6 days in Sunshine Coast & Cairns Itinerary

Family-friendly places like Australia Zoo and Kings Beach will thrill your kids. Take a break from Caloundra with a short trip to Noosa National Park in Noosa, about 1 hour away.

For other places to visit, where to stay, photos, and other tourist information, read Caloundra vacation planner .

Melbourne to Caloundra is an approximately 6-hour combination of flight and bus. You can also do a combination of flight and train; or drive. Traveling from Melbourne in January, you can expect nighttime temperatures to be a bit warmer in Caloundra, with lows of 24°C. Wrap up your sightseeing on the 9th (Thu) early enough to travel to Cairns.

A neat, cosmopolitan city of shaded plazas and laid-back neighborhoods, Cairns serves as a popular base for exploration of the surrounding region and the Great Barrier Reef, as well as a center for watersport activities like surfing or waterskiing.

Kick off your visit on the 10th (Fri): kick back and relax at Palm Cove Beach, then appreciate the history behind Cairns Cenotaph, and then discover the deep blue sea with a scuba or snorkeling tour. Get ready for a full day of sightseeing on the next day: enjoy the sand and surf at Trinity Beach and then trek along Esplanade Boardwalk.

For ratings, photos, traveler tips, and tourist information, go to the Cairns trip itinerary website .

Do a combination of train and flight from Caloundra to Cairns in 7.5 hours. Alternatively, you can do a combination of train, bus, and flight; or drive. Traveling from Caloundra in January, expect nights in Cairns to be about the same, around 28°C, while days are somewhat warmer, around 37°C. Finish your sightseeing early on the 11th (Sat) so you can travel back home.