Things to do in Queensland
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Enzo's on the Beach
A shabby-chic outdoor cafe with a superb beachfront location where you can dine on focaccias, wraps, healthy salads and light meals or just sip a coffee and wallow in the perfect ocean views. Active sorts can hire kayaks, surf skis and paddleboards or learn kitesurfing.
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Riverlife Adventure Centre
Opened in 2005, this diverse centre offers a wealth of river- and land-based activities. Group kayaking lessons along the Brisbane River are held daily at 1pm ($34), Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7pm ($45), or you can hire your own ($25 for 1½ hours). The paddle and prawns ($69; 1½ hours kayaking followed by beer and prawns on the riverfront deck) on Friday nights from 7pm gets rave reviews. On Thursdays at noon you can participate in traditional Aboriginal song and dance performances (adult/child $45/25) with members of the Nunukul, Yuggera, Yugimbir and Nugi tribes. Performances ($65 per person) are also held on Saturday at 7pm; bookings are essential.
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Three Monkeys Coffee House
A family business for 14 years, Three Monkeys serves it up supersized – piping hot coffee and spicy chai come in soup bowls. Hide away in the cosy den, or wolf down your chocolate cake on the bench outside.
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Fatboy’s Café
The $4 breakfast at Fatboy’s is legendary: eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato and toast served any time (add just $1 after 5pm). It’s easily the best value hangover cure in town and it’s located smack bang in the action in the Brunswick St Mall.
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Paronella Park
Mena Creek’s main claim to fame is the unusual Paronella Park, which features the ruins of a Spanish castle hand-built in the 1930s. Floods, fire and moist tropics have rendered these mossy remains almost medieval. Entry includes free camping in the adjacent caravan park and a night tour at 6.20pm and/or 8.30pm.
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Adrenalin Dive
Day trips to the Yongala (from $220) and Wheeler Reef (from $280), both including two dives. Also offers snorkelling (from $180) on Wheeler Reef as well as live-aboard trips, and dive certification courses.
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Bundaberg Aqua Scuba
About 16km east of Bundaberg, the small beach hamlet of Bargara has good diving and snorkelling at Barolin Rocks and in the Woongarra Marine Park. Bundaberg Aqua Scuba offers four-day, PADI open-water diving courses for $219, but this only includes shore dives. Advanced open-water dive courses cost from $265.
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Mecca Bah
You can't book at this swanky Middle Eastern-themed restaurant, but that's OK because it serves great cocktails while you wait. If you're with friends then choose a pile of dishes to share: the Lebanese sausages and chickpea battered mussels are particularly yummy, as are the lamb pizzas.
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On the Inlet
At this restaurant jutting out over Dickson Inlet, tables spread out along a huge deck where you can await the 5pm arrival of George the grouper, who comes to feed most days. Take up the bucket-of-prawns-and-a-drink deal for $18 from 3.30pm to 5.30pm, or choose your own crayfish and mud crabs from the live tank. Great service, cool atmosphere.
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Tibetan Kitchen
Launch into a variety of zingy curries at this colourful restaurant serving Tibetan, Sherpa, Indian and Nepalese food. For larger groups, the banquet is the way to go. Afterwards, the Brunswick St Mall nightlife is a short stroll downhill.
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Lake McKenzie
Lake McKenzie is a 'perched' lake, formed by water accumulating on top of a thin impermeable layer of decaying twigs and leaves. Here you can exfoliate your skin with the mineral sand and soften your hair in the clear water. Lake McKenzie is possibly the most spectacular of Fraser Island's lakes, but Lake Birrabeen is also amazing, and usually less crowded.
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Watt
On the lower level of the Powerhouse arts precinct, Watt serves award-winning modern Australian fare. Start with the Queensland spanner crab or crispy duck salad before moving on to lamb striploin, seafood pasta or the daily catch perfectly grilled.
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Mondo Organics
Using the highest-quality organic and sustainable produce, Mondo Organics earns top marks for its delicious seasonal menu. Recent hits include pumpkin, leek and ricotta tortellini; lamb rack with wild mushroom risotto; and ocean trout with shaved fennel and saffron-infused mashed potatoes.
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Breakfast Creek Hotel
In a great rambling building dating from 1889, this historic pub is a Brisbane institution. Built in French Renaissance style, the pub encompasses various bars (including a beer garden and an art-deco 'private bar' where you can still drink draft beer tapped from a wooden keg). The stylish, modern Substation No 41 bar serves boutique beers and cocktails.
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Gunshop Cafe
A beautiful repurposing of a former gun shop with exposed-brick walls, sculptural ceiling lamps and an inviting back garden. Locally sourced menu changes daily, with favourites like eggs Benedict with vodka-cured ocean trout, grass-fed rib fillet with roast mushrooms, and grilled emperor with braised leek and bacon.
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Kookaburra Café
A gigantic 50-piece pizza, supposedly Australia’s biggest, is slightly oversized unless you’re in a group of 10 (or attempting a Guinness world record), so lucky there’s regular-sized pizza, pasta and salads here too. The outdoor courtyard makes dining in worthwhile.
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Little Larder
It's worth searching out this lovely café, and not just because it makes damn fine coffee. Try the thick French toast or pesto scrambled eggs and you'll soon understand what all the real fuss is about.
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Lake Birrabeen
Lake Birrabeen is a stunning 'perched' lake, formed by water accumulating on top of a thin impermeable layer of decaying twigs and leaves. A lovely option when Lake McKenzie is too crowded.
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Markwell Café & Bar
All seafood here is wild caught; mains include deep-fried coconut prawns dipped in beer batter, served with curry mayonnaise.
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Fraser Magic 4WD Hire
Hervey Bay is the most popular spot to hire a 4WD for Fraser Island.
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New York Slice
New York Slice's enormous slices of tasty pizza are perfect for everyone from budget-conscious travellers to clubbers on their way home in the early hours of the morning.
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