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03 February 2022

Queensland: Beyond the Beach Road Trip


Day One

Leg:  Gold Coast to Beenleigh
Drive:  45km approx. 40 minutes
Experience:  Spirits of the Red Sand Dinner and Show
Learn about Aboriginal history with an immersive and emotional theatre show, then pile your plate high at a bush food-inspired barbecue feast. Join Spirits of the Red Sand as you move through the Dreamtime to 1800s Australia when the British and Aboriginal ways of life collided. From the start of the evening, you will enjoy a live theatre experience, Indigenous song and dance and a delicious 3-course dinner. Think piping hot damper with dipping oils and wild finger lime and macadamia nut bush dukkah, char-grilled kangaroo, emu and crocodile.
Stay: Return to Gold Coast stay overnight

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Day Two

Leg One:  Gold Coast to Cleveland
Drive:  75km approx. 1 hour to Cleveland
Leg Two:  At Cleveland catch the North Stradbroke Ferry approx. 1 hour to Dunwich, North Stradboke Island
Experience: Goompi Trail
Experience a Welcome to Country, discover Connection to Country and learn about Quandamooka history with local Aboriginal man Matthew ‘Matt’ Burns on the Goompi Trail, Minjerribah. Then meander along the Dunwich or Goompi foreshore as you are introduced to Quandamooka culture and history, hear the history of the peoples and the impact of colonisation. See traditional Aboriginal artefacts, ochres and remnants of stone fishing traps and middens while learning about bush foods, medicines and traditional hunting techniques.

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Drive Cleveland to Brisbane
Drive:
30km approx. 40 minutes to Brisbane
Stay overnight in Brisbane
Day Three
Experience: Black Card Cultural Tours
Discover Brisbane’s Aboriginal history on a walking tour of the Brisbane CBD. Then explore some local Aboriginal art and enjoy lunch or dinner at Birrunga Gallery & Dining.

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Leg Three:  Return Ferry from North Stradbroke Island to Cleveland drive to Brisbane
Drive:  30km approx. 40 minutes to Brisbane
Stay:  Overnight in Brisbane

Day Three
Brisbane
Experience:  Birrunga Gallery & Dining
Explore some of Brisbane’s Aboriginal art at Birrunga Gallery & Dining. The principles of the gallery are simple – to promote and advocate for the artists who might not otherwise have the opportunity to display their works, but for Birrunga Gallery & Dining. Adding to its immersive art experience, you can dine at the onsite café, which features native bush tucker ingredients and Australian proteins like kangaroo and crocodile across the menu.
Stay:  Overnight in Brisbane


Day Four
Leg:  Brisbane to Mooloolaba
Drive:  210km approx. 1 and ½ hours to Mooloolaba
Experience:  Saltwater Cultural Sailing Adventure
You can connect with the world’s oldest living culture through storytelling and didgeridoo performances, as you cruise to cultural significant sites and places where Dreamtime stories and songs originated. Or simply sit back and relax as you cruise the Mooloolaba canals. Listen to local acoustic artists and enjoy grazing platters and craft beer or wine as you watch the sunset. Saltwater Eco Tours experiences are all lead by local Indigenous guides, on board their beautifully restored 100 year old traditional timber sailing vessel “Spray of the Coral Coast”.
Stay: 
Overnight in Mooloolaba

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Day Five
Leg:  Mooloolaba to Hervey Bay
Drive:  100km approx. 2 and ½ hours to Hervey Bay
Experience: Turtle Discovery Ecotour
Did you know the Great Sandy Biosphere on the Fraser Coast is one of the world’s most significant ecological and cultural sites in the world? Join Hervey Bay Marine Eco Tours and with your local Butchulla guide discover the incredible wonders of the marine park. Visit coral reefs, see turtles, dolphins, seabird colonies, reef sharks and dugongs. Absorb the local Butchulla culture of the region. Discover the Butchulla names and meanings of local landmarks, visit culturally significant sites and hear the Butchulla creation stories.
Stay:  Overnight in Hervey Bay

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Discover all our Queensland experiences.

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