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If you feel like your conversations, your travel guides and your social media feeds are dominated by the same five destinations, we’re here to help. We know that a destination doesn’t need to be popular to be special – that sometimes, as Robert Frost said himself, taking the road less travelled can make all the difference. Welcome to ‘Off the Beaten Track’, a series dedicated to the hidden gems. In this instalment, discover where to travel in Queensland.

Agnes Water and 1770

There’s no need to drive all the way to the Whitsundays if you’re looking for reef access – Agnes Water, perched at the southernmost point of the Great Barrier Reef, offers all the charm of a coastal town, without the marina crowds or resort towers. Base yourself in the Town of 1770 (named for the year of Captain Cook’s first landing in Queensland) for reef boat trips, or head to Agnes Water’s surf beach for a paddle. Round Hill Head, Eurimbula and Deepwater National Parks offer walking trails and empty beaches either side of town. If you fancy a day trip, nearby Lady Musgrave Island and Lady Elliott Island promise next-level snorkelling. Dinner at the Rusty Pelican overlooking the water is the perfect note to end the day on.

Great Keppel (Wop-pa) Island

When you think of Queensland islands, you typically think of Hamilton or K’Gari. But there’s another option waiting just off the coast of Yeppoon, that promises the same white sand, turquoise water and island resort feel (minus the price tag). Catch the ferry from Rosslyn Bay and you’re on the island within half an hour. Once there, walking trails (including the full-day Lighthouse Walk) link a string of near-deserted beaches, with snorkelling straight off the sand. Depending on where you’re staying, you’ll want to bring your own meals (or eat at your resort’s bistro) – though we recommend leaving your sundown cocktail to the pros at the bars. Yeppoon itself has its own drawcards, from the Yeppoon Lagoon to the Cooee Bay and Lammermoor foreshores.

Bargara

A quiet stretch of Bundaberg coast that’s kept its small-town pace even as the towns around it have grown – you’re more likely to share the beach with a turtle than a tour group. Kelly’s Beach has a safe swimming enclosure, while the Hummock lookout gives you a full sweep of the coastline. Mon Repos, just up the road, is mainland Australia’s largest turtle rookery – and Bundaberg town, with its famous distillery (you know the one) and botanic gardens, is just a short drive inland. For a feed, The Windmill is open for breakfast and lunch (and seriously cute). Like any small beach town, dinner in Bargara is a casual affair – pick the buzziest restaurant on the main drag and get chatting to the locals over your fish and chips.

Mary Valley

An hour inland from the Sunshine Coast, Mary Valley is where you go to get your hands dirty – on a mountain bike, in a kayak, or knee-deep in a creek – not sandy. Imbil is the valley’s activity hub, with mountain bike trails through the state forest and kayaking on the Mary River and Lake Borumba, and breakfast through dinner sorted at the popular Wild Vine. Amamoor and Kandanga are worth a stop too, as is Kybong’s Hell Town Hotrods – a 50s-inspired greaser bar and diner that promises a quirky pitstop (look for the ‘rod on a hot tin roof’). Not sure how to see it all? The Mary Valley Rail Trail connects the towns for those up for an easy, picturesque ride.

Mission Beach and Dunk Island

It’s sat quiet for over a decade, but Dunk Island is worth visiting for a simple reason – you’ll be among the first people back on its beaches since Cyclone Yasi closed the island’s resort in 2011. Mission Beach itself is a rare stretch where rainforest meets reef, with cassowary sightings a genuine possibility on the walking trails. From there it’s a short ferry to Dunk Island, or further south to Tully for whitewater rafting. Once on the island, walking trails wind through rainforest and along near-empty beaches. Climb to Mount Kootaloo and you’ll be sufficiently rewarded with views over the Family Islands and the Coral Sea, while the track to Muggy Muggy Beach is an easier option for a swim and snorkel.

Carnarvon Gorge

This is bucket-list Queensland, without the bucket-list crowds – a sandstone gorge and Aboriginal rock art that draws serious hikers, not day-trippers. The Main Gorge walk leads to Big Bend, passing the Moss Garden and the Amphitheatre along the way, with Aboriginal rock art at Cathedral Cave. Boolimba Bluff gives you the best lookout over the gorge, while Injune and Rolleston make good base towns. Camping is the classic way to experience Carnarvon Gorge, whether you pitch your tent near the trailhead or book a cabin at Takarakka Bush Resort, where wallabies and bettongs wander through camp at night. If you’d rather have four walls and a proper meal, the 1936 Injune Hotel is worth the detour – a two-storey timber pub with a beer garden that’s plastered with local history.

Atherton Tablelands

Skip Cairns and Port Douglas and head inland instead – same drive time from the airport, but you’ll spend your days at waterfalls and crater lakes rather than queuing for a reef boat. The Waterfall Circuit takes in Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Ellinjaa Falls, while Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine are the pick of the crater lakes for a swim. Yungaburra and Malanda are the best villages to base yourself, with Mareeba’s coffee, cheese and chocolate producers worth the drive. For a bite, Lake Barrine Teahouse – a family-run heritage business that’s been serving guests within the rainforest for over a century – does award-winning scones and locally sourced produce right on the water’s edge. Staying the night? Williams Lodge is a beautifully restored 1915 heritage Queenslander in the middle of Yungaburra village.