I work for the department and all parks in QLD are free to visit. To camp in designated camping areas it costs $7.00 per person per night. Some parks are more popular than others so you must book ahead of you want to stay. The beach areas like bribie island, K’gari and moreton and Stradbroke islands also require a permit to drive on the beach and these costs vary depending on where you are going. Happy to provide more details if you like.
You and your family are always welcome in Queensland! Yes, we’re very lucky here (beautiful one day, perfect the next). Even though we’re the State with the fastest growing population and the biggest tourist destination after Sydney, it does seem pretty uncrowded and most of the places listed here are close to Brisbane. You don’t have to pay to enter the National Parks except for camping. And I do recommend snorkelling.
National parks take up 3% of Australia and Australia has the most parks in the world. The first was the Royal National Park near Sydney in 1879. Today the best count is 681 parks bearing the title of “national park”. That is a big number for a largely flat and arid land. Queensland leads the way with 237 national parks, closely followed by New South Wales with 235 national parks. Then comes Western Australia with 101, Victoria with 45, South Australia and Tasmania each with 19, the Northern Territory with 24 and the Australian Capital Territory with just one. In addition, there are literally thousands of conservation areas, forest reserves and Indigenous protected areas.
Snorkeling is a fabulous way to see our diverse reef structures and also keeping cool. I am a North Queenslander and have visited many of these parks. We, as a country, are spoiled for choice.
Ian, Girraween National Park, which was feature in the video, is located on the Granite belt in south east Queensland. Being 1100 metres (3300 feet) above sea level, it is one of the few places in Queensland where it snows in winter. The town of Stanthorpe which is close to the national park is at a slightly lower elevation but light snowfalls occasionally occur. It also holds the record for the lowest temperature recorded in Queensland at −10.6 °C (12.9 °F). Queensland is definitely a state of diverse geography, wildlife and climates.
Yeah but try telling people that it snows in Qld, and they think you’re looney toons - people don’t seem to comprehend such geographical/meteorological realities, which is why we still have lunatics carrying on about global warming! It’s just ridiculous that it takes a frigging youtube channel, from another lot of culturally deficient country, to get people to understand that Australia as a continent, is unlike any other on the world, and so are its people - what ever “shade” of skintone they are! If you really want natural wonders of our world, the forests of south west W.A. used to be comparable to some of the redwood forests in the states, from my understanding of your geographical ‘hit lists’. It’s a shame the ignorance is not dispelled in other forms of communications apparently, but there you have it…you could pretend to be in Mongolia or the Sahara in parts of our country, and NOT be - so, nice as this channel is, mostly, that’s still really disappointing.
Daintree NP is well worth checking out. Oldest rainforest in the world (135 to 180 Million years old). Also the only place in the world where two World Heritage listed sites meet. Daintree rainforest and Great Barrier Reef.
That growth on the red soil at the early part of the video is salt bush, a native bush that early farmers used to keep their sheep alive. Incredibly hard stuff, and great for sheep.
Yes, you've got that right. Not only does it provide fodder for grazing livestock, being a salt-tolerant deep-rooted plant it will grow in salty areas, lowering the watertable and reducing salinity. This then allows other productive grasses to grow.
Thanks Ian, I knew it already but you just confirmed why I love being a born and bred Queenslander. Having said that, I am retired and thoroughly enjoying exploring the rest of our beautiful country.
Snorkelling in clear beautiful warm water is just the most amazing thing. Last year, we went to Queensland ( my daughters are 7 & 8 years old). We went snorkelling with the amazing huge sea turtles…and all the colourful fish around you. The experience was mind blowing. I’m sure you and your family would love it.
Hi Ian I live in Townsville and Magnetic Island is very accessible, they run ferries all day everyday. There is so much to see here in the North we have beautiful waterfalls as well as rain Forrest, and lots of fresh water swimming holes. I hope you and your family get to visit our beautiful Queensland one day. You won’t be disappointed
All the attention is given to Cairns as a tourist destination, Townsville is a much better place to use as your base to travel around NQ. I grew up there, so many happy memories of regular trips to "Maggie Is" & to places like Paronella Park.
@@lgh2052 was posted twice to Townsville whilst in the Army. Loved Maggie Island and Paluma dam. We would take the kids to these two places regularly. Great place Townsville.
@@lgh2052 hi hun, yes Cairns is always portrayed as better then Townsville, I grew up here and am still here I love it here, I’ve never liked Cairns we have so much more here.
Snorkelling anywhere on the Great Barrier Reef is amazing. Australia has "The Great Dividing Range" running from Victoria to NSW all the way north to the top of Queensland. Around 2,200 miles. Some national parks you need to pay to stay, others are free. I have 5 more parks to complete this list.
We also have seasonal passes to those parks in Australia which require a fee to get in. Tidbinbilla in the ACT is one of my favourites. As I go up there all the time, getting an annual pass is definitely worth it.
Just moved away from Bribie Island after living there for 25 years, before the rental crisis made it impossible to afford to live there any more.. Beautiful place.
Australia has the Great Dividing Range which runs from the top of Queensland to the bottom of Victoria that is why the east coast is so much greener than the out back.
With the family, it may be far to the shops, if you can, rent a motor home with a fridge and stock the pantry first. They can come with large water tanks to re-fill. Sand dunes require a lower tyre pressure, take a pump.
The Natural Arch in Springbrook (the cave with the waterfall) is also full of glow worms and they do night time tours, also you can swim in there and there is even a little sandy beach next to the waterfall ❤
Cool. Spanning several years, I've visited about 80% of these National Parks and can verify that this vid is a great short representation of the places shown (Those rocks at Giraween are heaps bigger than they look in the vid though). I'd personally think twice about snorkling up in northern waters. Summertime is Box-jelly season. Most NPs I've been to are free apart from barge fees to and from the islands, camping, accomodation, etc. Permits are required for some places. Colourful memories too ... Cheers. :)
Most are free, in a National Park. For example, I have been to the "Natural Bridge" many times and only ever paid for the fuel to drive there. The only national park fees I have ever paid are: Perisher for driving up to the snow fields (skiing), camping (low fees), or a vehicle permit to drive my 4wd on the sand/beach.
You got a great vibe mate. Keep up the good work. Snorkelling on the great barrier reef is great fun. Their is an abundance of coral and sea creatures easily visible from the surface or just below. No need to muck about with scuba gear and the whole family can easily do it together.
The lady talking about Bunya trees mentioned "pine needles" , Bunya leaf litter at the base of the tree comprises hard dry spiky leaf that is impossible to walk on in bare feet and even the growing green leaf on lower branches is painful if it sticks your arm . I have one on my property about 16 metres ( 50' ) tall , they only bear the large cones every few years , not every year like other conifers .
Love your vids. You would love the Gunshot, OldTelegraph Track, in Cape York. Cars plunge down onto their bonnets to be winched back straight to drive out. It's absolutely crazy! There are heaps of youtube videos on it.
Ian, there are 237 National Parks just in Queensland so this was just the tip of the iceberg. I'm a 4th generation born and bred Queenslander (my great-grandparents arrived in Brisbane in 1873) and have lived just about all over the state. I was disappointed in the video because I know how much great stuff was left out (I have watched the full video on their channel). I find the best videos are done by non-locals as they pick up things locals take for granted.
Oh Ian Ian Ian, snorkelling is amazing , once you’ve done it! If you don’t scuba, snorkelling is the next best thing. You are on a totally different planet under water.
I live in Perth, metropolitan area (North of the swan river), I can go for a 25 minute drive north from my suburban home and get to a long white sand beach with no one else.
Hi from Australia, I have lived here all my life, seen a lot, but it takes time and money to see all these beautiful places, witch myself and others can not see or do.
Last part of the Girraween pyramid hike is marked out by a dotted line sequence to follow to make it easier. The park also has a longer 5k return track to "The Junction" which is a series of rock waterpools and cascades that you can take a great swim in during summer, so hike it in something you wouldn't mind going for a dip in, and take a few towels between you, or take your togs with you in a bag. (You can stretch out on the warm rocks after a swim to dry off if you don't want to head back straight away). Just about every national park is free entry to the park. You will PROBABLY have to pay a camping fee if you are setting up a tent in the designated camping areas, and may have to book ahead for a spot depending on time of year. (Better to call ahead to check). A lot of them that may not have accessible camping areas you'll notice are still often only a 30 minute drive from some town/city however, so you can always just get a hotel or room somewhere. On a side-note of the Girraween National Park. It mentioned it's 1/2 an hour from Stanthorpe, If you're staying there overnight prepare for it to be about 5C colder than anywhere else in Queensland, as it's up on the Granite Belt. It's also got some great apple cider and apple dishes in Suttons outside of town, (Opposite the Big Apple). Another 1/2 an hour down the road is Warwick, with one of the biggest Rodeos in the southern hemisphere (ranks up there internationally I believe) in October. It also has several beautiful historical sandstone buildings, and can be a nice place to visit in the middle of winter during it's "Jumpers and Jazz" festival in July. They do up various trees in decorations and art on the main street, by assorted schools and foundations. And there's a steady stream of easy listening Jazz pumped gently through the speakers on the main street. Great place to get a coffee and relax for a few hours on your way through to Girraween, then pickup any last minute supplies you may have remembered, or perishables for consumption at Stanthorpe on the way through. (There's also a few fantastic Bed and Breakfasts in the Stanthorpe/Girraween area). My personal recommendation if you do the Kuranda one up near Cairns is to take the train up, and the skyway/chairlift down. For the one near Winton, if you're out that way it's worth checking out the nearby Opal mines and assorted exhibits also. As well as the birthplace of the poem/song Waltzing Matilda.
The Aboriginal name for North Stradbroke Island is Minjerribah (Min-jerr-i-bah). My family used to go camping there in the 80s. Gorgeous place: blue water, creamy white sand, rolling surf, inland lakes, and an amazing Pacific Ocean from the pub at Point Lookout ❤ I want my ashes scattered there when I die. Magnetic Island off Townsville is also a gorgeous laid-back place; a terrific getaway for locals and for tourists who know there's more to north Qld than Cairns!
It's wonderful and magnificent... as a Victorian, I've spent lots of time "up North" in Townsville, Cairns Darwin and points in between... You have 300 million people... we have 30million with more coast line... Our North is like your South... including "Florida Man" they're all bit odd, up-there!
So glad you did this one Ian🙂. I love their channel. I've watched quite a few of their videos, always so informative and so well done. Re national parks entry, it varies from state to territory. Some states require permits for some parks (yes there's annual passes available), others don't require permits but may charge a small fee for camping for example. Others may charge vehicle entry but free for cyclists or on foot. But I'd say more are free than not free. In Queensland - you do not need a permit for any of the national parks. (Aside from vehicle permit for driving on K'gari/Fraser and Moreton ). Camping fees do apply to some parks. And these are usually pretty affordable eg $28 for a family or $7 single person. Qld also has the most relaxed drone rules. You can fly a drone in any Qld national park without a permit. Other states can be strict about drones in national parks. Western Australia you will need a permit for entry into their national parks, so an annual pass there would be a definite saver if you're planning to explore WA. In NSW - Park entry fees for vehicles apply at only 45 out of 870 national parks and reserves. And camping fees for some too. Anyways you get the idea, I won't got through every state and territory 😆. Bribie island is indeed lovely. And that ocean beach I have visited before and had all to myself. Same with the beach I used to live near in Sydney. I'd often be one of the only people there. There's always going to be crowded tourists beaches like Bondi, Coogee, surfer paradise on the gold coast etc. But there's also plenty of none crowded virtually empty beaches, especially on week days. Aside from Bribie, some other Qld NAT parks I've visited - Moreton, Rainbow Beach, The GC hinterland - Lamington and O'riellys and Springbrook. On the sunshine coast - glasshouse mountains nat park, noosa nat park, cooloola. Unfortunately I haven't been to any outback Qld parks or even to outback Qld at all. And definitely have a lot more up far north to see. Spent 14 years in Sydney and saw some amazing parks around there And greater NSW too. Mate the state/territory tourism offices need to bring you guys here for a year on a working holiday visa, promoting Australia.😃
We lived on Bribie Island and backed onto the National Park. 45 minutes from Brisbane airport. There are 4 towns on Bribie Island. All our National Parks are free in Queensland. You pay a small fee to camp overnight.
National park access is free, but overnight camping is paid. The money goes to maintenance of the facilities. Most parks have camping areas with toilets, barbecue areas, and many have showers as well. Popular parks such as Girraween have multiple shower and toilet blocks, wheelchair accessible toilets and showers, barbecue equipment at many of the campsites, well maintained trails, and pads for caravans to be parked on. Standard fees are $7 per person per night or $28 per night for a family.
Ian Where the water is reddish brown it is because of the tea trees surrounding the lakes. I love swimming in tea tree lakes great for your skin and hair. It just feels beautiful to swim in.
Hi Ian and family, I think. I discovered something about: . apart from seeing the great unending landscape and barren hills. , you feel the SPIRIT of the land.
I live on the Goldie and Springbrook is one of the most know spots thanks to natural arch. You're not allowed to jump off it anymore but what is not well known is the glow bugs in the caves. At night it's beautiful
G'day Ian. The whole East Coast is mountainous. The diversity is because of the different tropical zones. Our mountains are a big part of why the outback exists.
I've been to most of those, I just think they are normal because I've always lived in the area so I've never thought of them as an amazing place, it's refreshing to hear other people's prospective
I used to snorkel heaps when I was younger but I've gotten a bit soft in my old age, the water in Melbourne's just too cold for me now. The deep water can be a little daunting at first but you get used to it. The best snorkeling I've ever done was out on the great barrier reef. The water was beautifully warm like a bath, and as soon as you jump in there's fish and coloured reef everywhere. One of the best experiences of my life. On a side note Springbrook National Park is supposed to be chock-a-block with Yowies (Australian Bigfoot).
Hi mate not sure about yearly passes as all National parks are free to visit but camping is paid, as is driving on the beach requires a beach permit all are reasonably priced. I've been to a lot of these parks from the Gold Coast all the way to the Daintree Rainforest where we camped on the beach for free about 1200 miles or a bit more. Did a bit of 4x4 Fraser Is, Nth Stradbroke Is and worked on Moreton Is. Snorkeling is good fun if your a swimming in the ocean person. My nephew bought a house on Nth Straddie so I can stay there any time I like. Also what they didn't say, is there are crocs once you get 500 miles Nth of Brisbane look for the croc signs Cheers
We have a mountain range running down the east through Queensland , New South Wales and Victoria. Coastal side is more green with some rainforest. Other side of the range gets dryer going into desert. No fee for National Parks, however camping has a fee sometimes.
17:24 Just came back from there that was the "big trip" for this year with my NP300 Navara. 7pm at night it was still 42 Celsius (107 Fahrenheit) and in the middle of the day out on the salt flats were way over 50 Celsius (over 125 Fahrenheit). I don't know exactly how accurate my thermometer is but we recorded 55 Celsius (131 Fahrenheit) whilst my mate was stuck in the middle of one of the salt lakes out there. We were the first people to legally cross the Simpson from East to West from Birdsville to Poeppel Corner for the season, setting out at 4am on the first day of the season opening (track is closed for summer due to extreme heat and risk to life). We waited for sunrise before tackling the first sand dune. Magnificent place.
Yes you should snorkel. There is so much to see and not just at the reef. Fish, sting rays, crabs even saw a penguin once while snorkelling. The most surprising thing I saw was in Sydney harbour some pieces of colourful coral, I was so shocked so did some research and found coral can establish it self around Sydney during summer but usually gets too cold and dies off over winter.
Yes mate when I lived in Perth I used to go to a dog friendly beach which was in only accessible by walking and you could see someone coming from 1km away
Snorkelling's great. 🙂 I'm sure you'd enjoy it. Oh man! I can't believe that they left off the Volcanoes National Park! It's just incredible, with amazing geology and huge lava tubes. Check that out some time.
I’ve done a lot of snorkelling over reefs. Pretty relaxing & easy going imo. Swim around on the surface until you notice something interesting, then dive for a closer look & back up. Great fun
Snorkeling is the best way to discover some of the barrier reef. My favourite is Lady Musgrave island. Go via Bundaberg after a tour of the Rum factory and Ginger beer factory
Sorry mate I just needed to correct an inaccurate comment. Under the National Reserve System, 20% of our land mass in Australia is protected. It's not just National Parks but we need to include Nature Reserves, Wilderness areas and Indigenous Protected Areas(IPA) etc. Just in Queensland, National parks protect over 8% of the state. Cheers great video but there's so many other great NPs in QLD that I would have included instead.
Hey there, watch you often on RU-vid. Yes, I am a 61-year-old semi retired part time van life I live in Cairns last 15 yrs. But have lived all up and down the East Coast. Born in the outback and raised in Sydney. Moved to far northern NSW Evans Head small coastal town. Years later, I moved back to Qld and brought a house on Maclay Island near Brisbane. My parents retired in Cairns, and when they needed help and care. I came here and have not left invested in Cairns brought house and built granny flats. Now I do get away and often go snorkelling out to the Great Barrier Reef. Look at a map, and you will see the Great Dividing Range, which divides Ocean to Outback. I am still discovering places. Costs of NPs varies some even have free BBQs. Most don't allow pets. So much to explore and see. Beautiful one day perfect the next 😊.
I'm planning a trip to far north Queensland in September 2023 - Port Douglas / Daintree Forest / Great Barrier reef. Initially I booked for 5 days, and was just going up there to veg out (book, wine, spa, food, etc). BUT - I have now extended my stay by another 2 days - and there is not ONE day where I will be in my lux apartment! So much to do and see - I just couldn't resist. I can always relax in my private spa with wine & books and good food at night! Oh wait, the night ... hmmm Yep - that's pretty booked out. I think I will need more time...
We here in Qld have the best of the best when it comes to variety of all Australian nature and wildlife! Bribie island is one of the best and I only live 30mins away from it 👌🏼🍻
Ian and family. Hi there and Hello. I don't know if you have ever watched TIAV before. They are a family of 5 that hit the road with 3 kids for about a year and are still doing it 6 or 7 yrs on. You really should watch some episodes such as Cape York in Queensland, so many videos that I'm sure you will love watching.
The national parks are free but gold coin donations are always welcome. Snorkeling is fun and the best way to see the great barrier reef. I've done a few of them, Barron Falls in Cairns with the sky rail and the Kuranda Scenic railway. The Tank museum up there is well worth a visit too. The Bunya Mountains national park is great but do it on motorbike, something quick cause it's one twisty road. Girraween national park at Stanthorpe is also well worth a visit, great hiking trails. There's plenty of others and you'll never be bored.
The reason a large portion of Australia (most of the western 2/3rds of it) has such red soil/sand, is because it's ancient and rusty. Literally. It's over 3 billion years old and the red is due to high levels of iron oxide, more commonly known as rust.
All free that I know of - Queensland ones are generally free. I’ve been to all but 3. Coming from Ipswich then living in Mackay to now Gold Coast whilst holidaying further north & out west to the gem fields covers most of them.
I think it's related to population vs how much nature there is. I sometimes just take the drone and start driving and spend 6am-6pm exploring. The very popular places that are very easy to get to still get busy. We can't fly over national parks with no permit due to wildlife protection etc
I live in Rainbow Beach, its an incredibly beautiful place and very quiet outside of the busy tourist parts of the year. A beautiful beach with an amazing headland and the ferry over to Fraser Island only 10 minutes from town. Look froward to seeing you visit one day!
I'm coming up there in 2weeks time camping at SS Dorrigo camp site its great and have been there many times and at just over $7 and day it cheap unlike the petrol bill getting there from Melbourne LOL
The Blackdown tablelands only featured for a minute. It is one of the most underrated National Parks in Australia. Rainbow Fall featured is a series of 4 waterfall you can climb down 3 of them at the top of the 4th is a fern covered cavern & it leads down to the 4th fall which you can't climb down. It's like a 40m or 120 foot fall. With a large pool at the bottom. There are eel's that swim in the large pool featured. There are caves/caverns with First Nations Peoples (Aboriginal) art work. Done some 400 - 500 years ago. It's mainly accessible normal car. Some parts of the area are 4x4 access tracks only. I spent my 21st & my 30th birthdays camping there. When the Zombie apocalypse happen, you'll find me there.
Free to visit, Pay about $7 per night each to camp. Vehicles access passes to drive on the beaches are required too carrying from 30 for 60 bucks .. yearly passes are available etc. I've been to about 16 of those parks
Great work as always mate .I was never really into snorkeling being from a coastal town in Victoria was to bloody cold .went to North Queensland to Whitsunday and the minute I put my head under water I was amazed loved it
I've worked at Carnarvon gorge. All cattle grazing land and a huge crack in the ground straight out of the Triassic period. Ferns and plants there today would've been the same ones dinosaurs ate.
Hi Ian and family. There is a Cleverland in Queensland. There is also a Texas on the NSW Qld border. Look up why the area is called Texas, u will find it very interesting and might do a session on it. There is a Richmond, near where I live, also a Dallas in Melbourne, Palm Beach, Miami beach, Qld. Many more if u get map and hunt about. Cheers from Oz.
Yes we are quite mountainous the great dividing range runs from the tip of Queensland down just inland from the coast all the way to near to the bottom Victoria then turns toward south Australia
