Five days is the ideal length for a first Queensland visit — enough to fall in love with Brisbane, escape to both coasts, experience world-class wildlife, and begin to understand what makes Southeast Queensland one of Australia's most rewarding regions.
This itinerary covers Southeast Queensland's greatest hits without feeling rushed — each day has a clear focus, logical geography, and the right pace for genuinely absorbing what you're seeing. Days 2–4 use Cooee Tours guided day trips with Brisbane hotel pickup, which removes all logistics complexity and significantly improves what you actually experience at each destination. Days 1 and 5 need no car and are navigable entirely by public transport and on foot within Brisbane.
South Bank · GOMA · Fortitude Valley · Mt Coot-tha sunset
600+ animals · Crocodile shows · Africa Savannah · Wildlife Hospital
Surfers Paradise · Burleigh Heads · Tamborine Mountain
Eumundi Markets · Noosa NP koalas · Montville hinterland
Volcanic peaks · Kabi Kabi culture · South Bank farewell dinner
Arrive, orient, and discover one of Australia's most underrated cities. Brisbane rewards walkers more than any other Australian capital — plan to cover it on foot.
Start at South Bank Parklands and walk the Boardwalk along the Brisbane River. Streets Beach — the only inner-city artificial beach in Australia — is worth a look. Then visit GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art — free entry to the permanent collection, one of Australia's finest art institutions) and the Queensland Museum for cultural and natural history context before exploring further.
Cross the Goodwill Bridge on foot into the CBD. Eagle Street Pier for lunch with river views, then walk north to Howard Smith Wharves — Brisbane's most atmospheric precinct, built into the cliff face beneath the Story Bridge. Walk across the bridge (20 minutes) for the city view and return via the river path.
Rideshare 7km west of the CBD to Brisbane's finest panoramic viewpoint. The entire city, Moreton Bay, and the Glass House Mountains on the northern horizon spread before you as the city turns gold. Arrive 30 minutes before sunset. Stay for dinner at the lookout restaurant — book ahead on weekends for a view table.
Fortitude Valley is Brisbane's dining heartland. Book ahead at Longtime (Southeast Asian sharing plates, outstanding cocktail list), Agnes (open-fire cooking, Howard Smith Wharves), or one of the excellent Korean BBQ restaurants on Wickham Street for a relaxed and delicious first evening.
One of the southern hemisphere's greatest wildlife experiences — 100km north of Brisbane. Zoo entry ($59 value) included, hotel pickup included.
Join a Cooee Tours Australia Zoo day tour — departing with hotel pickup from Brisbane CBD. Zoo entry is included in the tour price. Your guide covers wildlife context and the Sunshine Coast geography en route north on the Bruce Highway.
Guided day tour · Zoo entry included · Hotel pickup · Returns ~5:30pm
Australia Zoo Day Tour — from $179 per personAfrica Savannah first — cheetahs, giraffes, and rhinos are most active before 11am. Then the Crikey Stage crocodile shows — theatrical, educational, and genuinely extraordinary. The Wildlife Hospital public viewing deck is the unexpected highlight for many guests: watching vets treat injured native animals while your guide explains the Wildlife Warriors conservation program changes the experience from entertainment into something genuinely moving. Koala encounters, free-range kangaroo meadow, Tasmanian devils, wombats, Sumatran tigers, cassowaries, and the southern hemisphere's most impressive reptile house complete the day.
Back to your Brisbane hotel around 5:30–6pm. A relaxed evening — South Bank dining or room service is perfectly appropriate after a full wildlife day. Save energy for Day 3's early start.
Australia's most famous coastal city — beachfront skyline, surf culture at Burleigh Heads, and a genuinely spectacular hinterland that most visitors miss entirely.
Join a Cooee Tours Gold Coast day tour, departing Brisbane CBD with hotel pickup. Your guide covers the Gold Coast's remarkable development story and coastal geography en route south on the M1.
Guided day tour · Hotel pickup · Hinterland included · Returns ~5:30pm
Gold Coast Day Tour — from $129 per personWalk the famous Esplanade at Surfers Paradise — the skyline and surf culture are genuinely impressive. Broadbeach is the Gold Coast's most liveable neighbourhood for a coffee stop. Burleigh Heads is where the Gold Coast becomes genuinely beautiful — the headland walk, the National Park, and the beach town that Instagram actually means when it posts the Gold Coast.
Most visitors miss the Gold Coast hinterland entirely — a serious mistake. Tamborine Mountain sits 525 metres above the coast with a completely different climate, working boutique wineries, rainforest walking tracks (Curtis Falls, 40 minutes return through subtropical forest), Gallery Walk, and views across the entire Gold Coast that are genuinely breathtaking. This is where the guided tour earns its keep.
Drop-off at your Brisbane hotel around 5:30pm. The Gold Coast light rail connects Broadbeach South to Helensvale, then Queensland Rail to Brisbane (~80 minutes total) — a good option if you want to extend the evening independently.
Wednesday or Saturday only for markets. One of Australia's finest day trips — artisan markets, wild koalas in a national park, and a boutique coastal culture the Gold Coast entirely lacks.
Earlier departure to arrive at Eumundi Markets before the crowds. Wednesday and Saturday departures only — plan your arrival day around this. This is not just a beach day: the Sunshine Coast offers far more variety than most visitors anticipate.
Guided day tour · Hotel pickup · Wed & Sat departures · Returns ~5:30pm
Sunshine Coast Classic Tour — from $149 | Gourmet — from $189600+ stalls on Saturdays, 300 on Wednesdays — live music from 8am, artisan food producers, handmade jewellery, fresh-ground coffee, sourdough bakers, and a community character accumulated over 45 years. Eumundi is a genuine Australian cultural institution. Our guides arrive before the buses, positioning you for the best stalls and the most authentic atmosphere before the crowds build after 10am.
The 2.7km coastal track through Noosa National Park passes through paperbark forest above extraordinary rock platforms and hidden beaches. Wild koalas are resident in the paperbark section — our guides know which specific trees the resident population favours, and the sighting rate is genuinely remarkable. Tea Tree Bay and Granite Bay are accessible from the main track. Two hours of free time on Noosa Main Beach and Hastings Street follows.
Wind up into the Blackall Range to Montville at 450 metres — galleries, artisan food, rainforest lookouts, and the finest panoramic view of the Glass House Mountains in the region. This is tomorrow's destination seen from above, which makes the visit even more satisfying the following day. Kondalilla Falls (90-metre cascade, 2.7km return walk) is available for guests who want to extend.
The ancient volcanic peaks visible from Brisbane on clear days and from yesterday's Montville viewpoint — extraordinary geology, Kabi Kabi cultural significance, and one of Southeast Queensland's most distinctive landscapes.
Eleven volcanic plugs — 26 million years old — rise from the flat coastal plain 65km north of Brisbane. Visible from the city on clear days and from yesterday's Montville viewpoint, they are even more dramatic at ground level. Our Glass House Mountains tour covers the best viewpoints, walking tracks around Tibrogargan, Beerwah, and Ngungun, the remarkable geological story of these rhyolite formations, and the Kabi Kabi cultural significance that predates European contact by tens of thousands of years.
Guided half-day tour · Hotel pickup · Returns to Brisbane by 1pm
Glass House Mountains Tour — from $149 per personReturn to Brisbane for your final afternoon. South Bank at its most relaxed: the Goodwill Bridge walk, a final coffee on the Boardwalk, the Queensland Museum's Australian history section, and a browse through Stanley Street markets if the timing aligns. The City Botanic Gardens riverside walk (enormous Moreton Bay fig trees, 30 minutes of calm) is a perfect counterpoint to five full days of activity.
Howard Smith Wharves for atmosphere and the Story Bridge lit above. Stokehouse Q at South Bank for refined contemporary Australian with river views. Agnes for the wood-fired cooking and Brisbane's most memorable dining room. All three require advance booking — Brisbane's best tables fill fast, especially on weekends.
Everything you need to know before you book — logistics, budget, timing, and the one decision that makes the most difference.
Arrive Tuesday evening so Day 4 falls on Wednesday (Eumundi Markets). Saturday arrivals also work well — Saturday markets have 600+ stalls. The market day timing is the single most consequential planning decision in this itinerary.
Brisbane Airport is well-connected internationally and domestically. The Airtrain connects the airport to the CBD in 22 minutes ($20 one-way). Most CBD hotels are within walking distance of Central or Roma Street stations.
South Bank is ideal — walking distance to GOMA, the river, and Parklands. All Cooee Tours collect from Brisbane CBD and inner South Bank hotels. Fortitude Valley is excellent for dining access on Days 1 and 5.
Accommodation: $150–300/night. Cooee Tours Days 2–5: $129–179 each. Dining: $40–80/day. City attractions — GOMA, Botanic Gardens, South Bank, Mt Coot-tha Lookout — are all free. Total 5-day guide: ~$1,500–2,200pp.
SPF 50+ (non-negotiable year-round in Queensland). Comfortable enclosed shoes for Days 2 and 4 (Australia Zoo, Noosa National Park track). Light rain layer for the hinterland. Swimwear for Days 3 and 4. Cash for Eumundi ($50–100 covers a good market shop).
Book Cooee Tours first — popular dates fill weeks ahead. Australia Zoo tours sell out completely in school holiday periods. Sunshine Coast Wednesday/Saturday is the most popular single departure. Book tours, then accommodation around confirmed dates.
Days 2–5 of this itinerary are best experienced on guided day tours from Brisbane — small groups, hotel pickup, expert local guides, and free 48-hour cancellation on all departures.
🦁 Australia Zoo — from $179 🌊 Gold Coast — from $129 🌿 Sunshine Coast — from $149 🏔️ Glass House Mtns — from $149