Buxton Bush Camp

Set on the famed Bruce Highway, carving its way north to south through Queensland, Childers (25 minutes’ drive) is a historic town that grew up around the state’s sugar-cane industry. Today you can take a self-guided heritage walk to colonial-style buildings housing art galleries, museums and shops, check out the original courthouse, and follow a sculpture trail through the streets. If the kids are with you, they’d probably prefer feeding crocodiles or koala talks at Snakes Downunder Reptile Park and Zoo (20 minutes), before moving on to Flying High Bird Park (half an hour) to get up close to brightly coloured parrots, cuddly joey kangaroos and miniature ponies. Keen to keep active? Head for the woodland trails for all levels of ability at Toogoom Mountain Bike Trails and Skills Park (45 minutes), or go bushwalking among the tea-tree wetlands and eucalyptus forest of Burrum Coast National Park (40 minutes) – keep a lookout for loggerhead turtles, which lay their eggs in nests on the beach between November and April.