Queensland Hinterland Adventure

Begin your exploration of the Queensland hinterlands with an early morning meeting in the heart of Brisbane. Meet your fellow travellers and then head south to Lamington National Park, where subtropical and temperate climates converge to create a vast rainforest full of plants, animals and bird species found nowhere else. The park, a Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, boasts endless miles of walking tracks, and what feels like a waterfall around every corner. Check into your accommodation in the heart of the park, then head out to immerse yourself in the forest as you bushwalk with your own private park ranger. Take a 2-3 hour soft hike past 500-year-old trees, huge vines and hidden waterfalls, try to spot the birdlife – like the Albert’s lyrebird – that call the park home, and see the forest from canopy height on a treetop walk. Wrap up the day with a welcome drink and free time for dinner back at your accommodation – the perfect chance to get to know your group better – then look out for glow worms on a special tour as darkness falls.

Get up early for an included guided bird watching session – a one hour flora and fauna guided walk – before breakfast, or choose to enjoy a sleep in if you’re not an early riser. Then make your way from the rainforest to the sea and take in the costal sights on the way to this afternoon's memorable experience. After you arrive in Mooloolaba you’ll have the opportunity to learn from and connect with the First Nations people of the area, the Gubbi Gubbi people, on a memorable two-hour cultural cruise. Make your way through the Mooloolaba canals and experience the life of the traditional owners who have called this place home for thousands of years. There will be storytelling and cultural demonstrations from your Indigenous guide as you make your way to sites of cultural significance, places for hunting and for gatherings, and places where the stories and songs of Dreamtime started. Look out for seabirds, dolphins and turtles as you snack on bush tucker inspired by the surrounding rainforest and ocean. Later, take a scenic drive though the Glass House Mountains, a colonial name for the peaks that jut out from the landscape and that are culturally significant for the land’s traditional owners – the Jinibara and Gubbi Gubbi people. Pass lakes, waterfalls and parklands full of kangaroo mobs. Arrive in Montville for the night and enjoy some time to explore this charming town.

This morning make your way inland to the most westerly park of rainforest in southern Queensland, where forest-covered peaks shelter the world’s largest stand of ancient bunya pines. These trees can produce huge pinecones of up to 10 kilograms, and the nutritious seed inside are a famous part of Australian bush tucker. Make your way up steep, narrow and winding roads with amazing views to start a walk with a First Nations ranger. You're sure to hear more about the nutritional benefits of the bunya seed, rich in oils and carbohydrates, and the ‘Bunya Gatherings’, where Aboriginal groups from all over southeast Queensland came together in the shadow of the trees to reap the bunya harvest and exchange information, songs and stories. Head to Kingaroy and your accommodation for the night. Soak up the small town atmosphere, pick up some dinner, and grab a few nuts for dessert from the so-called "Peanut Capital of Australia".

Explore more of the memorable mountains this morning on a guided scenic walk. Discover cool mountains, rainforests and waterfalls, unique range-top grasslands, panoramic views over the valley, colourful birdlife and the famous strangler fig. Then what better thing to accompany these kind of views than a glass of wine – enjoy a tasting at a local boutique winery afterwards. Later, enjoy a farewell dinner with the group and share your favourite stories from your last few days exploring the hinterland.

After breakfast this morning and some time at your leisure, make your way back to Brisbane via Toowoomba, stopping along the way for lunch a one of the cool cafes and to take one final hike up a stunning lookout at Table Top Mountain. Your escape to the hinterland of Queensland comes to an end back in Brisbane this afternoon.