Rainbow Beach (Queensland) Voyage Tips and guide

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Rainbow Beach is your golden gateway to some of the most amazing natural attractions to be found anywhere in the world.

From this picturesque coastal village, enchantingly nestled between Tin Can Bay and the Pacific Ocean, you can experience an enthralling mosaic of these wonders and indulge in your favorite pursuits at the same time.

By car, Rainbow Beach is about 75km from the  A1  Bruce Highway at Gympie, and the drive takes around an hour. The turn-off onto Tin Can Bay Road is well signposted from both directions, as is the turning onto Rainbow Beach Road after 40km.

If you have a 4WD, and the weather has been good, you can also drive in from Noosa via the Cooloola Way, or at low tide along the beaches of the Great Sandy National Park. Permits are required for the latter.

Premier Coaches operate one bus per day in each direction from Brisbane to Cairns via Rainbow Beach, calling in the morning southbound and the evening northbound. Greyhound Australia have two buses per day in each direction from Brisbane to Cairns via Rainbow Beach, again calling in the morning southbound and the evening northbound.

Rainbow Beach is small enough to walk around, though there are taxis available if you need to get to some of the further flung caravan parks.

Visit the National Parks Office (on the right just as you enter town) for maps of the town, walking maps for the surrounding area, and driving/4wd maps of the national park.

• See the rainforests, heathlands and freshwater lakes.
• Carlo Sand Blow (short walk from town)
• Coloured Sands (longer walk along the beach)
• Inskip Point, looking out over K'gari

• Swim with the dolphins, or take the morning boat trip to feed them
• Take a joyflight in a helicopter or plane.
• Para or hang-glide in one of the top ten spots in the world – the Carlo Sand Blow, an amazing spectacle in itself with postcard views.
• Dive with sharks at Wolf Rock
• Rent a 4WD, drive on the beaches and explore the driving trails in the national park. Or, take it on a ferry over to K'gari and camp there whilst exploring
• Take a 4WD bus tour to K'gari
• Visit a ship wreck,
• fish till you’re wrecked, or
• just drag your feet along miles of golden sand.

Rainbow Beach has a few shops selling clothing, and two small supermarkets. There are plenty of places selling and renting camping gear, and plenty selling ice, bait, firewood etc. The butcher generally has an excellent selection of meats for BBQs. There's a bottle shop too.

For a larger supermarket or a pharmacy, you'll need to visit Cooloola Cove, which is about 25km from Rainbow Beach on the round way to Tin Can Bay.

There are several cafes at the end of Rainbow Beach Road in the main shopping area, which are usually open for breakfast and lunch, but not usually dinner.

There's a Surf Club which does food and drinks, with a view over the beach, and a hotel. The tennis club on Double Island Drive does food too.

Near the entrance to the town is also a very nice seafood restaurant and takeaway, which serves a variety of local fish dishes.

Further afield, the Yacht Club in Tin Can Bay has lovely views over the bay, and does fairly nice lunches and dinners.

The Surf Club and the Hotel are the main places in town.

There are two Backpackers in town, both on Spectrum Avenue:

• Dingos' Backpackers
• Fraisers at Rainbow Beach

There are several motels, hotels and holiday apartment complexes including:

• Rainbow Beach Holiday Village, ☏ +61 7 5486 3222, toll-free: 1300 366 596, [email protected]. 
• Rainbow Getaway Holiday Apartments - 1-3 bedroom apartments, pool and gym
• Rainbow Sands Resort

In addition, there's a caravan park on Carlo Road near the boat ramp, and those with appropriate national park permits can also camp near the town.

• Explore the spectacular scenery of K'gari