Itinerary · 14 days · 67 places
14 Days on the East Coast
Two weeks up the east coast: four days in Sydney with the harbour and the coastal walk, then Byron Bay, Brisbane, Noosa and the Whitsundays, and finally Cairns and a day snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef.
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Photo: Martins OPO · Pexels
The route on the map
The plan, day by day
Day 1Arrival in Sydney
Arrival in Sydney
Hotel check-in
A base in The Rocks, Sydney's oldest quarter: sandstone lanes between the harbour and the Harbour Bridge, all within walking distance.
Circular Quay & Sydney Cove
The waterfront between the ferry terminal and the Opera House, where ferries dock in the evening and the Harbour Bridge is lit up.
Day 2Harbour, Opera House and Botanic Garden
Sydney Opera House
Jørn Utzon's scaled sail shells up close: a walk around the forecourt steps reveals that the white roofs are made of over a million tiles.
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Subtropical park right on the water with avenues of fig trees, a fernery and open views back to the Opera House and the bridge.
Mrs Macquarie's Point
Headland with the stone seat carved into the rock in 1810 — from here the Opera House and Harbour Bridge line up.
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Australia's most important collection of Indigenous art alongside European classics; the Yiribana gallery shows bark paintings from Arnhem Land.
Pylon Lookout on the Harbour Bridge
200 steps inside the bridge's south pylon lead to a viewing platform 87 metres above the harbour — without the expensive arch climb.
Evening: Barangaroo Reserve
Newly created sandstone foreshore west of the bridge with a waterside path and bars, lively in the evening and free of tourist crowds.
Day 3Bondi and the coastal walk to Coogee
Bondi Beach
Australia's best-known city beach; in the mornings the waves belong to the surfers and the lifeguards in red and yellow.
Bondi Icebergs Pool
Seawater pool from 1929 at the southern end of the beach, into which the surf crashes at high tide.
Tamarama Beach
Tiny cove between two rocky headlands, better for looking at than swimming because of the currents.
Bronte Beach
Family beach with a natural rock pool and a park lawn full of barbecues behind the sand.
Waverley Cemetery
Clifftop cemetery whose white marble angels stand above the open Pacific — the most spectacular stretch of the coastal walk.
Coogee Beach
Wide, calm bay at the end of the walk, sheltered by rock reefs and therefore nicer for swimming than Bondi.
Evening: Coogee Bay Hotel
Big pub opposite the beach with a beer garden under fig trees, full of locals rather than tour groups in the evening.
Day 4Manly and the harbour mouth
Manly Wharf
Arrival by ferry from Circular Quay: half an hour across the harbour, past the sandstone heads at its entrance.
The Corso Manly
Pedestrian axis between the harbour side and the ocean side, less than 500 metres long, with surf shops and bakeries.
Manly Beach
Kilometre-long ocean beach behind a row of Norfolk Island pines, where the first World Surfing Championship was held in 1964.
Shelly Beach
West-facing cove sheltered from the waves in a marine reserve — Sydney's best snorkelling spot.
Fairfax Lookout at North Head
Cliff edge above the harbour entrance with views of the skyline and, in winter, of migrating humpback whales.
Balmoral Beach
Quiet harbour beach with a wooden footbridge to Rocky Point island and a bandstand from the 1920s.
Evening: Balmoral Esplanade
Waterfront promenade under pines, where after sunset you can watch the lights of the yachts in Middle Harbour.
Day 5On to Byron Bay
Onward to Byron Bay
Hotel check-in
Main Beach Byron Bay
The town beach right behind the main street, where beginners take their first surf lesson.
Cape Byron Lighthouse
The white tower of 1901 stands on the easternmost point of mainland Australia; from the path up you often see dolphins in the surf.
Wategos Beach
North-facing bay below the cape, sheltered and with long, gentle waves.
Evening: Jonson Street, Byron Bay
The main street with buskers, a bookshop and open bars — even in the evening the town stays barefoot and laid-back.
Day 6Byron Bay's beaches from north to south
Clarkes Beach
Crescent-shaped beach east of town, where pods of dolphins regularly pass close to shore in the mornings.
Tallow Beach
Seven kilometres of open, almost deserted sandy beach south of the cape, with no lifeguards and strong currents.
Broken Head Nature Reserve
Coastal rainforest on a headland, where a short path leads through palms down to hidden coves.
Suffolk Park beach
Quiet residential village with access to the southern end of Tallow Beach, where you usually have the water to yourself.
Belongil Beach
Stretch of beach north-west of town behind the dunes, a dog beach and the best spot for sunset.
Evening: Beach Hotel Byron Bay
The big beer garden right on Main Beach, with live music in the evening and the whole town dropping by.
Day 7On to Brisbane
Onward to Brisbane
Hotel check-in
South Bank Parklands
Former World Expo site on the riverbank with an artificial sandy beach, a bougainvillea arbour and views of the high-rises.
Queensland Art Gallery and GOMA
Two neighbouring galleries, one for classic and one for contemporary art of the Asia-Pacific region; admission is free.
Kangaroo Point Cliffs
Quarried cliffs of volcanic tuff at the bend in the river, popular with climbers, from whose top you see the skyline against the light.
Evening: Howard Smith Wharves
Old warehouses beneath the Story Bridge, converted into a brewery and restaurants, with a path right along the water.
Day 8On to the Sunshine Coast
Onward to Noosa
Hotel check-in
Hastings Street Noosa
The shopping street shaded by pandanus palms between river and beach, the heart of town and only a few hundred metres long.
Noosa Main Beach
One of the few north-facing beaches in Australia: hardly any waves, warm water and shade until well into the afternoon.
Noosa National Park coastal walk
Path over cliffs and through eucalyptus forest to Hell's Gates; with a bit of luck, koalas sit in the forks of the branches.
Evening: Hastings Street at night
Once the day visitors have left, sit on the terraces under strings of lights and listen to the surf across the street.
Day 9Noosa River, Everglades and southern beaches
Gympie Terrace, Noosaville
Riverside street on the Noosa River with boat hire and picnic lawns, where locals have their coffee.
Noosa Marina, Tewantin
Small marina upstream, departure point for the Everglades boats and with a market on the jetties on Saturdays.
Noosa Everglades boat cruise
Shallow waterway through paperbark forest, its mirror-smooth surface reflecting the trees perfectly — one of only two Everglades systems in the world.
Peregian Beach
Village with a green and a bakery behind the dunes, fronted by an endless, undeveloped beach.
Sunshine Beach
The ocean beach south of the national park, with bigger waves than Noosa and a steep slope full of holiday homes.
Evening: Sunshine Beach Surf Club
Clubhouse on the dune, open to everyone, with a terrace above the dark sea and cheap beer.
Day 10On to the Whitsundays
Onward to Airlie Beach
Hotel check-in
Coral Sea Marina
The harbour from which all the sailing boats head out to the Whitsunday Islands; catamarans lie alongside old wooden yachts on the pontoons.
Airlie Beach Lagoon
Public saltwater pool on the waterfront, built because box jellyfish drift in the sea from November to May.
Bicentennial Walkway
Four kilometres of boardwalk along the coast, past mangroves and small coves to Port of Airlie.
Evening: Airlie Beach Main Street
A single street of backpacker bars, live music and fish-and-chip shops — in the evening the loudest place between Brisbane and Cairns.
Day 11Conway National Park and Shute Harbour
Shute Harbour
Natural harbour in a sheltered bay where the ferries leave for the islands; the view takes in a dozen wooded islets.
Mount Rooper lookout walk
Five-kilometre loop through dry eucalyptus forest to a lookout with views over the entire island chain.
Cannonvale Beach
The quiet local beach west of Airlie, with shaded barbecue areas and shallow water at high tide.
Conway National Park rainforest walk
Short path through damp coastal rainforest, where the shy brush turkeys scratch at their nest mounds in the early evening.
Boathaven Beach
Small cove next to the marina with a stinger net in summer and views back to the town.
Evening: Port of Airlie promenade
The newer part of the harbour south of the centre, quiet in the evening, with lit jetties and views of the anchor lights in the bay.
Day 12On into the tropics: Cairns
Onward to Cairns
Hotel check-in
Cairns Esplanade Lagoon
4,800-square-metre saltwater pool on the mudflat shore — swimming in the sea is out of the question because of crocodiles and jellyfish.
Cairns Botanic Gardens
Tropical garden in an old swamp forest with an orchid house and a boardwalk through the melaleuca stand.
Cairns Marlin Marina
Berth of the reef boats and old trawlers; in the afternoon the catch is sold straight off the deck.
Evening: Cairns Night Markets
Covered market lanes on the Esplanade, open every evening from 5 pm, with food stalls and stands selling opals and boomerangs.
Day 13Great Barrier Reef off Fitzroy Island
Reef Fleet Terminal Cairns
Check-in for the reef boats at the marina: register, collect your gear and the safety briefing before the 45-minute crossing.
Fitzroy Island Welcome Bay
Continental island in a national park, where the fringing reef starts just a few metres from the coral beach.
Nudey Beach
Bay on the south-west side with pale coral sand — voted Australia's best beach in 2018.
Fitzroy Island lighthouse walk
Steep concrete path to the lighthouse on the northern ridge, from where the reef edges show as dark patches in the turquoise.
Cairns Esplanade promenade
After the return trip, the waterfront path above the mudflats, where hundreds of wading birds probe the mud at low tide.
Evening: Cairns Esplanade at night
Barbecue areas and lawns by the water, where whole families picnic in the evening and drumming drifts over from the park.
Day 14Farewell to Cairns
Rusty's Markets Cairns
Market hall in the centre, packed with tropical fruit from Friday to Sunday — mangosteen, rambutan and jackfruit from the surrounding area.
Cairns Museum
In the old School of Arts of 1907: the city's history from the gold rush via the sugar cane fields to reef tourism.
Departure from Cairns
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