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Sunshine Coast local Celeste loves discovering new places to escape to in her home state, especially when she gets to see them through fresh eyes with her two young kids in tow.
2 Big-city life TIP: 3 Blooming big weekend TIP: 4 Farm stay in style TIP: 5 Design-led beach stay TIP: 6 Wellness on the mountain
There’s been a lot of Brisbane buzz of late (thanks, Trent Dalton), but it will reach fever pitch in August when the $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf precinct opens. Frock up and check it all out at Cicada Blu, the Star’s crowning open-air bar.
August is a big month for families too, with Bluey’s World arriving at Hamilton.
The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers turns 75 this year, after a record attendance in 2023, but any weekend is a good excuse to book a stay in the pink corner store-turned Airbnb Norwood Roses with its own award-winning rose garden.
Book ahead for a cosy night out at Cork and Lever wine bar.
A family escape to the country no longer means tolerating dowdy digs in return for farm animal encounters. Chic new threebedroom stays have just opened at both Seven Peaks in the Glass House Mountains and Sixty6 Acres in Woombye on the Sunshine Coast.
Tossing up? The Acreage at Sixty6 Acres comes with a private outdoor bathhouse.
A southern Gold Coast sojourn is all about matching your stay to the gorgeous beaches and hip bars on your doorstep. Check in at The Villas by Bilinga Beach Abodes or Cheshire Cat Motel and you’re assured a good time within your immediate radius.
Head to Las Palmas at Palm Beach for $2 oysters during Happy Hour on weekends.
When it opens later this year, Sol Elements will be a Zen temple to wellness, seemingly floating on a circular lake in the Gold Coast hinterland. Expect communal onsens, cold plunge pools, float therapy, infra-red saunas, clay treatments, and a salt cave.
Stay overnight at the new Vistas at Cedar Creek Lodges on the same property.
7 Gorge-ous attractions in the north TIP:
There’s a new way to see the ancient landscape of Carnarvon Gorge and the regenerative growth following last year’s bushfires with scenic helicopter flights over the national park recently launched.
Preparation is key – stock up on all the food and water you need in Rockhampton, Roma or Emerald.