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Day 4Noosa

Picture rocky coast against perfect turquoise water. Now head out with your CEO and see it first hand. Catch the ferry and start your easy hike in Noosa National Park along the waterways to end up at the secluded beach, Hell's Gate. While it sounds intimidating, it is well worth it, and really quite spectacular. Keep your eye out for koalas along the hike too. Enjoy the afternoon free in Noosa. Opt to get lunch on Hastings Street and enjoy some relaxing beach time or rent a surfboard. Then take the ferry back before dinner.

Day 5Noosa/Airlie Beach

Enjoy a free day in cute beachfront town of Noosa! Do some shopping along Hasting Street in search of souvenirs, have a coffee on the beach, or go for a surf. Many consider Noosa to be the best place for surfing in all of Australia. You can also choose to spend time back at the hostel or participate in some of the optional activities offered in the area. In the afternoon, we'll pack our bags and head to the train station. Tonight we sleep on an overnight train as we head north to some of the most beautiful parts of the country. Fall asleep in Noosa and wake up by the Whitsundays!

Day 6Airlie Beach

Hop off the train and board a bus for a short ride to Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier reef. After dropping your bags, do your thing in Airlie Beach. Relax on a gorgeous beach, take a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef or get some shopping in on the town. Airlie Beach is your oyster.

Day 7Whitsunday Islands/Airlie Beach

Get ready for an amazing day at sea! Today, we'll climb aboard an ocean raft and zoom around the wispy turquoise waters. With time to snorkel, go on bushwalks, and chill on the beach, today will be as close to perfect as one can get.

Meals included:

Lunch

Day 8Airlie Beach/Cairns

With an early morning departure, admire the scenery on the bus ride north to Cairns. We'll make a few pit stops along the way to stretch your legs, see some sights and check out some of Australia big things!

Day 9Cairns

Cairns is quite the place to visit if you love warm weather (it would be headline news for the city’s temperature to drop much below 20°C (68°F)) and want to visit the Great Barrier Reef. Take advantage of a free day to book one of the many optional activities that will get you out in nature’s playground. Snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, get that adrenaline pumping by whitewater rafting or skydiving and cap it all off on a Big Night Out in Cairns with your fellow travellers. Drinks all around are well deserved after spending the day escaping your comfort zones.

Day 10Cairns

Depart at any time.

View full itinerary

What's Included

  • Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
  • Your First Night Out Moment: Connect With New Friends
  • Your Discover Moment: Cairns
  • Your Big Night Out Moment: Cairns
  • K'gari Welcome Ceremony
  • 4x4 Adventure on K'gari
  • K'gari overnight experience (incl Twilight Beach Walk & Stories around the campfire)
  • Noosa Coastal Walk
  • Whitsunday full day excursion, including snorkelling
  • Whitehaven Beach visit
  • Transport to and from included activities

Accommodations

Hostels & basic lodgings (8 nts, multi-share with 4-8 people), overnight train (1 nt), remote beach accommodation (1 nt). **All nights are multi-share on this trip.

Meals

2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
Allow USD265-345 for meals not included.

Transportation

Private vehicle, bus, overnight train, boat, 4x4 vehicle, ferry, walking.

Staff & experts

CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout, local guides.

Available extras (Add these to your tour when you book)

Great Barrier Reef Snorkelling - From $176.00

You haven't truly visited Australia until you've experienced the Great Barrier Reef. Climb aboard a 25m (82 ft) catamaran and take the journey out to the largest coral reef system in the world, spending time snorkelling in search of colourful fish, majestic coral, and Nemo (of course).

Make it a private tour

Book this tour as a private departure, with your own CEO and all the benefits of a G Adventures group tour.

Brisbane to Cairns Experience: Sand Dunes & the Whitsundays

| 10 days - Brisbane to Cairns - from $2294 USD