There’s a lot of pride in being a Queenslander. We’re awesome at sport, have amazing sunny weather 24/7 and our house prices are about one twentieth of Sydney and Melbourne’s. That’s all great.
But sometimes we need to be reminded about the truly incredible things we have going on in our own backyard. There are amazing things to eat, see and do in the cities, towns and outback of our big state. As we come up to State of Origin, we've been hit by a moment of pride so we've rounded up our pick of 14 amazing things to do in our great State:
- Take the drive from Cairns up the mountains to Mareeba–it’s the incredibly stunning landscape that inspired James Cameron to make Avatar.
- Snorkel with the super colourful clownfish, parrotfish and trout in the Great Barrier Reef; it covers a whopping 2,300km along our Queensland coast.
- Check out a spot of outback camel racing. The towns of Tara, Bedourie and Boulia all have their own races!
- Enrol in wine school in Stanthorpe. Or at least visit Stanthorpe and try all the quality wines.
- Camp near the pristine waters of Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island. It’s the world’s largest sand island.
- Head out to the dusty red plains out west. Longreach is our pick and it’s mandatory to knock back a XXXX or two at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame.
- Watch thousands of baby turtles being hatched on the beach at Mon Repos on the Bundaberg coast as the sun rises. And then head into Bundaberg town for a bite at Indulge Café, voted Queensland’s Best Café in 2015!
- Go luxe and rent a yacht to sail around all the islands of the Whitsundays: Dom Perignon optional, I mean essential.
- Visit a bona fide 'ghost town'. Cooktown which is 2000km North of Brisbane was once a thriving town during the gold rush but has all but been been deserted, leaving a town of beautiful historic buildings behind.
- Eat all the incredible Queensland cheese. Witches Chase Cheese in Mt Tamborine and Fromage The Cow in Brisbane are a good start.
- Go camping out west at Carnarvon Gorge (720km northwest of Brisbane) and watch the sugar gliders sail through the air above you.
- Eat all the amazing food we have on offer, starting with the 3 Queensland restaurants included in the Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 of 2016 list: Esquire (Brisbane), The Long Apron (Montville) and Gerard’s (Brisbane).
- Throw watermelons at your friends (and strangers) at the Chinchilla Melon Festival!
- Hike to the spectacular Millaa Millaa Waterfall inland from Innisfail, it’s truly breathtaking.
Looking for more amazing things to do? Check out our article 9 Awesome Day Trips To Take Around Brisbane!
Image credits: Ariana Gillrie, queensland.com