The Ultimate Airlie Beach to Brisbane Campervan Roadtrip
The East Coast is a RatPack fave for many reasons, and how better to see it than hitting the road in a camper with ya pals??
Airlie Beach to Brisbane is an epic roadie route and you can hit up some unreal spots including:
- The incredible Whitsundays
- Secret natural pools
- Sandblows with the BEST views
- Spots only accessible if you have your own wheels
Lydia headed on the roadie with her gals, here’s how they got on…
Travelling around Australia is pretty great but when youʼre able to do it with friends, oh my is it good! This is my second time here and I swear it gets better and better! I was so lucky that three of my friends were able to join me on a little Roadtrip down the East Coast from Airlie Beach to Brisbane.
Having all met in Byron, we caught a flight to Proserpine where we stayed in an airbnb before jetting off on the Ocean Rafting adventure to the Whitsundays.
Click images to see more.
The roadie
Day 1
If youʼre in travelling the East Coast, you have to make a trip to the Whitsundays. If the high speed Ocean Rafting boat isnʼt enough, the crystal turquoise seas should do it. The day trip out is perfect if youʼre on the road, you get to visit all the beautiful locations and have time to relax along the way.
TIP: January is the wet month for the Whitsundays. However, we went in January and LOOK at the colour of the water. The weather was perfect.
Day 2
CAMPER DAY! We picked up our Camper from Airlie Beach (link to all trip and camper bookings at the bottom!). From here we drove straight to Cedar Creek Falls, roughly 25 min drive!
TIP: If youʼre in a Campervan and you are picking it up from Airlie Beach a head to BCF (about 10 min drive North from Airlie Beach) to refuel gas canisters. Cafe to visit: Cafe one a Great for vegetarians & INSANE coffee Coffee spot when visiting Cedar Creek Falls: visit Becky at The Hive at Busy Bee 9am- 4pm
After a dip in the fresh water we drove straight to Cape Hillsborough (1.5 hours). We camped the night at the Cape Hillsborough Nature Tourist Park a a campsite situated 2 meters from the beach.
TIP: 60 Dollars for 4 people and a camper a bargain and well worth the stay!
Day 3
This morning was pretty special. We woke up around 4am to head to the beach for Sunrise. If you donʼt know already, Cape Hillsborough is popular for the Kangaroos and Wallabyʼs that visit the beach to fed every morning for sunrise.
TIP: you want to check the sunrise time and be on the beach 20minutes beforehand
We then hopped in the camper and made our way to Agnes Waters (7 hours). We camped at The Workmanʼs camp (€9 per person per night). If you arrive later in the evening, you can find a plot to park up and stay and the Ranger comes round in the morning and collects card or cash. A perfect stopover place!
Day 4
Two minute drive from the campsite is a short walk called Paperbark Forest walk a itʼs roughly 20 minutes and absolutely BEAUTIFUL.
After a little walk we drove 3.5 hours to Rainbow Beach down Bruce Highway. Bruce Highway is the road you are pretty much on the whole roadie on this part of the East Coast and it really makes you see how vast and baron Aus can be!
TIP: stop at Driver Revivers for free coffee or head to Bunderberg for great coffee and a lunch spot! We camped at Rainbow Beach holiday park ready for a day of exploring the next day.
Day 5
We headed to Rainbow beach in the morning to relax on the beach and soak in some sun. A great place to visit whilst you are here is Carlo blow Sand dunes a you can enter from Rainbow Beach town, follow the hill up and around and then take the steps up. When you get to the top of the steps, you turn left and follow to the woodland path round!
Day 6
We chose to get up fairly early today so we had enough time to explore Noosa. Itʼs about 1.45 hours from Rainbow Beach. Walk the Tanglewood Track in Noosa National Park (roughly 1 hour). The track takes you around the coastal path and you can head back to Noosa town from there. Make sure you stop off at the Fairy Pools!
TIP: Check tide times to make sure you can swim in the Fairy Pools.
Stayed in Noosa Caravan Park a a super peaceful campsite surrounded by Palm Trees. About 15 minutes out of town!
with RatPack Travel?
Day 7
Early rise for kayak on the everglades this morning! We hired from Boardwalk Boat Hire a €20 per person per hour a you can also get also get a double kayak or SUP.
We then headed to Laguna Cove a itʼs a beach just down from Noosa town a quieter and super peaceful! The main beach at Noosa can get pretty busy especially peak seasons so Laguna Cove is the perfect alternative.
Day 8
This morning we headed back to Laguna Cove for a chill and to grab some breakfast in the town! The Laguna Lookout is definitely worth a visit for sunset a you can drive up there or if you fancied a 30 min walk, its a lovely walk through part of the National Park. Donʼt forget to look out for Koalas!
TIP: Foodie places – a great Poke bowl at Raw n Rice Acai Bowl at Coconut Heads Cocktail at Miss Moneypennys
Day 9
Woke up early this morning to drive to the Glass House Mountains. A great hike to do is the Mount Ngungun Trail a itʼs about a 2 hour return trip to the top and is SO worth it. The views from the top are beautiful.
After a nice morning wake up hike, we drove to Melany to have coffee and lunch at Sherpa Kitchen a a beautiful garden cafe with delicious food and insane coffee!
A great waterfalls to visit nearby is Gardner Falls a itʼs about 20 minutes from Mount Ngungun! We headed to Golden Beach Holiday Park which is a great place to stay if you want to see Bribie Island and the town of Caloundra. We arrived late afternoon/early evening and decided to have a little picnic on the beach!
Day 10
Thereʼs several really beautiful beaches nearby to this campsite, one is Bulcock (around 35minute walk) and the other is Shelly Beach. Both are beautiful and have lots of cafes and markets to enjoy nearby.
Late morning we decided to go kayaking over to Bribie Island a HIGHLY RECOMMEND. We rented our kayaks from Billʼs rental along the coastline just before Caloundra a they were super reasonably priced and you can hire single, double or even paddle boards.
From our RatPackers
Genuinely saved me a lot of dolla and stress, thank you so much!
Steve and I were incredibly impressed with Reuben's great professionalism and his ability to find us a wonderful deal for our upcoming N.Z holiday in 2024. Reuben was so helpful, informative and gained us a awesome JUCY Campervan package. Thank you so much for all your assistance.🤩 I would highly recommend Rat Pack Travel to all travellers. 😊Lindy Jurd.
Great service from Ben, can’t recommend RatPack enough. Got us a great price over a really busy period and got us the van we wanted. So easy and will definitely use them again in the future.
Gregg was very helpful in helping me plan my trip very last minute! Thanks so much
Jenna was a huge help getting me a camper for my trip up through the East Coast. Availability was tight and I can’t thank Jenna enough for sorting and at a great price. Definitely worth taking the stress out of searching and using these guys.
Seems to good to be true but Ratpack are everything they say and more. Helped me so much to choose a van and made the whole process so easy! Big shout out to Jenna and all her help above and beyond thanks so much!! Highly recommend
Ben from RatPack Travel was amazing!! Highly recommend getting in contact with this company if you’re unsure what kind of vehicle is best suited for your road-trip plans!
Jenna was so helpful and informative. She made the whole process of booking a camper so easy and answered any questions that I had. I would 100% recommend Ratpack travel for booking a campervan trip! Thanks Jenna 😀
Jenna was amazing! She took all the worry and stress out of booking our holiday! She was so helpful and patient, offering so much advice and securing us a lovely discount as well! Congratulations RatPack Travel - you have a winner in Jenna!
Messaged on Instagram and within a few minutes Reuben had replied, he went through every bit of detail to help arrange our east coast trip, providing the specification of the van and the true costings without any pressure. Very excited to start our trip next month, credit to the team for sure
Mikey was amazing and helped us out a great deal! Can’t recommend them enough!
Just booked a camper through Ratpack Travel with Gregg. He was super professional and talked me through the entire process with constant updates - absolute legend. One of the easiest experiences booking a camper I've had. Would definitely recommend!
Reuben was so helpful to deal with. Would highly recommend
Thanks for sorting out a camper for us Ben! I look forward to the trip and travelling in the RV you found for us
Gregg was fantastic chasing a great price and was extremely responsive - he called when he said he would, chased options immediately and was quick with follow up communication. The process was quick and painless and ended with us getting a great deal.
