20 Must-Do Activities in Rainbow Beach with Map!

Rainbow Beach is a small, coastal town that can be found in the Wide Bay-Burnett region. This underrated town is part of the Fraser Coast and the Great Sandy National Park in Queensland and you’ll be surprised on all the Fun things to do in Rainbow Beach?

As a Queensland local for the past 40 years, I’ve been lucky enough to visit this town a multitude of times over the years. Surprisingly, it hasn’t changed in decades and is still a quiet, idyllic getaway. I love it so much, and I could see myself living there one day!

But, small doesn’t means there is nothing to do! So, please read my suggestions below to help you plan what to do on your visit!

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Best Things to do in Rainbow Beach & Map

Surprisingly, this traditional little surf and fishing town was once named Back Beach, but changed to Rainbow Beach in 1969. It has a population of just over 1000 residents and is located about 75km from Gympie and 239km north of Brisbane.

Its worth visiting Rainbow Beach for a quiet laid-back holiday, being the Gateway to Fraser Island, the Coloured Sand Cliffs and the Carlo Sand blow.

To further help, in reference to the “type of traveller” you are and what attractions are suitable for you – please check this out:

• Couples – Sunsets at Carlo Sand Blow, Beach Horse Riding or 4WD past Coloured Sands to Double Island Point, Balcony Resort accommodation with beach views.
• Adventure Seekers – 4WD past Mudlo Rocks to Double Island Point and return on the Freshwater Track, Surfing Lessons, or Kayak with Dolphins.
• Families with Kids – Dolphin Kayaking, swimming at Seary’s Creek or Rainbow Beach, or hike to Poona lake if the little ones can attempt it.
• Nature Lovers – Carlo Sand Blow, the Coloured Sand Cliffs, a day trip to K’Gari or Fraser Island, and hiking to Poona Lake
• Photographers – Carlo Sand Blow at Sunrise/Sunset or at Night for astrophotography, the Coloured Sand Cliffs really bring out the colours, and nothing beats to sun crossing the horizon over the beach in the mornings.
• Solo Travellers & Backpackers who like a quick trip will mostly like visiting the Carlo Sand Blow, and taking a day trip to Fraser Island.

1. Carlo Sand Blow

Visiting the Carlo Sand Blow is a must do activity, completely free and very unique along the Queensland coast. With a quick walk from the car park and through the forest (600m one-way), you can make it out onto a wooden platform.

From here to can either admire the vast Cooloola sand dunes covering over 15 hectares, or go for a longer trek through the sand mass to the edge of the cliffs. You can even use it as a whale watching platform from June to November.

Its often described as a moonscape and I’m always amazed at the stunning 180^o panorama views, which is even better at sunset. From the edge, you can see as far as Double Island Point to the right, and the Inskip Peninsula to the left, but, also the southern tip of Fraser Island in the distance.

In addition, you can often get a glimpse of the area’s birds of prey like brahminy and whistling kites, and see other people para gliding or sand tobogganing. You can even visit at night with low-light pollution, and watch the stars above shine brighter than the sun.

Fun Fact: Is was named by Captain James cook after one of his deckhands named “Carlo”.

2. Swimming or beach time

Why wouldn’t swimming be at the top of your list of what to do, especially if you’re staying in a beachside town? All year round, there is a flagged/patrolled section of the beach for safety, which is great for lazing around on a towel, picnics, sunrise walks or for making sandcastles. 

This gives you peace of mind, but also not the only beach area you can go to!

Depending on the day, you can swim anywhere along the beach, but you do need to keep an eye out for the Four wheel drivers going to Double Island Point.

Plus, you can have a dog on Rainbow Beach & Inskip Point, but it must be leashed the whole time. Although note that dogs aren’t allowed in The Great Sandy National Park area, including the Carlo Sand Blow.

3. K’Gari / Fraser Island

K’Gari / Fraser Island is worth visiting and Rainbow Beach is my favourite gateway to get there. Most people will plan for a week-long visit in their own vehicle, while others will take one or two day tours from here or Hervey Bay.

However, if you’re limited for time, tours are ideal, especially when they take priority on the barge and stick to a strict time schedule.

• Fraser Island Full-Day Coach Tour – This is the exact One day tour we took on our last trip.
• 2-Day 1-Night Bus Tour – I have purchased this tour twice before and it takes you to everything in the one day tour, plus Wabby Creek & Champagne Pools.

Fraser Island is UNESCO World heritage listed for it’s historical and cultural significance and being a natural sanctuary. It is the world’s largest sand island (along with the other sand islands in the area), contains an ancient rainforest, and also hides hundreds of freshwater lakes and crystal clear creeks.

Note: The Island is 123km in length and is approximately 22km wide.

4. Kayaking Tours

If you would like to bring your own kayak, then you can enjoy this sport on your own. Venture out in the early morning or late afternoon, to miss the peak sunny hours and reflections off the water (just make sure you put on loads of sunscreen).

However, there is a 4WD beach tour with kayaking that you could also try out. This is a 3-hour adventure with kayaking and four-wheel driving into The Great Sandy National Park.

➡ Find Tours HERE with Get Your Guide, or HERE with Viator.

This is the optimal tour for Dolphin Spotting and one of the area’s highlights. It’s not uncommon to see turtles, sting rays, or maybe even Manta Rays. But, if your around from June to September, they have Whales migrating through and you can see them breaching in the distance.

Do you need help planning your trip to Queensland? Book a one-on-one consultation call with me, to get your questions answered & personalised help!

5. Grab a meal, coffee or a drink on the “Deck”

Overlooking the stunning coastline, “The Deck” at Sea Salt offers a dining experience for those seeking delectable cuisine. I always love the Eggs Benedict for Breakfast, Grilled Barramundi for lunch, or give the Thai Prawn and Mango Salad for dinner a try!

If all else fails, they have a nice Cocktail menu or icy cold beers on tap and certainly suffice for that much needed morning coffee fix!

It’s a family-owned and operated restaurant who are dedicated to delivering mouth-watering dishes and refreshing drinks to every diner. This includes the main restaurant or the rooftop open-air section upstairs.

If you’re looking for alternative choices, please check out the Surf Life Saving Club for views over the beach or grab a lovely steak meal from the Rainbow Beach hotel. Otherwise, Little Parliament or Ed’s Beach Bakery have some lovely coffee, snacks and café selections too.

Note: There is Wheelchair access at “The Deck” to the 1st level!

6. See the Coloured Sands or Cooloola Coastline

The Coloured Sands off Rainbow’s Cliffs are composed of 72 varying shades and hues of red, orange, amber, yellow and brown and can reach as high as 80 metres. This spectacular natural phenomenon of mineral deposits and erosion, stretch for approximately 8km along the southern end of Rainbow Beach.

But, how can you get there?

Walking there?

What you might not know, is at low tide you can spend a couple of hours to walk past the Coloured sands and then return back to town. This is a brilliant option if you don’t have a 4WD, but please watch out for the cars. Also, take a backpack with water and snacks and feel free to swim as you go along.

Tip: I find the best lighting in the early morning or late afternoon for photos

Driving there?

For those that have a 4WD vehicle, please check out the tide times & Wave Heights online first. Even better if you can chat to a local about other obstructions and hit the beach to drive past the coloured sand cliffs.

Fun Fact: According to Aboriginal legend, the colors were created when a rainbow spirit fell onto the cliffs after a battle, infusing them with its vibrant colors.

7. Poona Lake

It’s easy to find Poona Lake by turning off the highway about 4 kilometres from town and then another 3 kilometres to the Bymien Car Park. Interestingly, it’s a perched Lake and can be found in the Cooloola Recreation section of the Great Sandy National Park.

From there, you have a 4.2 kilometre return hike through the Rainforest with twisted paperbarks, sedges, and reeds, when all of sudden, it opens up into an amazing freshwater oasis.

This hidden Gem has stretches of powdery, white sand and the lake’s waters are tea-colored due to tannins leaching from the surrounding tea trees, giving it a unique appearance.

Note: “Perched” means it sits above the water table and is filled by rainwater.

8. Surfing and Body Boarding

You’re lucky that this area has one of the most extended Surf breaks in Queensland or maybe even Australia. So, you’ll often find beachgoers and families along the shores and around Double Island Point, either catching their waves or learning to surf.

There are tours to teach you surfing, which might be a good arrangement, especially if you don’t have a four-wheel drive. Also, if the beach drive is inaccessible, then you can take the Freshwater 4WD track to get there, but ensure you check out the low Tide Times for access.

9. Rainbow Stairs

The Laurie Hanson Park, which is also the start of the four wheel driving track, contains the free Rainbow Stairs. This is a small art piece displaying the colours of the Rainbow and very fitting for the town named as such.

Note: This matches various points around town (like Chairs and Bins) which are also painted in the same rainbow colours.

10. Seary’s Creek

Seary’s Creek is free to check out and a great option if you only have one day to see Rainbow Beach. It’s located just outside of town and can be accessed by any standard vehicle. Not only that, but with a short walk and shallow waters, it makes it great for families with little kids.

There are a couple of car spaces, picnic tables and bathrooms available. The boardwalk takes a couple of minutes to access the pools from 2 separate wooden platforms, and crossing over the creek. But, due to safety and shallows waters, there is no jumping and diving into the water.

11. Fishing

You will see visitors and locals fishing in the beach surf near town, off the Carlo Point Marina and around Inskip Point. You can catch anything like Snapper, Pearl Perch, Red Emperor, Sweetlip, Cobia, Parrot Fish and seasonal species such as Mackeral, Amberjack, Wahoo.

12. Carlo Point Marina

The Carlo Point Marina offers an amazing view at sunset, enchanting visitors from all walks of life. The marina’s calm waters create the perfect setting to reflect on the day gone by, and if you’re fortunate, there could be a dolphin or two that passes by.

The Marina also offers a Big 4 Caravan park, Wolf Rock Dive Centre, houseboat hire, and fishing. Plus, with it being 10 minutes from the town centre, it’s a little more low-key and quiet.

13. Wolf Rock Diving

If your into Scuba Diving like Matt and I, then you should definitely check out the Wolf Rock dive site. If you can believe, this is popular spot with a year round congregation of Grey Nurse Sharks. So, you can get up close and experience the adrenaline of being around up to 20 sharks at once.

Besides the Sharks, divers can encounter bull rays, manta’s, eagle rays, turtles, and a variety of pelagic fish. I also ran into a sea snake that was interested in the bubbles coming from my air tank, and saw a few moray eels. Granted, this is not something for everyone that visits, but an option if your into it.

14. 4 Wheel Driving

In contrast, you can pick up the pace and feel the salty air rushing past as you take a 4WDriving adventure along the beaches. The main access point to the beach is from Griffin Esplanade, and you need to start just before Low tide and need ideal access through Mudlo Rocks. (please read more on that below).

From Rainbow you can drive onto Double Island Point, through the Leisha Track to Cooloola Beach/Teewah Beach and eventually at Noosa. We completed this journey, but we cut through Freshwater Campground and then onto the Highway, returning to Rainbow Beach.

NOTE: Please be aware that Cooloola access permits are a requirement for all beach driving from Noosa.

➡ Compare prices for Accommodation HERE with Booking.com

15. Double Island Point Lighthouse

If you have a four wheel drive, then you can take a day trip to Double Island Point and walk to the highest point of the headland to the Lighthouse. The entrance is actually on the Cooloola beach side, therefore, you will need to drive through the Leisha 4WD track from Double Island.

It’s only a short 1 kilometre walk, but it’s primarily uphill and we found it was a bit of a heart starter. However, the views from the top are magnificent and while you can’t go inside, you can learn more about it from the information boards. This includes, it’s construction in 1884 and that it’s made of metal cladding on a timber frame.

16. Double Island Point

Double Island Point is a coastal headland named by Captain James Cook because it appeared as two islands from a distance. It’s a peak busy spot for tourists who visit for Fishing, Surfing, swimming or just getting away from the city life.

This will also be a day trip stop-off point for people staying in the National Park’s camping spots, like Teewah beach or even driving up from Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. 

You can only access it on low tide and the sand is dry and very soft to drive on. But, you can easily manoeuvre into the Leisha track, which is your inland access point to Cooloola Beach.

17. Horse Riding

This magnificent holiday location offers horseback rides along a section of the beach where no 4WD traffic is allowed. This gives you the chance to experience the peaceful, unspoilt nature of this stunning setting.

The horses are friendly and well-trained, and guides are experienced to help you along the way. But there isn’t just the one option, as they provide full moon beach rides, half day country rides, and even multi-day rides for those who really want to explore the area.

➡ Compare prices for tours HERE with Get Your Guide, or HERE with Viator.

18. Inskip Point

To the north of Rainbow Beach is the peninsula, Inskip Point. This is where you will find the vehicular ferry that transports you over to Fraser Island (MantaRay Barge), and popular beach camping and fishing spots.

The history of Inskip Point includes a small school that was once established specifically for the local lighthouse keeper’s children, and the children of the local timber workers.

Sadly, in 2011, part of the local beach was swallowed by a large sinkhole approximately 100m x 50m deep. On one of my visits in 2019, I was witness to a smaller sand erosion event and you can watch my YouTube video of it here.

19. Dolphins at Tin Can Bay

While Tin Can bay is only a short drive and a nice day trip to explore another small fishing town, and other places to eat. But, what I love is the very popular dolphin experience that been around for years.

These Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are wild and randomly come and visit the lagoon, which is governed by the volunteers and marine biologists. You get the opportunity to get up close and feed the dolphins a specially prepared diet.

And, If you’re lucky there might even be a baby around, like we did!

20. Trek the Cooloola Great Walk

If you want an unforgettable five-day adventure, a hike through the Cooloola Great Walk will impress. With 102km of stunning nature trails to explore, you’ll be immersed in the rainforest, coastal woodland, and heath plains that make up Cooloola’ s unique ecosystem.

See the eastern high dunes of the sand mass, swim in perched lakes (Poona mentioned before), travel along the pristine upper Noosa River and take in sweeping views of the Cooloola coastline. Along the way, you’ll encounter various wildlife, such as Kangaroo’s, Koalas, snakes, skinks, lizards, emus, and echidnas.

Where to Stay?

Taking into consideration that it’s the gateway to Fraser Island, it offers a great range of accommodation accordingly.

Your spoilt for choice with hotels, motels, hostels, Airbnb, camping, glamping and camping. Surprisingly, If you’re on a restricted budget you can find accommodation starting from as little as $30 per night for campsites or hostels.

➡ Compare prices for Accommodation HERE with Booking.com

Check out these Accommodation Choices that I’ve stayed in!

• Plantation Resort – Perfect location right in the city and has units overlooking the main street, or the beach.
• Debbie’s Place – We have stayed at Debbie’s twice now and it’s always a nice stay, friendly, helpful staff and reasonably priced.
• Rainbow Ocean Palms Resort – Great option if you want accommodation away from the city and a little more luxury. It’s actually right near the start of the Carlo Sand Blow.
• Rainbow Sands Resort – I have stayed here once before and enjoyed my stay. It’s easy to get to on the main street and 10 mins walking to the city section.

Camping

Admittedly, camping is not allowed on the Beach itself due to it being a 4WDriving beach. However, there are camping options nearby, with the area being along the Fraser coastline.

The majority of campgrounds are in the National Parks and only accessible via 4WD. These include: Teewah Beach, Freshwater Camping area, Poverty Camping Area and Inskip Point Camping area and you can Pre-book your camping permit here.

Caravan Parks

Similarly, if you’d like to stay within the township, there are 2 Holiday Parks to choose from:

• Rainbow Beach Breeze Holiday Park ( near the Carlo Point Marina). It offers 60 powered sites, unpowered camping sites and a variety of 1 and 2 bedroom cabins.
• Rainbow Beach Holiday Village offers unpowered campsites starting, powered campsites and beachfront sites.

When is the best time to visit?

We like to visit anytime of year, but the shoulder seasons around March/April, or September/October are definitely better with crowds and in between the actual hot and colds seasons.

Summer spans from December to February. The maximum temperature averages at approximately 30^oC, and the minimum at approximately 22^oC. During this period also has it’s heaviest rainfalls, as it’s Queensland’s wet season.

Winter spans from June to August. This period tends to be cooler, but not so cold that you can’t still enjoy a swim or surf at the beach. Temperatures average at a maximum of 24^oC, and a minimum of 11^oC, but the sun still shines and the breezes are minimal.

In contrast, the worst time to visit is over long weekends and schools holidays, which is when the holiday crowds and 4WD enthusiast take over.

Do you need a 4WD?

No, you do not need a 4WD to get to Rainbow Beach. Sealed roads are available from the Gold Coast, Brisbane, or the entire Queensland Coast. The roads in and around the town centre are also passable with a standard two-wheel drive vehicle.

Although, you will need a 4WD (Four Wheel Drive) vehicle to Drive on the beaches, Double Island Point, Inskip, or Teewah Beach. Plus, you’ll need to purchase the Cooloola access permit beforehand. 

As mentioned before in the 4 Wheel Driving section of this blog, there is a place called Mudlo Rocks. This area can be unpredictable, dangerous, and constantly changing.

This either allows you to drive down the beach or it can stop you from passing. Many vehicles have been submerged or destroyed, photographed and entered into the “Wall of Shame“. Which is displayed on a board, for everyone to see at the Rainbow Beach Hotel in town.

If you don’t want to make that mistake and need to know what you’re in for!

Therefore, you must pass Mudlo Rocks at low tide and when enough sand is covering some of the rocks. Please watch my 4WDriving video to get a better feel for the area.

Is Rainbow Beach or Hervey Bay better?

I think you’re probably comparing apples to oranges here, and both Rainbow Beach and Hervey Bay have unique qualities. Apart from the fact that you can access Fraser Island from either, they both promote beachside activities and an outdoor lifestyle.

However, Hervey Bay’s ocean is calmer, protected by Fraser Island. So, if you’re going for surf or waves – Rainbow Beach would be your clearer choice.

Wrap up!

Thanks for reading todays blog on Things to do in Rainbow Beach, and I hope you found what you were looking for. Remember to check out my other Queensland Blogs to help you with your planning and inspiration for other travel locations.

• Things to see on a Brisbane to Cairns Road trip
• Is Bundaberg Worth visiting & the best things to do?
• Best Place to Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
• Exposing the Downsides to a Great Barrier Reef Pontoon Tour
• Best Things to do in Agnes Water & 1770
• Tips to know BEFORE planning a Queensland Road Trip