Brisbane's day-trip map runs southeast to Moreton Bay and the Redlands coast, south into the Gold Coast hinterland, north along the Sunshine Coast corridor, and west to the Lockyer Valley. Cleveland is 40 minutes southeast on the Cleveland Highway; Mount Tamborine is 1h 5m south in the Gold Coast hinterland. The round trip decides what fits: Cleveland, Redcliffe, and Ipswich keep the drive under two hours; Maleny and Springbrook at three hours are full hinterland days.
All costs in this post are in Australian dollars (AUD). Every drive time was checked against a routing source, labeled one-way in typical traffic. The cost is an honest same-day estimate for two: fuel, entries or admission, and a meal. No hotel bill, because that is the whole point.
The getaways, mapped
Every pick around Brisbane, numbered to match the table — with the drive and cost.
The short list
| Destination | Cost for two (day) | When to go | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | ~40m · 30 km | ~1h 20m | Moreton Bay + island ferry | AUD $140–210 | November |
| Redcliffe | ~40m · 38.5 km | ~1h 20m | Moreton Bay peninsula | AUD $140–210 | October |
| Ipswich | ~40m · 40.8 km | ~1h 20m | Heritage city + rail museum | AUD $140–210 | June |
| Mount Tamborine | ~1h 5m · 72 km | ~2h 10m | Hinterland plateau + rainforest | AUD $160–210 | October |
| Wivenhoe Dam | ~1h 10m · 90.7 km | ~2h 20m | Reservoir + sailing + bushland | AUD $160–210 | March |
| Springbrook | ~1h 25m · 103.3 km | ~2h 50m | Waterfalls + glow-worms | AUD $170–230 | September |
| Maleny | ~1h 30m · 100.9 km | ~3h | Sunshine Coast hinterland | AUD $160–230 | May |
The first three keep the drive under two hours round trip. Mount Tamborine and Wivenhoe Dam at just over two hours are straightforward half-day options. Springbrook and Maleny at three hours each are full hinterland days. Costs run AUD $140 to $230 for two.
Best for the bay and coast
Cleveland is the gateway to Moreton Bay and the most accessible of Brisbane's bay day trips.
Cleveland
About 40 minutes southeast on the Cleveland Highway (Gateway Motorway to Cleveland Road), Cleveland is the Redlands Bay gateway to Moreton Bay and North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah). Toondah Harbour operates the vehicle and passenger ferry to Dunwich on Stradbroke Island. It's a 50-minute crossing to one of the world's largest sand islands, with Cylinder Beach, the Blue Lake national park, and brown pelicans at Main Beach in the township. The Cleveland Lighthouse Precinct on Middle Street preserves the 1864 lighthouse and the original pilot station buildings above the bay. The Cleveland Bayside Track runs 16 kilometres of waterfront from the township south along the foreshore. November, when the Moreton Bay humpback whale migration is active.
Cleveland
Redcliffe
About 40 minutes north on the Bruce Highway and Deception Bay Road, Redcliffe occupies a peninsula on the northern shore of Moreton Bay. It's the oldest non-convict European settlement in Queensland, established in 1824. The Redcliffe foreshore trail runs six kilometres along the peninsula's east side between Margate Beach and Scarborough Harbour; pelicans and sea eagles are regularly visible from the Redcliffe Jetty. Suttons Beach and Woody Point are two of the bay's calmer swimming beaches, shielded from the Pacific swell by Moreton Island. Redcliffe is the birthplace of the Bee Gees. The Gibb brothers grew up on Cribb Island and attended Redcliffe primary school, and a heritage mural on the Esplanade commemorates the connection. October, before the wet season returns heat and humidity.
Redcliffe
Best for the hinterland
Mount Tamborine is the signature hinterland day trip from Brisbane: 1h 5m south and a plateau above the Gold Coast plain with a full day of rainforest, galleries, and distillery options.
Mount Tamborine
About one hour and five minutes south on the Pacific Motorway (M1) and Oxenford Road, Mount Tamborine rises to 525 metres above the Gold Coast coastal plain at the northern end of the McPherson Range. Gallery Walk on Long Road at Eagle Heights is a 2-kilometre strip of galleries, craft studios, a distillery, cafés, and a boutique winery housed in 1950s shopfronts. Cedar Creek Falls within Tamborine Mountain National Park drops 12 metres into a rock pool accessible on a 15-minute walk from the carpark on Tamborine-Oxenford Road. The Curtis Falls track leads down 75 metres through subtropical rainforest to a swimming hole at the base. The plateau has 30 kilometres of marked trails in the national park sections connecting the three main communities: North Tamborine, Eagle Heights, and Tamborine Village. October, when the hinterland is clear of the wet season and the falls run well.
Springbrook
About one hour and 25 minutes south on the Pacific Motorway and Springbrook Road, Springbrook National Park sits on the southern rim of the Tweed Shield Volcano caldera, the same ancient volcanic massif as Lamington National Park to the east. Natural Bridge, accessible on the 1-kilometre Natural Bridge Circuit trail within the national park, is a single basalt arch spanning Cave Creek with a glow-worm colony underneath the arch visible in the cave's darkness even during daylight. Purling Brook Falls, a tiered cascade accessible from the Springbrook Plateau day-use area, drops 109 metres and is viewable from a cliff-edge platform. The Warrie Circuit from the Springbrook Plateau visitor area covers 17 kilometres of the escarpment with multiple waterfall views. September, when the spring rainfall keeps the waterfalls at their full height.
Springbrook
Maleny
About one hour and 30 minutes north on the Bruce Highway and Landsborough-Maleny Road, Maleny sits at 447 metres on the Sunshine Coast hinterland's Blackall Range. It's a dairy farming and arts community above Caloundra and the Sunshine Coast beaches. Maleny's main street on Maple Street has cheese producers, craft bakeries, and local galleries. Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, 3 kilometres south of town, preserves 55 hectares of subtropical rainforest on a ridge with panoramic views toward the Glass House Mountains and the coast. Gardners Falls, 5 kilometres south, has a natural rock swimming hole on Obi Obi Creek accessible via a short track. The Montville village, 15 minutes east along Maleny-Kenilworth Road, has additional galleries and craft producers on the range ridge. May, when the subtropical hinterland is in its dry season and the rainforest is at its clearest.
Maleny
Best for heritage and the dam
Ipswich
About 40 minutes west on the Ipswich Motorway (M2), Ipswich is Queensland's oldest provincial city, established in 1827 around the pastoral station on the Bremer River. The Workshops Rail Museum on North Street is the largest railway museum in Australia, the former Queensland Railway workshops in a series of heritage buildings covering the history of Queensland's narrow-gauge rail network from 1865 to the present. The Queens Park precinct at the west end of the city has the Ipswich Nature Centre and historic buildings surrounding the park. Ipswich's heritage streetscape along Brisbane Street and East Street preserves some of the oldest commercial buildings in Queensland. June, when the Heritage Festival opens the region's private historic homesteads for tours.
Ipswich
Wivenhoe Dam
About one hour and ten minutes northwest on the Warrego Highway (M2) and Lake Wivenhoe Road, Wivenhoe Dam holds Brisbane's main water supply, a 1,165,000-megalitre reservoir on the upper Brisbane River. The lake provides sailing and kayaking from the Fernvale and Spillway boat ramps, with the dam wall accessible as a landmark from the Wivenhoe Outlook. The D'Aguilar Range State Forest borders the reservoir's north shore with the Jubilee Road walking trail and camping areas. Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, a converted railway corridor accessible from Fernvale, runs 161 kilometres toward Yarraman through the farmland of the Brisbane Valley. March, when the summer wet season has filled the reservoir and the surrounding bush is at its greenest.
Wivenhoe Dam
Getting there and getting around
Every destination on this list is a drive from Brisbane. The Cleveland Highway southeast reaches Cleveland. The Bruce Highway north carries you to the Deception Bay Road for Redcliffe and continues to the Landsborough exit for the Maleny turn-off. The Ipswich Motorway (M2) west reaches Ipswich directly; the Warrego Highway continuing west reaches the Wivenhoe Dam turnoff at Fernvale. The Pacific Motorway (M1) south reaches Mount Tamborine via Oxenford Road and continues to the Springbrook Road turnoff past Mudgeeraba.
The M1 southbound backs up through the Logan and Nerang interchanges on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Add 30–45 minutes for Mount Tamborine and Springbrook trips departing on weekends. The Springbrook Road is a winding mountain road without overtaking lanes; allow extra time on the climb. Cleveland ferry reservations for the Stradbroke Island vehicle ferry are recommended on weekends.
Common questions
What's the best day trip from Brisbane? Mount Tamborine at 1h 5m for the hinterland plateau, Gallery Walk, and Cedar Creek Falls. For the bay, Cleveland for the Moreton Bay ferry to Stradbroke Island.
Is the Sunshine Coast hinterland worth a day trip from Brisbane? Yes. Maleny at 1h 30m has Mary Cairncross rainforest reserve, the dairy town main street, and Glass House Mountain views from the ridge.
What's the closest day trip from Brisbane? Cleveland, Redcliffe, and Ipswich are all about 40 minutes: Cleveland for the bay, Redcliffe for the peninsula foreshore, Ipswich for the railway museum.
What's a good nature day trip from Brisbane? Springbrook for Natural Bridge and Purling Brook Falls. Mount Tamborine for the Cedar Creek rainforest and 30 km of national park trails.
What's a good hinterland day trip from Brisbane? Mount Tamborine for the Gold Coast hinterland; Maleny for the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Both sit above 400 metres and run cooler than the city.
How much does a day trip from Brisbane cost for two? All costs in Australian dollars. Most run AUD $140–230. Cleveland and Redcliffe sit at AUD $140–210; Springbrook and Maleny run AUD $160–230.
The bottom line
The best day trip from Brisbane is the one that matches the direction and the day. Cleveland, Redcliffe, and Ipswich at under two hours round trip are the no-commitment picks for bay, peninsula, or heritage. Mount Tamborine and Wivenhoe Dam at just over two hours are the hinterland picks. Springbrook and Maleny at three hours each are full rainforest days. Plan your day trip free and the planner ranks these for your exact date, group, and budget.
Browse more day trips by city, or for an overnight see the weekend getaways from Brisbane.
Drive times verified against routing sources August 2026; confirm ferry bookings, park fees, and weather conditions before you travel.
Written by
NamrataPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, used under Creative Commons licenses