QLD top attraction announced

Liv Gardiner

4 years ago

When you think of travelling through Queensland, you may think of the Daintree National Park, the Gold Coast theme parks, Hamilton Island, Whitehaven Beach or the iconic Great Barrier Reef. But after polling thousands of RACQ members on their favourite tourism attraction in Queensland, all of these big names were beaten by a lesser-known experience.

The Spirits of the Red Sand was named Queensland’s best tourist attraction. The Indigenous live theatre and storytelling show uses song and dance to tell the story of three Aboriginal brothers. Set in Queensland in the 1800s, the show takes the audience back to the collision of British and Aboriginal ways of life. The highly acclaimed evening experience has been held in the Beenleigh Historical Village since 2017 and includes a three-course dinner in the immersive setting, making it a night to remember. RACQ described the event as, “a masterpiece of authentic Aboriginal storytelling that will pass down significant truths through traditional song, dance, culture, and community”.

Mike Tamaki, chief executive of Spirits of the Red Sand, told The Courier Mail, “It shows that Indigenous tourism is no longer viewed as a token gesture or experience you might do when you have done everything else.”

The complete list of the top 150 experiences and destinations in Queensland has come at the perfect time, as the state’s residents are now free to travel internally. While the Queensland government’s strict border restrictions during the pandemic are expected to have cost the state millions of dollars in tourism revenue, company spokesperson Lucinda Ross told The Courier Mail that she hoped the list of experiences would inspire internal travel and “help our tourism sector get back on its feet”.

Other close contenders include the Darling Downs Zoo, Heron Island, Kuranda Scenic Railway, Windin Falls, Capricorn Cave, Mount Ngungun, Elliot Heads, Skytrans Compass Club Marathon, the Great Barrier Reef and Great Keppel Island.

Have you ever visited any of these attractions? Do you agree with the list of the top attractions?

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