Rainbow Beach day trip: Carlo Sand Blow and Inskip Point

A Rainbow Beach day trip is easy to plan if you split it in two: the walks, which a normal car can reach, and the beach driving, which needs a high clearance 4WD and a permit. Rainbow Beach sits on the Cooloola coast of Queensland, in Great Sandy National Park. The best sights are Carlo Sandblow, the Coloured Sands cliffs and Inskip Point.

This guide shows what to see, how permits and tides work, and a simple plan for the day from Brisbane or Noosa.

Sources for this section: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), Carlo Sandblow walk; QPWS, Cooloola beach drive; QPWS, Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area FAQs.

What to see at Rainbow Beach

Carlo Sandblow. QPWS spells it Carlo Sandblow. It is a huge area of windblown sand with 180 degree views over Rainbow Beach, the Coloured Sands, Double Island Point, K'gari (formerly Fraser Island) and the Inskip Peninsula. The walk from the QPWS Rainbow Beach Information Centre is 2.8 km one way and takes about an hour. It is a grade 3 track and a conventional vehicle can reach it. For a shorter, cooler walk, start from the Carlo Sandblow car park at the end of Cooloola Drive.

Coloured Sands. This is why the beach has its name. Iron-rich minerals have stained the sand cliffs yellow, brown and red over thousands of years. The Coloured Sands beach walk is 8 km return and takes about 3 hours. It starts at the bathing reserve on Griffin Esplanade. You can walk as far as you like and turn back. QPWS asks you to look from a distance, because the cliffs are fragile and can collapse. Never climb on them or slide down them.

Inskip Point. This is the sandy tip of the Inskip Peninsula, with a surf beach on one side and the calm Great Sandy Strait on the other. It has views across to K'gari. Migratory shorebirds feed and roost there from September to April, so keep well back from them.

Sources for this section: QPWS, Carlo Sandblow walk; QPWS, Coloured Sands beach walk; QPWS, Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area FAQs and About.

Permits and beach driving

You do not need a permit to walk to Carlo Sandblow or the Coloured Sands from the township. You do need a vehicle access permit (VAP) to drive on the beaches and tracks of the Cooloola Recreation Area. QPWS says number plate cameras are in use 24 hours a day, so check that your registration details are correct on the permit.

• Where to buy: the QPWS Rainbow Beach Information Centre, the Manta Ray barge office or the Shell service station, in business hours.
• Length: daily, weekly, monthly and yearly permits are sold. A day trip needs the daily one.
• Vehicle: QPWS says you need a high clearance 4WD on Cooloola's beaches. All Queensland road rules apply on the sand.
• Dogs: pets are not allowed in the Cooloola Recreation Area, even inside a vehicle.

Inskip Point is different. QPWS says vehicle access permits are not required at Inskip. But you do need one if you drive through Cooloola to reach it, for example along the beach from Noosa. QPWS also strongly recommends a high clearance 4WD with low range there, because the sand tracks are too soft for most other vehicles.

Sources for this section: QPWS, Cooloola beach drive; QPWS, Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area FAQs; QPWS, Cooloola Recreation Area attractions.

Tides and conditions

Tides decide when you can drive. QPWS says it is best to drive around low tide. Avoid the two hours either side of high tide, and often longer, because some stretches are hit harder by tides and onshore winds.

• Mudlo Rocks are near Rainbow Beach township. QPWS calls them a major hazard. Cross them only at low tide, and only if you are an experienced driver. They can be impassable even at low tide, and many vehicles have been lost to the tide there.
• The Leisha Track joins Rainbow Beach to Teewah Beach. Its northern entrance is hit by tides and swell, so QPWS says to check it before you go.
• Sand cliffs can collapse without warning. QPWS says never to climb up, slide down or carve into them.
• Turtle nesting season runs from 1 November to 30 April, and QPWS asks drivers to take care on the beach in that season.

QPWS updates its Cooloola conditions report about every fortnight, or sooner if conditions change. Read it before you leave.

Sources for this section: QPWS, Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area FAQs; QPWS, Cooloola Recreation Area About; QPWS, Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area FAQs.

A simple day plan from Brisbane

QPWS gives the road route: drive about 160 km north on the Bruce Highway towards Gympie. At the southern edge of Gympie, turn onto Tin Can Bay Road and drive 42 km. Then turn right onto Rainbow Beach Road and drive 29 km into the township. That adds up to about 230 km each way, so leave early.

1. Morning: park at the Carlo Sandblow car park and walk to the sandblow.
2. Midday: have lunch in the township. If you plan to drive on the sand, collect your daily permit and check the tides.
3. Afternoon: walk the Coloured Sands from Griffin Esplanade. Walk at low tide if you can, and turn back before the tide comes in.
4. Late afternoon: if you have a 4WD and good conditions, visit Inskip Point for the view across to K'gari. Otherwise stay for sunset at the sandblow.

Take water and sun protection, and carry out all your rubbish.

Sources for this section: QPWS, Carlo Sandblow walk; QPWS, Coloured Sands beach walk; QPWS, Cooloola beach drive; QPWS, Cooloola Recreation Area About.

Starting from Noosa

From Noosa the trip is a beach drive. QPWS describes the Cooloola beach drive as 60 km one way from Noosa North Shore to Rainbow Beach, for high clearance 4WD vehicles and trail bikes. Allow about 1.5 hours of driving. You reach the start by taking the Noosa River ferry at Tewantin to Noosa North Shore. A permit is needed for the whole drive.

The route passes the Coloured Sands cliffs and Double Island Point. If you have no 4WD, the Brisbane road route above is the better choice.

Sources for this section: QPWS, Cooloola beach drive; QPWS, Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area FAQs.

Sources

1. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Carlo Sandblow walk: parks.desi.qld.gov.au
2. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Coloured Sands beach walk: parks.desi.qld.gov.au
3. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Cooloola beach drive: parks.desi.qld.gov.au
4. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Cooloola Recreation Area attractions and park alerts: parks.desi.qld.gov.au
5. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Cooloola Recreation Area, About: parks.desi.qld.gov.au
6. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area, frequently asked questions: parks.des.qld.gov.au