Planning a day trip is the best option if you want to spend a day far from the hustle and bustle of Brisbane City. We have reviewed the ten best day trip spots near Brisbane you can visit within a day so you don’t have to spend time on research – let’s dive in!
TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN
Distance from Brisbane: About 70 km
Travel Time: 1 hour
You can enter the heaven of the earth an hour’s drive by your car —The Tamborine Mountain. At the doorstep of this mountain, you’ll feel you’re just far away from the fantasy world. These mountains are worth seeing and are home to incredible national parks and rainforests.
You can take the natural charm of rainforest bush walks, food, and beverages on this mountain. The bright scene of the sun rising from the top of the hill blows your mind.
When it comes to the attractions of Tamborine mountain, there are a lot of places to visit and stay. These attractions include Rainforest Skywalk, Glow Worm Caves and botanic garden (taste exotic species), and thunderbird park (where you search for gold and can dig freely as you can). End up your trip with local wines located near cedar creek falls.
Rainforest of Main Range National Park By Tatters
MAIN RANGE NATIONAL PARK
Distance from Brisbane: About 110 km
Travel Time: 1 hour 27 min
The Main Range National Park is your best day trip spot if you love camping. This park is full of developed camping areas and remote campaign sites. The developed camping sites are located in the Spicers Gap and Goomburra areas, where you can enjoy the facilities of composting toilets and water. If you want to camp at a remote site, you must walk a long distance and rely on DIY techniques to enjoy your camping experience.
This park has many walking tracks that can take you into another world of nature. There are some places in the forest where you will have to use your torches even in daylight.
Queen Mary Falls is also located in this park. It is part of Australia’s most extended river system, Murray-Darling. You will feel spiritual solace in Main Range National Park as this is a fantastic place for meditation.
IPSWICH
Distance from Brisbane: About 43 km
Travel Time: 41 min
Ipswich is a historical city older than the city of Brisbane, and you can uncover the mysteries of Ipswich’s heritage on your day trip. This city has transformed a lot over the last years thanks to the efforts of tourist authorities who are taking steps to make the city more attractive for tourists.
Start your day by visiting The Workshops Rail Museum. You can learn about the new and old railway engines in this historic exhibition. But if you’re not interested in the Railway and its history, you can head towards the Ipswich Art Gallery; one of Australia’s most visited art galleries. This art gallery allows you to discover the rich heritage of the city.
You will be surprised to taste local dishes and drinks. Everyone in Australia loves the steakhouses in Ipswich, and you’ll know the reason behind it when you visit one. The next thing to do after filling up your tummy is to explore nature.
Ipswich Nature Centre is the oldest park in Queensland. It is home to rare trees, flying foxes, and many other exotic animals. Visiting this centre is the best thing to do if you’re travelling with kids, as they’d love to explore the wildlife.
One Tree Hill, Queensland By Lenny K Photography
MALENY AND MONTVILLE
Distance from Brisbane: About 92 km
Travel Time: 1 hour 24 min
If you have grown tired of mundane city life, then pack up your luggage and visit the beautiful village life of Maleny and Montville. You can enjoy quality time with your friends and family in the fresh atmosphere of this village.
You don’t have to do a lot of planning to explore this village. You can arrive here early in the morning to enjoy a walk in the valley.
You can spend your day exploring the attractive botanic gardens. After you’re done exploring nature, you can head towards any of the local restaurants. Restaurants in Maleny and Montville use local ingredients to prepare food items that satisfy your palate.
Leaving this village in the afternoon won’t be a wise decision. Make sure you don’t leave early without seeing the sunset view of Montville.
WOODFORD
Distance from Brisbane: About 74 km
Travel Time: 1 hour 10 min
Woodford is a rural town near Brisbane, and if you like to visit the folk festival, this is one of the best options. Woodford Folk Festival is not an ordinary festival; every year, hundreds of people across the globe only visit to attend it. Woodford is full of attractions such as Durundur (collection of locomotives) and famous windows. Imagine you are walking in the dim and dark lighting of those windows.
Now comes another beauty of Woodford, the Cruice Park. This park attracts tourists, especially explorers from all over Australia. You can see the different memorial tablets of famous explorers in this park. You can camp here free of cost for a single day.
CALOUNDRA
Distance from Brisbane: About 91 km
Travel Time: 1 hour 16 min
Caloundra is a coastal town, and when the word coast comes into mind, everyone starts thinking about fresh air gently touching their skin, and unchained pets playing with people. Kings beaches are the popular attraction of Caloundra, where you can enjoy the charm of snorkelling, boating, and other activities.
Caloundra is famous for its festivals—Luminate Festival is worth-seeing and full of cultural harmony. The voices of street singers don’t let you go ahead when you pass through Drift Bar. It is a place where tourists have so many things to do and see that they can get confused. So, whenever you decide to see this coastal town, prepare a to-do list.
CANUNGRA
Distance from Brisbane: About 77 km
Travel Time: 1 hour
A short one-hour drive from Brisbane opens many doors for adventurers. If you want to enjoy birds’ company and are fond of walking in the long bushes, you should visit this Canungra. Canungra creek is the epicentre of walking tracks, waterfalls, and picnic spots.
Lahey Tramway Tunnel used to carry timber from the mountain to the town has been open for tourists since 2001. Everyone loves to drink on the trip, and when it comes to wine, the vineyard of this place offers the best. The Outpost Café is one of the oldest cafés in the town that offer the world’s best homemade pies.
SHORNCLIFFE
Distance from Brisbane: About 22 km
Travel Time: 31 min
If you live in Brisbane and don’t taste the delicious fish and chips of Shorncliffe, you haven’t fully experienced the charms of life. You should walk along the pier of Shorncliffe—Australia’s largest timber pier where you can capture the most beautiful moments of your life on camera, especially at sunset.
Get some chips and prawns from the café and go for a long walk. If you are with family, you can enjoy the open air on the waterfront. The people of Shorncliffe uniquely offer coffee and make every moment awesome. Before leaving this place, be sure to visit old farmhouses where you can stay for a while with old furniture.
NOOSA
Distance from Brisbane: About 145 km
Travel Time: 1 hour 25 min
At the northern end of the Sunshine Coast, Noosa is an entertaining area and an easy day trip for the people of Brisbane. The beach of Noosa attracts surfers from other cities, but when you walk down, you find the calm area of the beach. Most people leave the beach after the evening because the sunset view of Noosa has matchless beauty.
If you walk or drive 10 km, you will reach a forest site where wildlife views stun the visitors. You can walk on different tracks full of bushes. If you love walking while surrounded by green nature, this place is a great option for you.
GLASSHOUSE MOUNTAINS
Distance from Brisbane: About 67 km
Travel Time: 1 hour
If you go toward the Southern end of the Sunshine Coast, after an hour of drive with coachhire, you reach Glasshouse Mountain. This mountain consists of 12 unique peaks that are home to adventurers. These peaks are the remains of a million-year-old volcano.
Most of the peaks have walking paths, such as Wild Horse Mountain. People come here for photoshoots with their friends and family, but to climb all the peaks, you must learn the climbing expertise. However, it is not necessary to reach the tallest peaks; you can watch the beauty of others from adjacent points.
You are right if you are thinking about what you will eat in the mountains. Like most other places, you will find different small cafes here. You enjoy coffee and snacks and see wildlife from a distance.
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