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Bruce Highway-Exploring Coastal Queensland, Australia

The Bruce Highway is a major highway (from Brisbane to Cairns) in Queensland, Australia All Photos are COPYRIGHT and PROPERTY of Rafal K. Komierowski. November 2012

Spectacular scenery can be seen along Bruce Highway. Rainbow Beach and Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, Australia

Early morning north of Brisbane. Ready to explore spectacular Gold Coast, sun-soaked beaches, rainforests, exciting theme parks...

Caboolture, Qld, here, friendly car mechanic helped to replace high beam lamp in our rented vehicle...

Spectacular large tree in Caboolture... Caboolture is considered to be the northernmost urban area of the greater Brisbane metropolitan region within South East Queensland

Glass House Mountains National Park is a heritage-listed national park in the Australian state of Queensland

Glass House Mountains is a hinterland town of the Sunshine Coast, Qld.

Glass House Mountains are a series of steep-sided volcanic plugs which dominate the landscape of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland

GHM...formed of rhylite and trachtyte, lavas which hardened inside the vents of tertiary volcanoes that have been greatly reduced by about 25 million years of erosion

Glass House Mountains

Glass House Mountains , each mountain has its own shape and character

Buderim Conservation Park, Queensland, Australia (located near Buderim on the way to Maroochydore)

Buderim Conservation Park, Queensland, Australia (located near Buderim on the way to Maroochydore)

Buderim Conservation Park, Queensland, Australia (located near Buderim on the way to Maroochydore)

Buderim Conservation Park, Queensland, Australia (located near Buderim on the way to Maroochydore)

Coral Sea, Mooloolaba, Qld, Australia

Coral Sea, Mooloolaba, Qld, Australia

Cori and Lee of Sunshine Coast travel information (at Maroochydore-Mooloolaba) share their extensive knowledge...accordingly we adapted to our travel plans...

Maroochydore-Mooloolaba, are bounded on the east by the Coral Sea, on the south by the Mooloolah River,

Coral Sea, Mooloolaba, Qld, Australia

Coral Sea, Noosa National Park near Marcus Beach, Queensland, Australia

Coral Sea, Noosa National Park near Marcus Beach, Queensland, Australia

Coral Sea, Noosa National Park near Marcus Beach, Queensland, Australia

Coral Sea, Noosa National Park near Peregian Beach, Queensland, Australia

Coral Sea, Noosa National Park near Peregian Beach, Queensland, Australia

Rainbow Beach Road to Great Sandy National Park near Rainbow Beach, Queensland, Australia

Near Rainbow Beach colorful Eucalyptus tree....there are over 700 species of Eucalyptus trees in Australia

Coral Sea, Rainbow Beach, Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, Australia

Rainbow Beach, Queensland

Coral Sea, Rainbow Beach, Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, Australia

Coral Sea, Rainbow Beach, Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, Australia

Coral Sea, Rainbow Beach, Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, Australia

Coral Sea, Rainbow Beach, Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, Australia

Fraser Island and Coral Sea, Rainbow Beach, Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, Australia

Coral Sea, Rainbow Beach, Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, Australia

Fraser Island is a place of exceptional beauty, with its long uninterrupted white beaches flanked by strikingly coloured sand cliffs

Dingo, Fraser Island....dingoes are reputedly some of the last remaining pure dingoes in Eastern Australia and to prevent cross-breeding, dogs are not allowed on the island...

Lake McKenzie is probably the most visited natural site on Fraser Island ...

S.S. Maheno was an Edwardian liner on the Tasman Sea crossing between New Zealand and Australia (lost on July 7th, 1935)

Seventy Five Mile Beach highway on Fraser Island is strictly four wheel drive and a landing strip for planes making joy flights

Rainbow Beach is a coastal town perfectly situated between Fraser Island and Noosa, Queensland, Australia

The best was to see Fraser Island and the wonderful coast of Seventy-Five Mile Beach is a guided tour...

Feeding the wild dolphins at Tin Can Bay is a tremendous experience...dolphins generally arrive early so plan to be at 8:00 am..

This pelican is there almost every morning, is called by staff - regular- named NIGEL...Tin Can Bay...btw...Nigel looks as though he enjoys being the center of attention.

Tin Can Bay is a boating and fishing paradise...

Queensland has extensive Canadian Pine trees plantations....between Tin Can Bay and Maryborough...

Once Eucalyptus forest..now Canadian Pine trees growing there...

Maryborough is preserved with the beauty of the 1800s and this thriving port of trade is preserved with it s historic charm...

Maryborough is the birthplace of P.L.Travers, author of the Mary Poppins books, who moved to Bowral at age eight...

A statue honours Mary Poppins in the Queensland town of Maryborough...

Woodstock House is located across from Mary Poppins statute, Maryborough

Bruce Highway is under constant roadworks...then travel 1800km close to the coast to Cairns is rather slow and tiring...

Amazing number of roadworks sites...had no active work but still with long stretches at temporary slow speed, often for no discernible reason..

Scenery along Bruce Highway...on the way to Rockhampton....

Bruce Highway ....a thousand or more kilometers of roadway, reconstruction, repairs means no easy task...

Bruce Highway is set to undergo redevelopment, realignment, flood-proofing and extension of dual carriageway sections on numerous stretches of the Highway...

Bruce Highway ...actually truck drivers scare me during early night driving.....each early morning you may see dead animals along highway...

We found that drivers on the Bruce Highway .... are becoming frustrated by delays....

Bruce Highway crossing Tropic of Capricorn in Rockhampton

Bruce Highway crossing Tropic of Capricorn in Rockhampton

Bruce Highway crossing Tropic of Capricorn in Rockhampton

Bruce Highway crossing Tropic of Capricorn in Rockhampton

Waverley Creek Rest Area (south of Mackay) Bruce Highway...one of the better rest area along this very busy traffic highway...

....a typical farming countryside seen from Bruce Highway south of Mackay...

...then more dry and semi desert countryside closer to Mackay...Bruce Highway...

Again...we have to stop...It is very difficult to drive more than 500 km in 12 hours one day....

Bruce Highway.... victim of night driving... there is no wildlife-friendly fencing....

Our observation with regards to Rest Areas along Bruce Highway....rest stop has been rated by local (Aussie) excellent HOWEVER we found them rather very basic if not primitive, low in number, definitely should be twice more of them along this road....

...termite mounts are common along Bruce Highway, mostly in open areas or Eucalypt forests....

...north of Mackay..warning signs reminded us of very high fatigue crashes between Rockhampton and Mackay ...Bruce Highway...

...a road sign on Bruce Highway warns drowsy drivers to play trivia to stay awake on long stretches....

...prescribed-burning in eucalypt forests?...Bruce Highway

...pre-harvest sugar cane burning to try to control pests on sugar cane crops. Bruce Highway....

Sugar cane plantation near Mackay...Bruce Highway...

....sugar refinery near Mackay...there is multitude of small mills along Bruce Highway...

Royal Poinciana...spectacular flamboyant red flowers...Bruce Highway...

...another upgrade and realignment of the Bruce Highway between Mackay and Bowen....

Airlie Beach is one of many departure points for the Great Barrier Reef ...this town is located off Bruce Highway...

Airlie Beach...good to have a look at but there really isnt too much here ...also the lookout is okay but nothing special

Bowen...a little picturesque town of Bowen sits on a small peninsula, with ocean on three sides with excellent beaches...

Bowen...plenty of ways to enjoy the Whitsundays...Bruce Highway

Low tide at Bowen....

Bowen ...famous Grand View Hotel from the -Australia- movie with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman...

... fishing around Bowen is the zoning for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority...

.... and serious warning !!! ...we found Australia as a country of many penalties, fines and warning signs!!!

Bowen, Queensland,

Bowen, Queensland,

Bowen, Queensland,

Bowen, Queensland,

Sunset...west of Bowen, Queensland,

..Pre-harvest sugar cane burning to try to control pests on sugar cane crops.

Two years later after ...prescribed-burning of eucalypt forests...

There are over 700 species of Eucalyptus trees in Australia...

There are over 700 species of Eucalyptus trees in Australia....

During WWII Towsnville.....became a major staging point for battles in the South West Pacific (and Coral Sea) today one of the important tourist destination in Queensland.

During WWII Towsnville.....became a major staging point for battles in the South West Pacific (and Coral Sea) today one of the important tourist destination in Queensland.

View from hill ...Townsville, Queensland

Coral Sea, View from hill ...Townsville, Queensland

Coral Sea, View from hill ...Townsville, Queensland

On the way to Mission Beach, Queensland, Australia

Mission Beach, a popular gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests

Mission Beach, a popular gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests

Mission Beach, a popular gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests

Mission Beach, a popular gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests...

Mission Beach, a popular gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests...

Farmland ..view from Silkwood-Japoon Rd near Innisfail, Queensland

Paronella Park was built in the 1930s by José Paronella, a Spanish immigrant. Today...Paronella Park is a heritage-listed tourist attraction located at Mena Creek.

Near Mena Creek-Paronella...farmland, Queensland

Palmerston Hwy. 25......farmland on the way to Millaaa Millaa, Queensland

Palmerston Hwy. 25......farmland on the way to Millaaa Millaa, Queensland

Tea Plantation..Palmerson Hwy. 25......area one of the richest places in tropical north Queensland

near Mena Creek-Paronellaarea one of the richest places in tropical north Queensland

N. Johnstone River...view from Palmerston Hwy. 23...we hiked N. Johnstone R walking track for over one hour then returned back because was getting late and dark...

Palmerston Hwy. 25...near Milla Millaa, one of the richest places in tropical north Queensland

Millaa Millaa Falls, Queensland..

Millaa Millaa at private campground by golf course... Queensland..

View point above Millaa Millaa, Queensland

View point above Millaa Millaa, Queensland

Australian livestock...on the way to Yungaburra, Queensland

..on the way to Yungaburra, Queensland

Curtain Fig Tree near Yungaburra, Queensland

Malanda-Atherton Road, Queensland

Garrington Hotel, Atherton, Queensland

DC-3 "Oklahoma Gal", Mareeba,.....During the W.W.II, the Mareeba area had strategic military airfield..there were USAAF and RAAF aircrews based ...

The Australian Coffee Centre-Skyburry Coffee Plantation, near Mareeba, Queensland,

Mareeba, Queensland, Skyburry Coffee Plantation,

The Australian Coffee Centre-Skyburry Coffee Plantation, near Mareeba, Queensland,

Termite Mound, Biboohra, Queensland

Termite Mounds, Biboohra, Queensland

North of Mossman..view towards Cape Tribulation, Queensland

Ferry to Cape Tribulation, Queensland

From Cape Tribulation - view of Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Queensland

... tropical rainforest...Cape Tribulation, Queensland

Cape Tribulation...this is our the most northerly point of travel through Queensland

...water looks so inviting....Cape Tribulation...this is our the most northerly point of travel through Queensland

...another warning sign...Cape Tribulation, Queensland

... tropical rainforest...Cape Tribulation, Queensland

Self-explanatory warning sign...Cape Tribulation, Queensland

....every beach in the area has the same warning sign above regarding crocs...Cape Tribulation, Queensland

rainforest looks so inviting until you remember the sign you saw before reaching any green area! Cape Tribulation, Queensland

....remember the sign you saw before reaching any green area! Cape Tribulation, Queensland

Cape Tribulation ferry...back to Mossman, Queensland

...scenic drive through sugar cane farms on the way to Mossman....

...scenic drive through sugar cane farms on the way to Mossman....

Tropical rainforest...scenic section of the Daintree National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) near Mossman

Port Douglas, Glengarry Holiday Park, nearby to Captain Cook Highway...north of Cairns, Queensland

again slowdown because of roadworks...Captain Cook Highway...north of Cairns, Queensland

beautiful EMPTY beaches along Trinity Bay..keep in mind that warning signs are for the reason....

Trinity Bay ....jellyfish stings are a common health hazard for beach goers in Queensland...

Trinity Bay... beautiful empty beaches, so inviting...filled with crocodiles and killer jellyfish, Queensland

Clifton Beach (north of Cairns) ..most of the time this place is empty, so those who come often have it to themselves...Queensland

Box Jellyfish - one of the more deadly animals on the face of the Earth...Clifton Beach, Queensland

....to enjoying tropical ocean is to swim in stinger net enclosures to avoid making contact with the Box Jellyfish.....Clifton Beach, Queensland

Barron Falls is where the Barron River makes its descent from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain, in Queensland, Australia. (Wikipedia)

Barron Falls, Kuranda, Queensland

Barron Falls is where the Barron River makes its descent from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain, in Queensland, Australia. (Wikipedia)

....local train to Barron Falls, Kuranda, Queensland

Kuranda campground is located in tropical rainforest....rather a very basic facilities with welcoming owner....Queensland

Holloways Beach north of Cairns, Queensland...many time we were told that we have to be more aware of crocodiles at night and during their breeding season; September to April....

Holloways Beach north of Cairns, Queensland

Another warning sign...the arrival of the box jellyfish close to the beach prevents swimming in the open waters...Holloways Beach

Holloways Beach, Queensland

Finally we arrived to Cairns...Queensland

Cairns, Queensland...

Sunrise at Holloways Beach

We drove from Sydney NSW, to Cairns Qld. 4437 km in 16 days...Campervan must be returned by 2pm...our last day in Cairns...

Travelwheels Cairns at 147 Sheridan St, Cairns QLD 4870,

After take-off ...view of Holloways Beach from air...

After take-off ...view of Cairns from air...

Sunset over Australian airspace....on the way to Sydney... we experienced excellent Australian adventure, discover amazing travel destinations...