BIG4 Rules Beach Holiday Park

The Great Southern Barrier Reef is waiting to be explored: you can go snorkelling and scuba diving over the coral off Lady Elliot Island (daily flights leave from Bundaberg, 75 minutes’ drive), and swim with turtles or go birdwatching on Lady Musgrave Island (ferry from Bundaberg Port Marina, 75 minutes). If you have young kids with you and don’t want to venture quite so far, Deepwater National Park (half an hour) has lots of sandy beaches and dunes to run around on. Keen anglers may be pleased to note that Baffle Creek (15 minutes) is one of Queensland’s best fishing rivers, where you can catch trevally, snapper and bream. It’s also the springboard for sailing, paddleboarding or canoeing expeditions along all its tributaries, and onshore hiking routes or 4WD tours through the coastal wetlands. For a more urban day out, turn south and make for Bundaberg (75 minutes), where you can tour the process and taste the produce at the iconic Bundaberg Rum Distillery, or have a stroll around the exotic subtropical plantings in the town’s spectacular botanic gardens.