Kangaroos at Sunrise and Rainforest Walks from Airlie Beach
5 min read
If you want kangaroos, take a sunrise tour; if you want shade and quiet, take a guided rainforest walk. The two are different days: both kangaroo tours drive south to Cape Hillsborough in the dark and are listed at 6.5 and 7 hours, while the walks stay in Conway National Park near Airlie Beach and are listed at 4.
Kangaroos on the beach at Cape Hillsborough
Both sunrise tours go to the same place: the beach at Cape Hillsborough National Park, south of Airlie Beach, where kangaroos and wallabies come down to the sand at first light. They are wild animals, so sightings are never certain; one of the pages calls them highly likely but not guaranteed.
The sunrise beach tour. The Sunrise Beach Kangaroo-Watching Eco Tour costs €99.82, is listed at 6.5 hours and is rated 5.0/5 from 67 reviews. According to the booking page, the bus is at your accommodation at 3:00 am, the drive south takes about 1.5 hours, and you are back in Airlie Beach by about 9:30 am. After the animals leave the beach, the group cooks a drovers breakfast together (bacon and egg damper rolls, French press coffee). Transport and park entry are included. The page warns that early mornings at Cape Hillsborough are much colder than in Airlie Beach, even in summer, and asks you to bring a light jacket. Flash photos, torches, insect repellent, noise and touching or feeding the animals are not allowed. People with mobility impairments are excluded; strollers are allowed, and infants travel on a lap.
The kangaroos and wallabies tour. The Sunrise Tour with Kangaroos & Wallabies costs €99.82 for 7 hours and is rated 4.9/5 from 70 reviews. Pickup is from 29 accommodation addresses in Airlie Beach, the drive takes 1 hour 45 minutes (neck pillows and blankets are provided for sleeping), and the group is up to 9. Besides the sunrise on the beach, it includes a short bushwalk to a lookout over the bay and islands and breakfast in the bush. The page excludes children under 5 and people with mobility impairments and asks for an early start; ask the operator for your pickup time.
With small children: the sunrise beach tour allows strollers and infants on a lap, the kangaroos and wallabies tour takes no one under 5. Either way it is a very early start: the sunrise beach tour picks you up at 3:00 am.
Rainforest walks and rides
Brandy Creek and Coral Beach. The Rainforest to Reef Bushwalking Tour costs €87.35, lasts 4 hours and takes up to 11 people. A 1.5-hour guided walk in the rainforest at Brandy Creek, in Conway National Park, is followed by a 20-minute drive and a second 1.5-hour walk at Shute Harbour, through dry coastal bushland to Coral Beach, a beach covered in coral pieces, where morning tea is served. Pickup is from 29 Airlie Beach addresses. The page says the trails can be uneven and have some stairs. It excludes children under 4, people with mobility impairments and wheelchair users, and does not allow walking sticks, walking frames, crutches, high heels or bare feet.
The waterfall walk. The Rainforest Bushwalk & Optional Waterfall Swim is listed at 4 hours, costs €74.87 and takes up to 10. From the same operator, it starts with a 1.5-hour rainforest walk in Conway National Park, then drives 20 minutes to Cedar Creek Falls for an hour of swimming, or of sitting in the bush if you would rather not swim. The page notes that the car park is right next to the falls, and asks you to bring swimwear, a towel and a water bottle. It excludes people with mobility impairments and wheelchair users.
The Segway ride. The 9.4 km rainforest Segway tour costs €99.82, runs 4 hours in Conway National Park, which its description calls the closest national park to Airlie Beach, and takes up to 8. Rider training, helmet, a free courtesy bus and morning tea by Impulse Creek are included. The page excludes children under 12, pregnant women, people with back problems and people with mobility impairments; riders under 18 need an adult to sign the waiver.
A day trip further out. The wild platypus day trip to Eungella is 8 hours and costs €102.94. It heads inland through the Pioneer Valley to Eungella National Park, with a stop at the Pinnacle Family Hotel, a lookout at Eungella Chalet and Broken River, where the page calls platypus sightings very common but not guaranteed. Wine, cheese and nibbles come out on the way back. On lunch the page contradicts itself: the short description says lunch is included, while the list of inclusions says lunch can be bought at the Pinnacle Family Hotel to suit your budget. Plan to pay for it or ask the operator. The page excludes wheelchair users.
| Tour | Listed duration | Main attraction | Excluded on the page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise beach kangaroo tour | 6.5 hours | Kangaroos at Cape Hillsborough, back about 9:30 am | Mobility impairments |
| Kangaroos and wallabies tour | 7 hours | Cape Hillsborough, lookout walk, bush breakfast | Under 5, mobility impairments |
| Rainforest to Reef walk | 4 hours | Brandy Creek and Coral Beach, morning tea | Under 4, mobility impairments, wheelchair users |
| Waterfall bushwalk | 4 hours | Rainforest walk, swim at Cedar Creek Falls | Mobility impairments, wheelchair users |
| Segway tour | 4 hours | 9.4 km ride in Conway National Park | Under 12, pregnancy, back problems, mobility impairments |
Our recommendation
For kangaroos, both tours go to the same beach. Take the sunrise beach tour if you want to be back by about 9:30 am or are travelling with a child under 5; take the kangaroos and wallabies tour if you would like the lookout walk as well. For a quiet morning on foot, the Rainforest to Reef walk covers rainforest and coast, and the waterfall walk adds a swim. More walks and wildlife trips are under rainforest and wildlife tours. For a day on the water instead, read Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet.
