There are dozens of tour operators running day trips from Brisbane. Most of them use large coaches (40–55 passengers), move on a fixed schedule that doesn't allow for spontaneity, and rotate guides who may have run the same script 400 times. We built Cooee Tours as a direct response to that experience.
Every tour we run has a hard maximum of 12 guests. No exceptions. We use comfortable, purpose-fitted 4WD vehicles and vans. Our guides are locals who have been leading these tours for years and genuinely know every shortcut, every story, every best lookout that isn't on the standard itinerary.
Max 12 Guests
Always. No exceptions. We turn away bookings rather than exceed this number.
Local Expert Guides
Our guides have lived and worked in Southeast Queensland for years. They know the back roads, the history, the wildlife patterns.
CBD Pickup Included
We collect from hotels and major points across Brisbane's CBD, South Brisbane and New Farm — no taxi to a depot.
Lunch Always Included
A proper farm or village lunch is built into every full-day tour. Not a packed sandwich — a real meal.
What Makes Small Group Better
Big Tour: 45 people, 3 minutes per stop
You pull into the lookout, everyone piles out for a photo, back on the bus. Done.
Cooee: 12 people, stay as long as you want
If the group wants to linger at the waterfall or the cellar door, we linger. No schedule pressure.
Big Tour: Microphone, memorised script
The same 45-second story at every stop, repeated from a laminated card.
Cooee: Conversation, not commentary
12 guests means everyone gets to ask questions. The guide actually answers them.
Big Tour: Tourist-board stops only
The popular carpark lookout. The souvenir shop. The "photo opportunity."
Cooee: The spots locals actually use
The unmarked track to the better view. The farm that doesn't appear on any map. The swimming hole the coaches miss.
Our Small-Group Tours from Brisbane
🌿 Sunshine Coast Hinterland Day Tour
From $119ppGlass House Mountains (Mt Ngungun hike or Wild Horse Mountain lookout), a Queenslander farmhouse lunch in Maleny or Montville, Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve (resident pademelons, Glass House views), and the Blackall Range scenic drive back to the coast. One of Southeast Queensland's great days out.
🏝️ Moreton Island Day Tour
From $195ppThe world's third-largest sand island — a UNESCO World Heritage area. Snorkel the Tangalooma Wrecks, sandboard the massive dunes, spot wild dolphins at dusk, swim in crystal-clear bays. We take the catamaran from Howard Smith Wharves and spend the full day on the island with a small group — maximum flexibility, no rush.
🍷 Tamborine Mountain Wine & Hinterland Tour
From $135ppGallery Walk, 3 cellar door tastings, the Tamborine Mountain Skywalk, Curtis Falls and a long lunch at a mountain restaurant. The most popular wine day trip from Brisbane — the cellar door variety (Witches Falls, Cedar Creek, RiverMill) and the subtropical rainforest backdrop make this one consistently excellent.
🌿 Lamington Rainforest Day Tour
From $145ppO'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park — UNESCO World Heritage subtropical rainforest, the Treetop Walk, hand-feeding crimson rosellas and king parrots, a rainforest circuit walk, and a farmstyle lunch at the retreat. One of the most unique day-trip experiences in Queensland.
🏄 Byron Bay Day Tour
From $149ppCape Byron Lighthouse walk, snorkelling at The Pass, Wategos Beach, Bangalow village and a farmstyle lunch at Harvest or an equivalent hinterland restaurant. The most popular overnight trip from Brisbane done as a day tour — long day (depart 6am, return 9pm), but enormously worth it.