Queensland, the third most populated state in Australia and the second largest, is home to the Great Barrier Reef. Also called the sunshine state, it has over 200 national parks, flourishing rainforests, and mountains, bushlands, creeks, lands perfect for farming, and has several beautiful beaches and tropical islands. In the northeast part of the continent, Queensland is composed of 7,000 kilometers of coastline, highlighted by the Gold Coast, the Daintree, the Whitsundays, and the Great Barrier Reef.

Queensland is one of the places to go to if you want to have a great time with your family. It’s a wonderful place for a vacation for people of all ages, even for young children. It gives lots of opportunities to have fun. The state has its theme parks, museums, animal encounters, and other nature activities.

The sunshine state is most popular for its beaches, though. So a vacation in Queensland wouldn’t be complete without having at least one relaxing day in one of their family-friendly beaches, where you can sunbathe, play with the sand, swim in the water, learn to surf and so many other activities.

Here are three of Queensland’s family-friendly beaches:

1. Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands

Whitehaven Beach located, the biggest of the 74 islands on Whitsunday Islands, is an award-winning beach. It has one of the purest and pristine white silica sands in the world, making it a must-visit for everyone, including families.

The beach has a lot of fun activities to offer. You can relax on the beach, do some exercise on the sand, beach volleyball, spot marine life like turtles, and swim. They also have some water sports facilities that the entire family can enjoy, like snorkeling or boating. You can also go hiking, specifically to Tongue Point Lookout, where you can view Hill Inlet’s swirling sands.

2. Nudey Beach, Fitzroy Island

Fitzroy Island is one of the most popular destinations for families because it sits right on the Great Barrier Reef. It’s also where Nudey Beach, the no. 1 beach in Australia’s Top 101 Beaches in 2018, can be found.

Similar to Whitehaven Beach, Nudey Beach also boasts of beautiful white sands, as well as crystal blue waters. It even has large granite boulders and rich tropical forest vegetation. It’s the best of both worlds, especially for nature lovers.

Snorkeling is one of the many activities that they offer, which is a popular one because you can see the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, which is the world’s largest coral reef system. One of the seven wonders of the world is over 2,900 individual reefs over an approximate area of 344,440 sq km. Children will have fun seeing and swimming with different kinds of marine life, like the clownfish, gropers, tropical fish, sea turtles, and colorful corals.

3. Mission Beach, Cassowary Coast

Mission Beach is a place that’s all about nature. It’s composed of a long stretch of unspoiled beaches, white-water rivers by the rainforest, and deserted islands. It’s the place to go to when you want pure relaxation away from a crowd of people.

Families are also able to explore the Great Barrier Reef through this beach. You can go snorkeling, as well, do a kayaking tour, or go on a picnic on an empty island. While the children are having fun swimming in the waters or playing in the sand, the parents or adults can go to a spa while enjoying the beach views. They also offer other activities, such as jet-skiing, white water rafting, or skydiving. Or if you and your family want to enjoy the rainforest, you can go on a hike along the Misty Mountains trail. Who knows, you might even see the local icon, the brilliant blue Ulysses butterfly?

There are so many beautiful beaches to choose from in Queensland, Australia, which is truly a paradise worth going to and experiencing with your family. There are many other places to visit in the state. These include Cylinder Beach in North Stradbroke Island, Palm Cove in the Cairns area, Mooloolaba in the Sunshine Coast area, and South Bank Parklands in South Brisbane.

Image: Damien Dempsey, CC commons @ Flickr.