Fun in the sun

Get into action in Queensland with helicopter flights, sea sports, camel rides, eco-tours and car races, says Philip Lee

Mention Queensland in Australia and names such as Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef spring to mind.

For a piece of real estate with a 7,400km coastline, it is little wonder that Queensland, known as the Sunshine State, is a paradise for every imaginable sea-related activity and is rich in awe-inspiring panoramic views. No visit to Queensland should end without a tour of the Great Barrier Reef. Go to Cairns, 1,700km north of Brisbane, and get the services of a helicopter operator (www.gbrhelicopters.com.au or www.downunderheli.com) for an aerial spectacle.

The view from the air of the world’s largest coral reef system, a World Heritage site, is stunning. The jade green and blue of the ocean, colours of the corals and the milky surf as well as the coastal rock formation are truly nature at its most stupendous. The reef structure, composed of about 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands, stretches for 2,600km over 344,400 sq km.

Go snorkelling or scuba-diving to observe the rich diversity of life in the reef waters — corals, fish, whales, dolphins, porpoises and turtles. If you can’t swim, get into a glass-bottomed boat and enjoy the same view without getting wet.

In nearby Port Douglas is the Flames of the Forest (www.flamesoftheforest.com.au), a haven where you can dine and be entertained under the canopy of the world’s oldest rainforest. The dining area is lit up by hundreds of candles. It promises exotic food and authentic aboriginal entertainment.

As you head south towards Brisbane, the state’s capital, your fun should include surfing in the sea fronting the beaches at Noosa (www.tourismnoosa.com.au), one of Australia’s best surfing spots for beginners, which is about 178km north of Brisbane. Two-hour lessons on surfing are conducted daily.

If you prefer more land-based activity, go for a sedate camel ride (www.camelcompany.com.au) at Noosa’s North Shore. Learn to synchronise your body’s movement with that of the camel’s as it trudges along.

For the eco-conscious, there is no better place than Fraser Island (www.fraserisland.net), the world’s largest sand island and home to 40 freshwater lakes as well as creeks, rivers and dense rainforests. Here you can swim with the fish in tidal pools or take a dip in one of the freshwater lakes. This island is also a wildlife haven.

To go there, take a four-hour drive from Brisbane to Hervey Bay and hop into a ferry. The fact that 600,000 people visit it every year attests to its popularity. Eco-tours in 4WDs are popular on the island, where the multi award-winning Kingfisher Bay Resort (www.kingfisherbay.com) offers two-bedroom villas nestled in the treetops to give you awesome views of the bush and the sea.

But there are other thrills.

One special experience is to zip round the 2km circuit of the Holden Performance Driving Centre in a Commodore V8 super car (www.performancedriving.com.au) in Gold Coast city, an hour’s drive south of Brisbane. An experienced driver will take you on four sizzling laps at dizzying speeds. You can take over the wheel but he will be beside you.

Then there is the Tropical Fruit World (www.tropicalfruitworld.com.au) in the Gold Coast area. Here you will be taken on a tour of the orchard and get to taste some of the 500 varieties of fruits.

Before you leave Brisbane, climb the Story Bridge, which gives you a 360-degree visual sweep of this city. Or you can drive up the 287m-high Mount Coot-tha to enjoy similar views.

For more information, visit www.queensland.com.sg or www.australia.com