Hi - My wife and I are looking to travel from Cairns to Brisbane in early November. We are in our sixties and healthly. We don’t want to travel by air so we are considering renting a car, riding a bus and/or train. Since we are tourists, we would like to make the most of the Cairns to Brisbane journey . Any suggestions as to the best mode of transport and things to see along the way?

A car will give you far greater flexibility than bus/train and though it'll likely be a few hundred $$ more expensive than two bus/train tickets especially if you want to take your time, it'll be well worth it if you are happy with and confident re driving on the opposite side of the road. [ there are bus and rail passes that allow you to break your journey ]
www.drivenow.com.au for car hire
www.greyhound.com.au and www.premierms.com.au re bus
www.railaustralia.com.au should have a link to QR rail pass but with the latter you would need to use a few bus connections to get places the greyhound/premier buses go.

There are plenty of places along the way where you'll be able to get accommodation of a reasonable price in motels or even caravan park cabins, some being right on beach or lake fronts, usually with resort like grounds.

Early November you would not need to book ahead either and could take the trip at your own pace and buying a cheap foam esky for food and some paper plates/plastic cutlery picnic gear, you'll save money on food and be able to eat healthier - keep an eye out for roadside fruit and vegetable stalls.

If you wanted to be a bit adventurous and have potentially huge savings, you could see if there was a suitable campervan relocation available - http://www.standbyrelocations.com/ and then you can virtually stop wherever you like, many great places for free and also national parks, your near free accommodation on wheels and you'll be paying bugger all plus fuel if that.
There is the one catch re only four days allowed for Cairns to Brisbane but look at earliest pick-up date and latest delivery and if spread far enough apart, you ould be able to book up to three additional days at a rate reduced from normal - it may not suit but at least you know about it.

And for a free feed when there's 2, have a look at www.shopadocket.com.au for 241 deals, and if doing some shopping at a supermarket you'll find the vouchers on back of dockets and often a few dockets discarded if you keep an eye out.

Enjoy your trip.

Hi Joe,
One of my friends uses the Tilt train quite frequently and says it's an excellent service.

http://www.traveltrain.com.au/Train-...outhbound.aspx

And things to see:
. A heap in Cairns: rainforest, outback and reef and a week or more and you'll still not have covered everything - great freebie is walk up around the Botanical Gardens with adjacent Gwonwanaland walk [very short] and boardwalk through lowland rainforest over road to south of the Botanical Gardens.
Just down road from Gwonwanaland are some old WW2 fuel oil tanks that are being converted by local Arts group, one already in use for dance classes last time I was there.
. Fitzroy Island is a nice day trip
. Kuranda, rail trip up and gondola over rainforest back if you like.

After Cairns, with a car
. mix of hinterland heading south
. Dunk Island from Mission Beach
. Hinchinbrook Island
. Magnetic Island by vehicular ferry
. Marine Park HQ Aquarium in Townsville
. Whitsunday Islands [ do a couple of cruises, particularly Whitehaven Beach]
. Cape Hillsborough
. Mackay and Rockhampton are regional centres and also places you can access islands from, Great Keppel from the coast near Rockhampton being a good day trip and nice botanical gardens there too, complete with some freshwater Crocs in attached free Zoo.
. Agnes Water/1770, small town where Captain Cook first landed in Queensland and you can take a trip to Lady Musgrave Island on the GBR from there.
. Bundaberg [think Sugar Cane and Rum]
. Hervey Bay [ may still be some whales to be sighted on way back south] and Fraser Island.
. Noosa/Sunshine Coast and Hinterland a nice sub tropical region
. Irwins Australia Zoo
And you're just about at Brisbane but do take a last turn off to Gods waiting room with a drive across to Bribie Island.

If you plan on doing a lot of stopping, you'll want to weigh up the cost re car and dead time taking trips Vs Bus.

It is quite a different journey to what many expect and will let those people down. So hopefully you have some idea why you make this trip. Also many underestimate the time to take as there is not much on the highway so most excursions require a few days to enjoy. So do think that maybe bus intermixed with rental car. Catch the bus through the long haul nothing drives then rent a car where it is worth some exploring.

The Tilt train may be an excellent service, but the trip is as boring as batshit for tourists (and me).

Car or bus must be better!

You're probably right, Margo. I must have had my train loving Venezuelan friend in mind ... and not much else Can only plead caffeine deficit & say I homed in on "train" & thought of the Tilt.