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Our home state of Queensland is an enormous place to explore and even we haven’t seen it all yet! That’s why we are excited to share our latest local adventure, a 9-day Brisbane to Agnes Water road trip with kids. We have put together our complete itinerary for this return trip, with all places to stop between Brisbane and Agnes Water along the way.
Our Brisbane To Agnes Water Itinerary
- DAY 1 – Brisbane to Rainbow Beach
- DAY 2 – Rainbow Beach to Hervey Bay
- DAY 3 – Hervey Bay (Fraser Island half-day trip)
- DAY 4 – Hervey Bay to Agnes Water
- DAY 5 – Agnes Water (Musgrave Island full-day trip)
- DAY 6 – Agnes Water to Woodgate
- DAY 7 – Woodgate to Caloundra
- DAY 8 – Caloundra
- DAY 9 – Caloundra to Brisbane
9-Day Brisbane To Agnes Water Road Trip Itinerary
Living in South East Queensland, we’ve explored a lot of Queensland’s South and a lot of Queensland’s Far North from Macky to Cairns, but neither of us have spent a lot of time along the central Queensland coastline. This trip was the chance to do exactly that!
We did our 9-day Brisbane to Agnes Water drive in a StarRV Polaris 6 motorhome, so we had the luxury of having a home on wheels for this trip. This meant we stayed at holiday parks, but you could certainly do the same itinerary staying in cabins, hotels or free camping too.
Neither myself nor our youngest daughter are great with long-distance car travel and we all wanted a fairly relaxed trip, so we kept our daily distances quite short.
You could go as far as Brisbane to Yeppoon if you skip our Hervey Bay and Fraser Island section of the itinerary (more on that below).
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Day 1 – Brisbane To Rainbow Beach
- Distance: 246KM (3 hrs)
- Accommodation: Big4 Breeze Holiday Parks – Rainbow Beach
We picked up our StarRV motorhome in the morning and headed straight to Rainbow Beach for our first night. Unfortunately, the rain followed us so we didn’t get to really experience this popular camping area to the fullest.
We did a quick afternoon beach visit for a stroll on the beach and I went for a walk along the waterfront, down to Carlo Point Marina before we settled in for a quiet night in our van and extremely heavy rain pouring down.
Day 2 – Rainbow Beach To Hervey Bay
- Distance: 123KM (1.5 hrs)
- Accommodation: Pier Caravan Park Hervey Bay
In the morning, we took a detour to Inskip Point for a quick beach session and drone flight. This is a beautiful spot and a really popular for camping.
Then it was on to Hervey Bay. We parked up and then headed down to walk along the historic Urangan Pier. One of the longest piers in Australia (we’ve seen the longest in Busselton, WA).
The pier is huge. just under 900 metres and the kids weren’t keen to do the full walk so we got around 3/4 of the way before we turned around.
Instead, we spent a couple of hours enjoying low tide with a swim next to the pier. This was a lot of fun as there are so many little fish and crabs everywhere. We found sea snails and creepy green sea worms that seem to be sucking the life out of the snails. Ick.
This is a beautiful spot to watch the sun setting over the pier too! What a sight.
And if you’re a keen fisherman, don’t forget your rod! There were lots of people fishing off the pier or catching yabbies in the sand.
There is also a playground and bike tracks along here, cafes and restaurants nearby for when the weather is fine.
Day 3 – Hervey Bay With Fraser Island Day Trip
- Day Tour: 1/2 Day K’gari Fraser Island Cruise with BBQ Lunch
- Accommodation: Pier Caravan Park Hervey Bay
We started our day early heading to Great Sandy Straights Marina for a Fraser Island day trip. We did this half-day trip with Whalesong Cruises.
Our boat trip took us to the remote west coast of K’gari (Fraser Island). Here they moor the boat and you get to spend half a day doing water sports and relaxing on the beach. It was a lot of fun!
We did kayaking, swimming, beach footy and inflatable tube rides behind the boat.
They even give you the chance to jump off the top deck of the boat when you first arrive at the island and both Simon and our littlest miss did the jump. Our big kid wasn’t keen so I stayed with her to go over on the small boat.
Then you finish with a BBQ lunch back on the boat before heading back to Hervey Bay.
If you’re visiting between November and May, we highly recommend this experience. For the rest of the year, they do whale-watching cruises since Hervey Bay is one of the best places in the world for whale-watching.
Alternatively, do a full-day trip to K’gari instead so you can see some of the most iconic attractions of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed world’s largest sand island. Or spend the day enjoying the attractions in Hervey Bay instead.
Tip: The entrance to the marina is kinda hidden. It’s behind the giant whale statue through a shopping complex. We got lost, ending up at the boat club area initially.
Day 4 – Hervey Bay To Agnes Water
- Distance: 225KM (2.5 hrs)
- Accommodation: NRMA Agnes Water Holiday Park
On our 4th day, we headed to Agnes Water.
We did make a few stops along the way. We did the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks tour and tasting.
We’ve done this before and it’s fun. Kids love the chance to sample soft drink plus you get a mixed 6 pack of your favourites to take home with an adult ticket.
We also stopped at Alexandra Park Zoo while in Bundaberg but discovered it was closed on Monday. A pair of curious emus still popped their faces over the fence to say hi. We also saw dingoes on a walk with their handler.
Again, the rain was still following us and this was really disappointing as we didn’t get to do a lot of exploring of the area.
There are some beautiful nature walking tracks around Agnes Water and Town Of 1770. However, we were especially keen to do the Paperbark Trail which was closed anyway.
Instead, we put on our swimmers and spent the afternoon at Agnes Water Main Beach, as it was right behind our holiday park.
The beach is really pretty and a popular spot for surfing too. There was a lifeguard on patrol until around 4:30 PM but it was very calm and the water was so warm.
Day 5 – Agnes Water With Full Day Lady Musgrave Day Trip
- Tour: Full-Day Lady Musgrave Day Tour With 1770 Reef
- Accommodation: NRMA Agnes Water Holiday Park
Today was the day we were most excited about! We headed to 1770 Marina for a full-day tour to Lady Musgrave Island.
Lady Musgrave Island is the second most southern point of the Great Barrier Reef and our youngest had been eager to see the reef for herself. Turns out this might actually be my new place to visit the Great Barrier Reef from!
Our day trip was with 1770 Reef. The trip to the island is around 1.5 hrs, despite being a very fast boat. And whoa, it was a bumpy ride over. The kids said it kept scaring their tummy so don’t forget your sea sickness tablets!
We were lucky to visit outside of school holidays (just) and so there was a really small number of guests on board that day. That meant a very relaxed day and no need to split into groups for activities.
Upon mooring, we climbed into the glass bottom boat and headed over to Lady Musgrave Island for an eco-tour. It’s so beautiful and very untouched. It’s actually a coral cay and the shores are full of coral that has washed ashore and enormous shells. Very cool!
Afterward, it was a glass bottom boat tour where we saw a turtle pop its head up next to the boat a couple of times, lots of fish and a manta ray beneath us and beautiful coral reef.
Back on the boat, we had wraps for lunch then got ready for snorkeling. Our youngest daughter took to this within minutes and had the best time. Our eldest refused to put her snorkel on properly and floated around on a pool noodle instead. Kids…
We spent around 1.5 or so hours in the water and the reef was incredible. The best part though… swimming alongside a loggerhead turtle who wasn’t at all fussed that we were there. What an experience!
The water is so incredibly clear and such a beautiful turquoise colour.
At the end of the session, we settled back into our chairs for the smooth ride home with mini cheese and antipasto platters handed out.
This day trip was incredible. It’s a huge day – around 9 hours so you get back around dark.
If you have it in your budget, definitely do a Lady Musgrave day tour! So worth it!
Day 6 – Agnes Water To Woodgate
- Distance: 177KM (2 hrs)
- Accommodation: NRMA Woodgate Beach Holiday Park
It was time to start heading south again.
We stopped again at Alexandra Park Zoo and got to see all the animals this time. They have a pair of adorable cotton-top tamarins (monkeys), a spotted quoll, dingoes, lizards and snakes and lots of birds. The fact that it’s a free zoo is pretty cool and there’s a playground next to it.
Arriving at Woodgate, we parked up our motorhome and headed across the road to the beach. It was still a bit rainy but when you’re already planning to be wet, what’s a little rain!
I also took a quick walk along the shorter boardwalk track of the Banksia Walking Track, situated behind our holiday park.
We mostly cooked meals in our campervan at night due to the wet weather, but on this night we caught the courtesy bus and headed to Woodgate Beach Hotel for dinner.
Day 7 – Woodgate To Caloundra
- Distance: 271KM (3 hrs)
- Accommodation: BIG4 Caloundra Holiday Park
Before leaving Woodgate, we took a morning visit to Theodolite Creek. This is a popular spot for water activities – kayaking, boating, fishing. It’s also a really beautiful area so we took the opportunity to launch the drone while the kids played in the water.
Then onwards to Caloundra. The kids were most excited about this stay because Big4 Caloundra Holiday Park has waterslides and a great pool area plus plenty of other fun for families. We were looking forward to a couple of relaxed days to wind down. It’s a great holiday park!
Day 8 – Caloundra
- Accommodation: BIG4 Caloundra Holiday Park
Today was a free day for us and it was also Good Friday. We’ve spent a lot of time on the Sunshine Coast so we didn’t plan to visit any of the attractions on this trip, but if you are visiting for the first time, there are so many cool things to do nearby!
Check out our huge guide for what to do on the Sunshine Coast with kids. There are also rainy day Sunshine Coast ideas here too.
We did walk down to the Esplanade Twilight Markets and took a stroll along the waterfront. At low tide near the Esplanade, it’s a cool area to explore with the kids.
Being Good Friday, we also had a huge lunch of fish and chips from Caloundra Fish Market. Highly recommended.
Day 9 – Caloundra To Brisbane
- Distance: 100KM (1 hr, 20 mins)
Then it was time to head home. Being Easter weekend, we didn’t make any stops but if you have more time a few great options for the drive back to Brisbane are:
- The Ginger Factory at Yandina
- Aussie World
- Australia Zoo (a big day so go early)
Itinerary Variations
We hope our Brisbane to Agnes Water itinerary has given you plenty of inspiration as a starting point. Here are some alternative itineraries to help you plan your perfect trip.
Brisbane To Yeppoon
Skip Hervey Bay and head to Yeppoon for 2 nights after Agnes Water instead. From here, you might like to do a day trip to Capricorn Caves or explore some of the other towns a little further up the Queensland coast.
14 Day Itinerary
With a couple of extra days, make your way to Makay, Airlie Beach or even Townsville if you don’t mind doing longer distances. I wouldn’t go as far as Cairns as it’s a lot of driving and you wouldn’t have enough time to really enjoy the many day trips from Cairns or a lot of the stops between Brisbane and Cairns.
Airlie Beach means you can visit the best beach in Queensland – Whitehaven Beach, in the Whitsundays.
We hope our Brisbane to Agnes Water itinerary helps you to plan your own Queensland road trip up the beautiful coastline. Queensland is a huge state and there is so much to see and do. This is just a small sampling of what gems you will find along the way!
What’s Next? Read More Queensland Travel Planning Guides:
- Best things to do in Queensland
- Best places to visit in Queensland
- Best beaches in Queensland
- How to visit the Great Barrier Reef
- How to get to the Daintree Rainforest
- Fun things to do in Brisbane
- 100 things to do on the Gold Coast for families
- Best Gold Coast family accommodation
- Best Sunshine Coast family accommodation
- Brisbane to Sydney road trip
- Brisbane to Cairns road trip
