Rainbow Beach is situated on Wide Bay, and can be reached from the beautiful Great Sandy National Park, or from Gympie. The town is set on the edge of the rainbow coloured sand cliffs, overlooking the pretty Rainbow Beach down below.
Rainbow Beach was originally known as Back Beach and was home to a large sand mining industry until 1976.
The current name comes from the rainbow coloured cliffs. In an Aboriginal legend the cliffs were coloured when Yiningie (the spirit of the Gods representing Rainbow) was killed in a fight, spreading his 'colourful' spirits across the cliffs.
There is rolling surf and kilometres of unspoilt, white sandy beaches. It is an escape where you can feel like the only one on the face of the earth. A perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
It is worth visiting the coloured sand cliffs which gave Rainbow Beach its name, as well as the Carlo Sand Blow.
Overlooking Rainbow Beach, you will notice a large propeller. The propeller is from the Cherry Venture, which crashed onto Teewah Beach.
There are a number of walking trails around the area, as well as a 4WD trail south to Noosa through the Great Sandy National Park. There are also a number of tours and things to do around Rainbow Beach, including hang gliding, para gliding, scenic joy flights and fishing.
Heading a little further north is Inskip Point, an easy access point from where you can get a boat over to Fraser Island. The QPWS office is in Rainbow Beach, giving information about Fraser Island and camping and 4WD permits required. You can contact the Ranger by calling Ph: (07) 5486 3160.
There are a couple of backpackers in Rainbow Beach, as well as a campsite. If you don't have your own transport then you can get to Rainbow Beach on Polley's Coaches from Gympie, which run Monday to Friday. If you do have your own transport it is worth driving to Tin Can Bay, which is just north of Rainbow Beach.
Featured Rainbow Beach Activities
TOUR NAME
LOCATION
RATES (AUD) from
11 Day Byron Bay To Cairns Tour(EX1110) (Touring) Explore the hot spots and hidden treasures of the Australian East Coast. With plenty of time, you will discover Fraser Island over 2 days by 4WD, sail the Whitsundays living aboard for 2 nights, exper...
Queensland DVD (Queenslands South East - Land of Scenic Wonder)
Purchase the DVD that portrays Queensland's South East including footage of Fraser Island, Glass House Mountains, Blackall Range, Montville, Mount Tamborine and Springbrook's unforgettable rock bridge.
Taking you through the tree tops in Lamington where the thick, green roof shades; the mysterious underworld of the forest floor. On to Noosa, a haven of stunning national parks and brilliant waterways. Plus the amazing coloured sands of Teewah and Rainbow Beach.
PLEASE NOTE: The Queensland travel destinations outlined above are only a small selection from the tens of thousands of Australian travel information pages available on Australian Explorer. A comprehensive list of destinations for Queensland Holidays can be found on the main Queensland Holidays location guide.
