The Ultimate Queensland Bucketlist

The furthest away I’ve ever been is to Australia, which is for me practically on the other side of the earth! Even though I was there to work for three months I had to make sure to check out the sights. Not only do Queensland and Australia have unique wildlife with animals that can not be found anywhere else in the world, but it also has a unique landscape. Stretching from the big and busy city life in Brisbane to the lazy beaches on the Gold Coast with miles of rainforest scattered around and in between. But how do you experience it all?

Here is my bucket list for a trip to Queensland!

One of my favourite things to do in Brisbane was going out of town to visit Animal Sanctuaries. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world’s first and largest koala sanctuary and is located only 12km outside of Brisbane’s city centre. The sanctuary allows you to get up close and personal with the animals. You can hold a koala, hand-feed kangaroos and meet a variety of Australian wildlife. If you prefer the lazy beaches there is also an animal sanctuary located on the Gold Coast. The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary offers a number of animal encounters, shows and experiences.

Australia Zoo also called the home of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin is also a must-visit for every animal lover. The Zoo is located an hour outside of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast and is a lot more than just a zoo. Steve and Terri Irwin strived to make Australia Zoo the best wildlife conservation facility in the world and their vision is still kept alive. The money that you pay to have unforgettable animal encounters and experiences is put towards animal conservation projects. Taking a morning walk with one of the majestic tigers and meeting one of the Zoo’s proud Cheetahs was the highlight of my day.

Even though I did not have or rent a car I decided to see the coast by jumping on a train and bus down the coastline until I got to the very edge of Queensland, a quiet surfer town called Coolangatta situated on the border between Queensland and New South Wales. There is nothing more relaxing to take on a small trip with music on your ears than just taking in all the sights and the beautiful nature. There are so many beautiful sights along the coast and most of the can be accessed by train or bus. Make sure to stop by Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, South Stradbroke Island and Coolangatta if you are heading down the coastline from Brisbane.

The Tamborine National Park is a national park in the Gold Coast hinterland located 45km south of Brisbane. The park covers a lot of Tamborine Mountain’s plateau and foothills. You can find a number of picnic areas, scenic drives and bush walk with lookouts over gorges, cliffs, waterfalls, rainforest areas and wet eucalypt forests and woodlands. The feeling of walking in between the large trees in the rainforest and watching colourful parrots fly over your head with beautiful waterfalls up ahead was indescribable! If you’re lucky you might even see glowworms, these are only found in a few places in the world.

The Story Bridge is an iconic structure spanning the Brisbane River between the northern and southern suburbs of Brisbane. Even though it is possible to cross the bridge by car, on foot or with a bicycle to take in the stunning view of the city skyline it is also possible to join a tour climbing the bridge high up above the traffic. The perfect way to take in a 360-degree view of Brisbane.

Read more: 10 Photos to inspire you to visit Australia