If that sounds a bit hard-core there are plenty of softer adventures for all the family.
1. Adventure Time
You can experience your own four wheel driving adventure with a quick spin on the beach or a full day out. If you want to get off the beach and into the ocean there are endless water sport options. Novice surfers will enjoy learning to surf in the gentle, uncrowded waves at Double Island Point; Rainbow Beach while more experienced scuba divers can swim with Grey Nurse Sharks at Wolf Rock.
Other adventures include mountain biking, kayaking, horse-riding and hiking, by the coast or in the bush.
Dolphin viewing kayak tours with Epic Ocean Adventures, Rainbow Beach
2. Nature
This a great place to kick back and enjoy nature, so if you’re in need of a digital detox the Gympie region’s ideal. We’re blessed to have a gorgeous hinterland with forests, waterfalls and swimming holes as well as perfect beaches.
The wildlife is abundant too, so you can go bird spotting (try the Tin Can Bay foreshore bird walk or visit Amamoor State Forest) or look for an elusive platypus. Meanwhile the ocean is teaming with fish, dolphins and during the migratory season whales.
3. Rainbow Beach
We love Rainbow Beach. Admittedly, we might be a bit biased, but if you like big sandy beaches, epic sea views and the quiet life then we’re pretty sure you’ll love it too.
It’s a laid back coastal gem with heaps of character and not one set of traffic lights or a round a bout! You can stay at the beachside caravan park, in the beautiful low rise resort next door or somewhere else to suit your budget. Rainbow Beach is all about relaxing, either with a coffee and snack at one of the cafes in town or on the beach with views to Double Island Point. Rainbow Beach is named after the towering cliffs of coloured sands so be sure to visit them by walking or driving along the beach.
Coloured sands, Rainbow Beach
Rainbow Beach is also a key adventure destination, where you can skydive, surf, go scuba diving, horse ride along the beach or kayak with dolphins. You might even find yourself kayaking with whales during the migration season from June to October.
Rainbow Beach is also the gateway to Double Island Point and World Heritage listed K’gari (formerly Fraser Island), with superb marine life and scenic walks which are accessible at low tide to high clearance 4WD vehicles only.
Carlo Sand Blow Rainbow Beach
4. The Great Beach Drive
The Great Beach Drive from Noosa Northshore to Rainbow Beach and beyond, connects the Sunshine Coast and the Gympie region with K’Gari. With wide stretches of beach as your road, you’ll be driving in a rare natural environment where you can see whales, dolphins, turtles and an abundance of birdlife.
The Great Beach Drive is steeped in Australian indigenous and pioneering history and encompasses two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, a protected Marine Park and World Heritage listed K'gari, the largest sand island in the world. The Great Beach Drive is a once in a unique experience you won’t want to miss, so if you don’t have your own 4WD book a scenic tour with a local guide.
5. Mary Valley
The Mary River gives its name and beauty to the Mary Valley and the little villages like Kandanga and Imbil add character and provide genuine country hospitality.
The Mary Valley appeals to families, couples looking for a romantic getaway and adventure seekers who want to canoe, kayak, fish, walk, bike ride, hike, four wheel drive and hack along the horse trails. If you don't have your own gear, kayak the beautiful Mary River or Yabba Creek and explore the magical Mary Valley by bike with Ride on Mary.
There are many accommodation options including bed and breakfasts, cabins, farm stays and bush camping.
Mary Valley Rattler
6. Fishing
Tin Can Bay and the Great Sandy Strait are a dream destination for fishing and boating. Sheltered by K'gari, the Great Sandy Strait rivals the Whitsundays for its ideal sailing conditions and stunning scenery.
What gets fishing lovers really excited is the diversity of the Gympie region’s waterways which provide anglers with more fish species than anywhere else in Australia. It’s the warm northern currents and cool southern currents meeting at K'gari Island that make the Straits a one-stop location for an incredible variety of prized fish.
With a maze of sandbanks, estuaries and reefs, the Great Sandy Strait creates the perfect home for an array of marine life including coral trout, bream, whiting, flathead, mackerel, tailor, mangrove jack, and barramundi along with sand and mud crabs.
Beach fishing is also excellent all year round at Inskip Peninsula, Rainbow Beach and along the 60km Cooloola Coast. Species commonly caught include dart, whiting, flathead, bream and tailor. Alternatively you can fish from the rocks at Double Island Point to catch mackerel and kingfish or charter a boat for a reef fishing excursion to catch red emperor, snapper, parrot and coral trout.
Our inland river systems, including the Mary River and its tributaries the Yabba and Obi Obi Creeks, offer excellent bass fishing. Or head to Lake Borumba which is perfect for lure and fly fishing and offers the chance to catch golden and silver perch, Australian bass and saratoga.
7. Food
The Mary Valley has earned its reputation as the ‘food bowl’ of South East Queensland thanks to its tropical climate, fertile soil and innovative farmers. There’s an exceptional range of top quality, fresh, local produce available which you can buy from our farmers markets or one of the boutique food outlets around the Gympie region.
From the beef grazing lands out west, the fruit and vegetable growers in the south, to the macadamia nuts in the north and the seafood in the east, the Gympie region has something to suit every taste.
The Gympie Gold Regional Produce Food Trail covers all corners of the region and all manner of food, so download a flyer and start planning your visit to the Gympie region today.
What do you love best about the Gympie Region?
