Airlie Beach
Tickets are open-dated, so you can book now and lock in your travel dates later. Want to do the rest of the East Coast too? Upgrade to an East Coast Bus Pass for an extra $250 AUD (genuinely one of the best-value upgrades on the site).
Some tours and hostels have an 18-35 age policy, but if that doesn't fit your group, just let us know and we'll tweak the package so it still works for you.
Compulsory tour briefing kicks off at 7am sharp at Freedom Hostel in Rainbow Beach. You'll get sorted into groups, sort out sleeping bag hire and luggage storage, and learn how to actually drive on K'gari before you do it for real (much better than guessing).
From Freedom Hostel it's a quick 10 minutes to the barge, then a 10-minute crossing to the world's largest sand island. From there, you'll drive an hour along 75 Mile Beach (yes, it's a legal highway with speed limits) to Eurong Beach Resort, where you can grab a coffee and a chocolate croissant on your own dime for morning tea.
Then it's on to Lake McKenzie, the famously clear inland lake everyone posts photos of for a reason. Lunch, a swim, and you're driving up the beach to camp around 3pm. Early dinner, well-earned drinks, fun ensues.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Big day. Quick breakfast, then off to Eli Creek for a swim in water so clear it feels fake. Heading north, you stop at the Maheno Shipwreck (rusting on the beach since 1935) for photos and a quick history lesson, then push on to Indian Head, the highest point on K'gari.
If you're lucky, you'll spot whales or sharks from the cliff. After that, Champagne Pools for a dip in the natural rock pools that fizz when the surf rolls in. Lunch is served at either Maheno or Champagne Pools depending on tides and timing. Then back to camp for dinner and drinks.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Breakfast, pack down camp, then drive to the start of the Lake Wabby walk. The trek through the dunes is the kind of thing that makes you stop and look around (you'll see). Lunch follows the walk, then you head back down the beach to the barge.
Once you're back on the mainland, drop off the 4WDs, give them a quick clean, and you're back at Freedom Hostel between 3 and 4pm.
Meals: breakfast, lunch
Itineraries can shift based on tides and weather, which is the deal with islands.
Jet boat out through the Whitsundays for the full day, with two hours on Whitehaven Beach (the sand is 98% silica, hence the colour). Lunch is included on board.
An hour and a half of snorkelling pristine fringing reef, then a short walk up to Hill Inlet lookout for the swirling sand patterns you've definitely seen on Instagram. The crew know their stuff and keep you in the loop the whole way.
Meals: lunch
Departs Mondays and Thursdays from Freedom Hostels, 20 Spectrum Street, Rainbow Beach, Queensland 4581. Meet at Freedom Hostel for the compulsory tour briefing at 7am sharp.
Departs daily at 10am from Abell Point Marina, Airlie Beach. Returns 5pm. Complimentary pick-ups can be arranged from centrally located accommodations in Airlie Beach.
Other than that, just show up ready.
