Opens in a new tab
Amazing!

Cairns to Brisbane

23 Days. Cairns to Brisbane. Reef, rainforest, the Whitsundays and K’gari.

Australia

23 days

Ages 18-30

4.9

From $4,499 AUD

About the trip

On this Cairns to Brisbane tour, you’ll travel over 23 days with a small group of up to 12, taking in the Great Barrier Reef, Magnetic Island, three days sailing the Whitsundays, a wildlife stop in Mackay and a K’gari 4WD camping trip. We handle the accommodation, transport and big-ticket activities, and there’s free time to explore, book an add-on or do your own thing.
Download brochure
Find us on Instagram

Worry-free booking

Secure your spot with a 10% deposit. Change your travel date for free up to 30 days before departure, and pay the remaining balance 30 days before your trip starts. If your plans change, moving to an open date is also possible up to 30 days before departure.

Trip Highlights

The Whitsundays

Set sail from Airlie Beach for two nights out on the water. Snorkel hidden reefs, hike to Hill Inlet for the postcard view over Whitehaven Beach and fall asleep under the stars.

Travellers relaxing on the deck of a sailing boat

K’gari (Fraser Island)

Get behind the wheel yourselves for a 4WD tag-along adventure along the 75 Mile Beach. Swim at Lake McKenzie, cool off in the tea-coloured Champagne Pools and camp two nights under the stars.

Camping on K’gari

Great Barrier Reef & Rainforest

Snorkel the world-famous Great Barrier Reef, then head into the Atherton Tablelands for waterfalls, wildlife and rainforest along the way.

Two travellers snorkelling in clear turquoise water, seen from above

Wildlife and waterfalls in Mackay

Kangaroos and wallabies on the beach at sunrise, waterfall swims at Finch Hatton Gorge, wild platypus at Eungella and a wakeboarding lesson, all in one included stop.

Wildlife on the beach at sunrise near Mackay

Amazing locations

Tropical Cairns, Magnetic Island’s wild koalas, wallabies on the beach in Mackay and Noosa’s beaches, all before Brisbane.

Byron Bay, New South Wales

Free time, your way

Plenty of free days built in to explore each stop at your own pace, or fill them with an optional add-on activity.

Travellers posing in front of a scenic flight plane in Airlie Beach

Your home each night

Dorms just for your group, in social hostels handpicked for good vibes and good company. Plus nights on a sailing yacht and camping on K’gari.

Itinerary

Cairns to Brisbane tour route map
  • Day 1
    Meet your fellow Travel Buddies and spend the day exploring Cairns, from the shops and gallery to the lagoon. Then it’s a welcome dinner in the evening, on us.
  • Day 2
    Spend the day in the Atherton Tablelands with Uncle Brian’s tour, swimming at waterfalls and trying the famous hair flick at Millaa Millaa Falls.
  • Day 3
    Sail out to the Great Barrier Reef on the Ocean Spirit, snorkel the reef and relax on a sand cay, then watch sunset back in Cairns.
Available activities
Cape Tribulation & the Daintree Rainforest
  • Day 4
    Travel to Townsville and take the ferry to Magnetic Island. Check in to your beachside resort and spend the afternoon on the beach or a coastal walk.
  • Day 5
    A free day on the island. Walk the Forts Walk for 360-degree views and wild koalas, or rent a Barbie car and zip around.
Available activities
Magnetic Island Wildlife Park
  • Day 6
    Travel back through Townsville and south to Airlie Beach. Check in, then cool off at the central lagoon.
  • Day 7
    A free day for the shops, cafes and Bicentennial Walking Track, followed by Airlie’s nightlife.
  • Day 8
    Set sail from Airlie Beach to Hook Island and snorkel hidden reefs like Stonehaven Bay and Langford Reef. Dinner and drinks at anchor under the stars.
  • Day 9
    Hike to Hill Inlet for the swirling sands of Whitehaven Beach, then swim and walk at the beach’s southern end.
  • Day 10
    Snorkel one more reef, with turtles and manta rays possible, then return to Airlie Beach for an afterparty with the group.
  • Day 11
    Recover at the lagoon or revisit your favourite spots. Add a 15,000ft skydive or a jet ski across the Whitsundays if you want more adrenaline.
Available activities
Whitsundays Scenic Flight
Skydiving
Jet Ski
  • Day 12
    Head to Mackay Adventure Lodge, check in over a welcome drink and take a 90-minute wakeboarding lesson next door.
  • Day 13
    Hike Finch Hatton Gorge to swim at the waterfalls, then spot platypus in Eungella National Park before a group dinner at the lodge.
  • Day 14
    Wake before dawn for sunrise at Cape Hillsborough, where kangaroos and wallabies graze on the beach. Picnic breakfast, a headland walk, then the overnight bus south.
  • Day 15
    Arrive early in Rainbow Beach, a surf town below striped sand cliffs. Visit the Coloured Sands and watch the sunset from Carlo Sandblow.
  • Day 16
    Join the 4WD tag-along convoy onto K’gari. Drive 75 Mile Beach, see the SS Maheno wreck, float down Eli Creek and camp under the stars.
  • Day 17
    Walk Wanggoolba Creek at Central Station, swim at Lake McKenzie, then drive on to the Champagne Pools.
  • Day 18
    Swim at Lake Wabby, take the barge back to the mainland and travel on to Noosa.
  • Day 19
    Settle into Noosa, hit Hastings Street or the beach, and swap K’gari stories at KB’s in the evening.
  • Day 20
    Walk the coastal track to the Fairy Pools and keep an eye out for koalas in the trees.
Available activities
Noosa Everglades
  • Day 21
    Take the bus to Brisbane, check in, then explore the parks and food scene before a night out in the city.
  • Day 22
    A free day for galleries, the West End and last-minute shopping before your final day.
Available activities
Australia Zoo
Moreton Island
  • Day 23
    Say goodbye to your group as your trip comes to an end. Get in touch and we’ll help you plan what’s next.

What’s included

  • Atherton Tablelands waterfall tour
  • Great Barrier Reef snorkel
  • 3-day Whitsundays sailing trip
  • Mackay wakeboarding lesson, Eungella National Park waterfalls and gorge, and sunrise with the wallabies at Cape Hillsborough
  • 3-day K’gari 4WD camping tag-along tour
  • 22 nights total
  • 17 in hostels
  • 2 on a sailing yacht
  • 2 camping
  • 1 on an overnight bus
  • A bus pass covering all travel from Cairns to Brisbane, plus the ferry to and from Magnetic Island.
  • 21 meals included across the trip

What’s not included

Travel insurance (compulsory)
Personal expenses
Deposits required for equipment hire
Shuttle buses not included by providers
Public transport
Accommodation outside of your booking
Any other meals
Additional activities – come at an extra cost

Where You'll Stay

Gilligan’s Cairns

Your starting base and the trip’s biggest party hostel, a resort-style property with its own nightclub, a pool that hosts the famous Sunday pool party, and ensuite rooms on the quieter upper floors if you’d rather sleep than dance.

Nomads Magnetic Island

Beachside stay on a tropical island known for its wildlife.
Nomads hostel on Magnetic Island

Nomads Airlie Beach

Your base before and after sailing the Whitsundays.

Whitsundays Sailing Yacht

Two nights aboard, waking up out on the water.
British Defender sailing boat in the Whitsundays

Mackay Adventure Lodge

Your base in Mackay, with a welcome drink on arrival and a wakeboarding lesson next door.
Lodge in Mackay

Freedom Hostel

Your base in Rainbow Beach, a surf town below striped sand cliffs, before the K’gari tour.
Freedom hostel in Rainbow Beach

K’gari Camping

Sleep under the stars on the island, in a secure, dingo-safe campsite.
Camping on K’gari

Nomads Noosa

Your beachside stay in Noosa after your K’gari adventure.
Nomads hostel in Noosa

Roamer Brisbane

A freshly renovated, ensuite hostel right in the heart of the city near Roma Street Station, with a restaurant and bar on site and a reputation for some of the friendliest staff on the East Coast.
Roamer hostel in Brisbane

Overnight bus transfer

One overnight leg of the journey, so you wake up in the next destination without losing a day.
Greyhound bus

Add-on Activities

Want to do more? Add extra experiences to your trip.

Cape Tribulation & the Daintree Rainforest

Cairns
Cross the Daintree River by ferry, spotting wild crocodiles, walking Cape Tribulation Beach and swimming in a freshwater rainforest stream.

Magnetic Island Wildlife Park

Magnetic Island
Get hands-on with native wildlife, python included, on a ranger-led tour of the island’s koalas, wombats and crocodiles.

Whitsundays Scenic Flight

Airlie Beach
A 60-minute flight over the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef, taking in Heart Reef, Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet from above.

Skydiving

Airlie Beach
Freefall from 15,000ft and land on the beach, the only beach skydive in the Whitsundays region.

Jet Ski

Airlie Beach
Ride an award-winning Two Island Safari on your own jet ski past Daydream and South Molle Islands, no licence needed.

Noosa Everglades

Noosa Heads
Cruise or canoe through one of only two Everglades systems on Earth to the historic Harry’s Hut.

Moreton Island

Brisbane
A full day on Moreton Island, snorkelling famous shipwrecks and joining the wild dolphin feeding program.

Australia Zoo

Brisbane
A full day at the home of Steve Irwin.

Why choose us

Low deposit to book

Lock in your spot for a 10% deposit, then pay the rest 30 days before you travel.

Flexible if plans change

Up to 30 days before departure, you can change your travel date for free, or move to an open date and pick a new one when you’re ready.

Mates from day one

You don’t need to know anyone when you arrive. With a small group of up to 12 people your age, it feels like travelling with a group of mates, and there’s always someone up for anything.

Semi-guided & flexible

No tour leader hovering over your shoulder. We handle the accommodation, transport and key activities, and everything marked as included is covered in your price. The rest is up to you. Keep your free days free, or let us know what you want to do and we’ll book it for you.

Handpicked places to stay

Our hostels are handpicked for good vibes and good company, with dorms just for your group.

WhatsApp support, seven days a week

You’ll be added to your trip’s WhatsApp community before you even land, with daily updates, direct access to the team seven days a week, and a space to get to know your group before day one.

FAQs

Travel Buddies trips are semi-guided, giving you the best mix of independent and group travel. We organise your accommodation, transport and included activities, so the main planning is taken care of for you.

It’s your responsibility to arrive at meeting points and departures on time, as missed activities or transport are non-refundable.

There’s no full-time guide glued to your side. We handle the accommodation, transport and key activities, and you get the freedom to explore each stop your own way, solo or with the group.

You’re never on your own though: our team is on hand throughout your trip via the Travel Buddies WhatsApp community, so help or advice is always a message away.

Yes, just ask when you book. We’ll try to keep you in the same hostel as the rest of your group so you’re not switching around, subject to availability.

Travel Buddies is built for 18 to 30 year olds. Just outside that range? Get in touch, as we’re often able to make it work.

Groups cap at 12 travellers, small enough to actually get to know everyone, with a minimum of 2 to run.

You’ll follow a set route and timeline, but every free day is yours to fill: book an add-on, explore solo or just hang back with the group.

K’gari’s 75 Mile Beach, sailing the Whitsundays, snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, a rainforest waterfall tour in the Tropical North, and more! See the Highlights section above for the full list.

In the week before departure, you’ll be added to a WhatsApp community with a social channel just for chatting to your group before you even land in Cairns.

Total (AUD) $4,499
Book now

Discover other trips

From Australia and New Zealand’s iconic highlights to hidden local gems, our group trips are designed to help you experience it all, alongside strangers who won’t stay strangers for long
travel buddies

Sydney to Cairns

The classic four weeks. Every East Coast bucket list stop and activity, plus a new group of friends.
Australia

28 days

From $4,499 AUD

View tripStart planning
Three travellers standing in the back of a small pink convertible by the sea

Cairns to Sydney

The classic route in reverse, with more time, more stops and a beachfront surf camp.
Australia

32 days

From $5,199 AUD

View tripStart planning
Group of travellers posing on a mountain lookout above a lake

Auckland to Queenstown

Both islands, one crew. New Zealand is as stunning as everyone says, and every included activity is unreal.
New Zealand

24 days

From $4,699 AUD

View tripStart planning

Brisbane to Cairns

The East Coast’s major bucket list activities, all in one trip. This is where all the action is.
Australia

21 days

From $3,999 AUD

View tripStart planning

Build your dream trip!

Got your own dates, destinations or ideas? Tell us what you’re into and we’ll help create an adventure that fits your plans, budget and travel style.
Group of travellers sitting on a fence at a lookout in Byron Bay
Group of travellers jumping on a lakeshore with snowy mountains behind
Travellers paddling yellow kayaks along a calm tree-lined river
Two travellers freefalling during a tandem skydive
Two colourful jeeps parked among trees with a traveller between them
Travellers relaxing on the deck of a sailing boat
Travellers paddling yellow kayaks along a calm tree-lined river