Recreational Activities | Gympie, Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach, Mary Valley, Kilkivan & Goomeri

Gympie Cooloola offers a range of recreational activities. Visit the art Gallery, pan for gold, feed alpaca or try gliding in Gympie. Take the Mary Valley scenic drive or 4WD the National Park and beach highway at Rainbow Beach. Ride along the Bicentennial National Trail near Kilkivan. Play golf at great courses throughout Gympie Cooloola.

Banyanda Alpaca Feeding & Wool Shop

Get up close and personal with these friendly creatures on Gympie’s Southside. Hand feed alpacas; purchase fine fleece products at the farm shop; or acquire Suri and Huacaya alpacas for breeding. Travellers can work on the farm in exchange for board (WWOOFer).
Visit the Banyanda Alpaca website.

Ride On Mary - Imbil Kayak & Bike Hire

Kayak the beautiful Mary River, Yabba Creek or Lake Borumba in the Mary Valley south of Gympie. Whether you want a short paddle and picnic on a river bank, or an epic all day adventure, Ride On Mary - Imbil Kayak & Bike hire can get you there and back. Mountain bike through the forest or take a leisurely ride through some of the picturesque country towns. Kayak & Mountain Bike hire from $40 half day $60 full day.
Ph: 0400 297 678 Email or Visit the Website

Beach Four Wheel Driving

Explore the natural beauty of Cooloola and experience our stunning deserted beaches at your own pace by four wheel drive. The beach highway to Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island starts just north of Noosa and has some spectacular scenery on the way with kilometres of unspoilt, sandy beaches & designated camping sites at Inskip Point & Teewah Beach. 4WD hire is available from Rainbow Beach.

Bicentennial National Trail

With strong historical links to the old coach and stock routes, Kilkivan in the Gympie Cooloola region, is one of the few towns on the Bicentennial National Trail. The trail follows many of the roads and tracks taken by the early pioneers from Cooktown to Victoria. This section of the trail is suited to trips with either horses, mountain bikes or on foot.

Dagun Wine & Cheese Tastings

The Good Sheds Wine Cellar offers Wine & Cheese Tastings
at the historic Dagun Station in the Mary Valley.
Regular afternoon tastings of local produce coincide with the arrival of the historic steam train, The Valley Rattler on its return trip on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Explore Cooloola's Great Sandy National Park

Hike or 4WD through numerous tracks in the Cooloola Section of Great Sandy National Park. This region supports a unique ecosystem of amazing sand dunes, rainforests, streams, the Noosa River, everglades, lakes and rare wildlife.
Camping is permitted at several locations in the park.
Four wheel drive hire is available from Rainbow Beach.

Gold fossiking in Deep Creek

In 1867 a discovery of alluvial gold in a gully near the Mary River began the first major gold rush in Queensland. Try your luck panning for gold at the Deep Creek Fossicking Area in Gympie. To obtain licenses and fossicking equipment visit our Lake Alford Visitor Information Centre or Free call 1800 444 222.

Gympie Regional Gallery

Gympie Regional Gallery - Phone 07 5481 0733
The art gallery is housed in the beautiful and original School of Arts Building, built in 1905, located in Nash Street, Gympie. Entry is free.
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm.
For info about exhibitions and events visit the art galley page
of the Gympie Regional Council website.

Gympie Gliding Club

The Gympie Gliding Club is located at the
Gympie Air Strip at Kybong
about 10 kilometres south of Gympie on the Bruce Highway.
Gympie’s airspace is the closest airfield north of Brisbane that offers no height restrictions & provides a winch to lift the gliders into the air.

Gunabul Golf Course

Gunabul’s Par 3 layout makes exciting use of the undulating landscape and natural watercourses. Located beside the Mary River with beautiful views of the city, this picturesque and challenging 18 hole golf course is a great place for either a social or professional game.
Visit the Gunabul Golf website.

Hang Glide and Para Sail at Rainbow Beach

Rainbow Beach is one of the top 10 sites in Queensland to para sail and hang glide. Rainbow Beach has many safe launch pads and landing zones. The air is smooth and laminar and no turbulence will spoil the exhilaration of your flight. From Carlo Sandblow watch as gliders ride wind updrafts and using the natural force of thermals to soar like birds.
Tandem flights are available - for more information Freecall 1800 444 222

Mary Valley Scenic Drive

The Mary Valley scenic drive is one of the prettiest drives in the state.
It follows the Mary River as it winds through a series of small towns.
Turn off the Bruce Highway at Gympie toward Dagun, a quaint little ten house town.Travel further down to Amamoor where the state forest comes alive each August with the National Country Music
Muster - the largest outdoor festival in Australia.

Public swimming pools

Open September to April, Gympie Memorial Swimming Pool features a heated learning facility and shaded wading pool. Tin Can Bay public pool is heated with an extended swimming season.
Public pools are also open in Kandanga, Kilkivan and Goomeri.
Phone (07) 5481 0611 for more information.

Rainbow Shores Golf Course

No matter if you are a weekend warrior or a golf addict, Rainbow Shores 9 hole, par 3 golf course will keep you on your toes. Surrounded by lush, natural bushland and abundant wildlife, the course is within easy reach of all Resort accommodation and facilities, with club hire for your convenience. Located in Rainbow Shores Drive, Rainbow Beach on the Cooloola Coast. For more information phone 07 5486 3999

Skydive Rainbow Beach

Rainbow Beach offers one of the best skydiving experiences in Australia. The 25 minute flight to 8000ft takes in unmatched views from Fraser Island over Inskip Point, Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach, the Coloured Sands, Carlo Sandblow and Double Island Point and that’s all before you jump. Skydivers have a 65 second freefall, before the parachute opens and lands on the beach. It’s sensory overload while freefalling at 220km/h. For more information Freecall 1800 444 222

Tin Can Bay Country Club Golf Course & Bowls

Tin Can Bay Country Club can be found on the left hand side of the main road as you enter Tin Can Bay. There is ample parking for cars and buses. The Club has an 18 hole par 72 golf course in a figure of eight and lawn bowls club with two quality greens. Tin Can Bay Country Club on the Cooloola Coast loves being host to visitors. For more information and competitions visit the Tin Can Bay Country Club website.