BRISBANE TO BRISBANE VIA THE OUTBACK SELF GUIDED MOTORCYCLE TOUR

SUNSHINE COAST

You’ll ride through one of the most spectacular hinterlands in the country combining rainforests, waterfalls, pineapple plantations and the beautiful Glass House Mountains. Many of the towns and settlements along the coast began life as tiny fishing ports or jetties but they’ve long since been developed into vibrant coastal communities.

The contrast between the wealth of upmarket coastal resorts and fringing, undeveloped hinterlands makes for a great days riding. The views from the top of the escarpment are incredible and don’t forget to visit the late Steve Irwin’s superbly kept Australia Zoo.

TOOWOOMBA

A picturesque mountain city, Toowoomba clings to the edge of the Great Dividing Range at an altitude of about seven hundred meters above sea level. This unique position affords the city some breathtaking views of Table Top Mountain and the Lockyer Valley region across to the east. Nicknamed the ‘Garden City’, there are over 150 public parks and gardens just waiting to be explored in Toowoomba, thanks in no small part to the incredibly fertile volcanic soils that abound in the area.

Warm summers, cool winters and four distinct seasons set Toowoomba apart from most places in Queensland. It’s a fantastically relaxing spot to spend the evening after a day of invigorating riding on the roads of the region. 

ROMA AND THE OUTBACK LOOP

If you enjoy the odd longer day in the saddle, laid back cruising and a chilled, refreshing beer at the end of the day, you’ll love this section of the motorcycle tour. Some 600km days await but that’s all part of the charm of outback travel. The haunting scenery, incredibly friendly locals and atmospheric small towns make the distances involved just melt away, the kilometres disappearing back down the highway as you speed away in the opposite direction.

Your bike tour takes you past Queensland’s oldest winery (est 1863) and the ‘Big Rig’, an intriguing museum of oil and gas exploration. There’s also the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame & Outback Heritage Centre, quit a mouthful but well worth a look-see. The historical highlights just keep coming with the place where Australia’s national air carrier, Qantas Airways, was founded. Now marked by the Qantas Founders Museum, if you’re even remotely interested in the history surrounding the organisation it’s a great place to visit.

There’s even the Waltzing Matilda Centre, a museum dedicated to the unofficial Australia anthem and not only that, you’ll be staying in the historic hotel where the song was first performed! Whoever said there was nothing to do in the Outback was dead wrong!

PORT DOUGLAS

Port Douglas is a petite tropical town north of Cairns who’s permanent population of under 1000 people, is regularly bolstered by visitors drawn by the many natural attractions on offer in the area. Palm fringed beaches, hot summers, warm winters and great riding are the norm in Port Douglas. It’s also the nearest port to the Great Barrier Reef, so the ideal spot for taking a fast catamaran cruise out to the reef to snorkel, dive or just enjoy the views for the day (see the pricing below).

An unforgettable experience, one that could even top the experience of touring Queensland by motorcycle, but we’re not 100% set on that.

ATHERTON TABLELANDS

A fertile plateau with smooth, rolling green scenery, leisurely curves and lazy hills to ride around and over. Some of the most beautiful waterfalls in Australia can be found on the aptly named Waterfall Circuit. The truly ancient 500 year old Curtain Fig Tree near Yungaburra is a wonder of nature and well worth a visit. Superb riding around every corner on the roads of this region, where rainforest and farming blend seamlessly into one another.

DAINTREE RAINFOREST

Rainforest features heavily in the makeup of northern Queensland, but non fits the image more perfectly than the Daintree. The oldest rainforest on earth can be explored at a pace that suits you by paying a visit the very helpful information centre, which will lead you on a tour of the densely tangled forest via easily traversed boardwalks and even a tower that allows you to get deep into the canopy and get a closer look at the creatures calling the forest home.

The narrow, tightly twisting roads are great fun on the bike but it’s and area that just demands to examined at leisure, so make sure you stop often to admire the views.

CAPE TRIBULATION

The coconut lined beaches of Cape Tribulation back straight onto the verdant rainforest, a sight that apes many a scene from films involving castaways on tropical island paradises. There aren’t many places on earth you can sit and listen to the soothing bird and insect calls of the forest, whilst taking a picnic on the beach as your motorcycle rests under a palm tree! Captain James Cook beached his damaged ship ‘The Endeavour’ here to make repairs, after spectacularly failing to navigate around the reefs off shore, hence the name ‘Cape Tribulation’.

EUNGELLA NATIONAL PARK

Prowl the ‘Land of the Clouds’ in search of the famous Platypus. Dense rainforest provides the ideal hiding place for some of Australia’s more bashful wildlife but there are some lovely walking trails through this area to get you deep into the thick of things. Rangers are on hand to help you discover more about the original aboriginal inhabitants, ‘bush tucker’ and the flora and fauna of the region.

OPTIONAL EXTRA

WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS

Those castaway islands you’ve seen in films? Here they are! This is a beautiful series of incredible ‘paradise islands’ just off of the small coastal town of Airlie Beach. It’s well worth indulging in a cruise (see pricing below) around some of the most perfect coral islands in the world.

Visit the stunning bleached white sands of Whitehaven Beach, snorkel in protected bays over teaming coral gardens and observe the fascinating array of marine creatures that are privileged to call the Whitsundays home.

BYRON BAY

Spectacular back roads winding through the countryside will eventually lead you to the most easterly point of Australia, Cape Byron at Byron Bay. There are even more beautiful beaches here augmented by a lively, friendly and incredibly welcoming small town with some great riding in the surrounding countryside.

Once a centre for ‘alternative lifestylers’, Byron Bay has clung on to that unique atmosphere and generally chilled out approach to life. You can relax on the beach, visit the famous lighthouse, enjoy the goings on in town and get a good meal at any of the great restaurants.

OPTIONAL EXTRA

FRASER ISLAND

Perhaps take a pause from motorcycle touring at Rainbow Beach. A vibrant little coastal town, famed for, wait for it…the rainbow coloured sand dunes which surround the settlement.

It is the ideal opportunity to experience a four-wheel drive tour on the largest sand island in the world, Fraser Island (see pricing below). Many people consider this to be one of the highlights of their motorcycle trip, as the tour takes you along the eastern beach, which doubles as the main road, north to rainforests, crystal clear freshwater lakes, intriguing shipwrecks on the beach and towering sand dunes.

A flight over the island as an option well worth considering. Take-off and landing is along the beach. A great experience for a relatively low cost. Easy to organise too as they’ll ask you on the 4WD tour if you’d like to take the flight. No need to pre-book.

If you’d like to visit the spectacular Fraser Island, then just let us know and we’ll organise everything for you.

PRICING OPTIONS:

* BRING YOUR OWN BIKE:
If you decide to use your own motorcycle on tour, please be sure to let us know what it is before showing up – no scooters in the outback please!

** OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS:
You will need to extend the tour and bike rental by a day for each of the excursions you choose to join. Costs are per person (p/p) and are subject to change at short notice.