5 Incredible Things To Do In Rainbow Beach, Queensland

Rainbow Beach is a quiet little town at the tip of the Great Sandy National Park that is often visited solely to get across to Fraser Island. Instead, slow down, spend some time here and let me show you the best things to do in Rainbow Beach, Queensland.

Rainbow Beach is a quiet little beach town in Queensland around 250km north of Brisbane and is a unique destination that you must visit! You’ll find golden beaches, rainbow coloured sands, cliff top moonscapes and easy access to the world’s largest sand island; K’hari (Fraser Island).

Whether you’re planning a weekend break from Brisbane or looking for epic destinations on your east coast road trip, Rainbow Beach is definitely worth visiting. I’ve pulled together my thoughts on the best things to do in Rainbow Beach to make sure you see exactly why you shouldn’t miss this hidden gem.

THINGS TO DO IN RAINBOW BEACH

CARLO SAND BLOW

One of the most unique attractions at Rainbow Beach is the Carlo Sand Blow; where the wind is constantly shaping the landscape burying anything in its way with sand.

Carlo Sand Blow is on the top of the rainbow coloured cliffs and, after walking 600m from the car park through bushland, you’ll find yourself in the middle of an incredible desert. The sand here covers over 15 hectares!

You’re going to want to wander towards the edge of the cliffs (please be careful and don’t get too close – it’s dangerous!) to take in the stunning views along the coastline and the rainbow Coloured Sands and cliffs.

The Carlo Sand Blow is only 1.5km from the centre of Rainbow Beach and is easily accessible by car.

COLOURED SANDS

The cliffs along this entire coastline are, quite possibly, the most beautiful cliffs in Australia thanks to the many different shades of sand that make up the natural stripe pattern. There are said to be around 72 different colours of sand that make up these cliffs; isn’t that just insane?! We admired the cliffs from the top of Carlo Sand Blow but you can see them up close and personal if you’re down on the beach. It was a little overcast when we visited but we still made out plenty of the colours of the rainbows though, to be fair, mainly deep reds, yellows and browns.

4WD TOUR

One of the best things to do in Rainbow Beach is to take in the Great Beach Drive; either in your own 4WD or as part of a 4WD guided tour. You can take a tour from Rainbow Beach that sees you drive along the beach offering great views of the Coloured Sands, down to Double Island Point Lighthouse and other areas of this beautiful coastline. Some of the tours even include kayaking with dolphins. Did you know you can even drive on the beach all the way from Noosa to Rainbow Beach?! That’s something I’d love to do one day too!

DOLPHINS AT TIN CAN BAY

There aren’t many places in Australia, perhaps the world, that you can feed wild dolphins each and every morning like clockwork. Yet, only 30km away from Rainbow Beach, is Tin Can Bay where you can do just that! Whichever way round you do it, Tin Can Bay is an obvious detour as you have to pass nearby to get to Rainbow Beach. I’ve written in a lot more detail about feeding wild dolphins at Tin Can Bay so check that out too!

K’GARI / FRASER ISLAND

Given Rainbow Beach’s proximity to the southern tip of the world’s largest sand island, it would be amiss not to visit and experience all K’gari (Fraser Island) has to offer. There are many tours that go across to the island from Rainbow Beach and take in all of the sights in the space of a full day or multi-day trips. We visited Fraser Island from Hervey Bay on a full day tour and were absolutely blown away by its beauty. Highlights include the crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie, cruising down the beach highway, 360° views from Indian Head and the Maheno Shipwreck. I’ve written in more detail about what we got up to on our one day trip to Fraser Island which is worth a read. I’d highly, highly, recommend booking a tour to visit Fraser Island whilst in Rainbow Beach.

There you go then, just some a few of the best things to do in Rainbow Beach which will certainly make your visit memorable! This was a quiet but worthwhile detour on our east coast road trip between Noosa and Hervey Bay and I’m so glad that we found time to stop here!

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WHERE NEXT?

Ok, let’s be honest, it’s taken me long enough to find the time to publish guides covering my time in Australia. Now though, the majority of them are linked below, so wherever you’re heading you’re likely to find what you need below!

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