East coast Australia itinerary — 7, 10, 14 and 21 days
Ten days is what most people book and fourteen is what most wish they had. A week covers the three big ones — K'gari, the Whitsundays and the reef. Ten adds Noosa and a night on the sailing boat. Fourteen adds real time in each town. From $1,449.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
The east coast is a string of towns between Brisbane and Cairns with three things that are worth days rather than hours: K'gari, the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef. Every itinerary below is built around fitting those in, and the only real question is how much time you leave around them.
7 days — the three big ones
Day by day
- Day 1 — Brisbane up to Rainbow Beach.
- Day 2 — Rainbow Beach, and the Carlo Sand Blow at sunset.
- Days 3 to 5 — K'gari by 4WD: 75 Mile Beach, Eli Creek, Lake McKenzie, camping two nights.
- Days 6 and 7 — north to Airlie Beach, with a night on the overnight bus that saves you a day and a bed.
Seven days moves fast and still gets you the headline experiences. It is the right length if your dates are fixed.
10 days — the one most people book
What the extra days buy
- Noosa — a proper beach town rather than a stop, and the national park walk around the headland.
- A night on the sailing boat in the Whitsundays instead of a day trip out and back.
- A free day in Airlie Beach, which sounds like a waste until you have done six days of travelling.
- The reef from Cairns at the end, on a full day on the water.
14 days — the full run
Day by day
- Days 1 and 2 — Brisbane and Rainbow Beach.
- Days 3 to 5 — K'gari, three days, two nights camping.
- Days 6 and 7 — north to Airlie Beach.
- Days 8 to 10 — the Whitsundays, three days sailing, Whitehaven Beach and two snorkelling stops, sleeping on the boat.
- Day 11 — a free day in Airlie.
- Day 12 — on to Cairns.
- Day 13 — the Great Barrier Reef, a full day out.
- Day 14 — Cairns.
21 days — time in the towns
Three weeks adds Magnetic Island and the ferry across to it, and turns each town from a night into a stay. If you are coming from Sydney it also takes in Byron Bay on the way up.
Every length, with prices
| Trip | Length | Route | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Day Brisbane to Cairns Highlights | 7 days, 6 nights | Brisbane / Cairns | $1449 |
| 7 Day Cairns to Brisbane Highlights | 7 days, 6 nights | Cairns / Brisbane | $1449 |
| 10 Day Brisbane to Cairns Highlights | 10 days, 9 nights | Brisbane / Cairns | $1999 |
| 10 Day Cairns to Brisbane Highlights | 10 days, 9 nights | Cairns / Brisbane | $1999 |
| 14 Days Brisbane to Cairns Highlights | 14 days, 13 nights | Brisbane / Cairns | $2339 |
| 14 Days Cairns to Brisbane Highlights | 14 days, 13 nights | Cairns / Brisbane | $2339 |
| 14 Days Sydney to Cairns Budget | 14 days, 13 nights | Sydney / Cairns | $1999 |
| 15 Days Brisbane to Cairns Explorer | 15 days, 15 nights | Brisbane / Cairns | $2699 |
| 21 Days Brisbane to Cairns Explorer | 21 days, 20 nights | Brisbane / Cairns | $2949 |
| 21 Days Cairns to Brisbane Explorer | 21 days, 20 nights | Cairns / Brisbane | $2949 |
| 21 Days Melbourne to Cairns | 21 days, 20 nights | Melbourne / Cairns | $2749 |
Every one runs in both directions. Prices update on their own.
Picking a length
- Seven days if the dates are fixed — you still get all three big ones.
- Ten days is the sweet spot and the one we sell most of.
- Fourteen days is what people say afterwards they wish they had booked.
- Starting in Sydney? Add about four days for Byron Bay and the run up through northern New South Wales.
- Bus passes between towns are booked before you travel, which is the awkward part done for you.
The trips
People also ask
- What is the best way to travel the east coast of Australia?
- Great Barrier Reef itinerary — 3, 7, 10 or 14 days
- Can you do K'gari (Fraser Island) in a day?
- Which Whitsundays boat should I pick?
Where this comes from. The day-by-day is the actual itinerary of the trips linked above, as held on their pages here. Prices are the current from price and update on their own.