Like sea turtles and snorkelling, islands and adventures - and sipping a gin and tonic while the water laps gently around you and the sun slips into the ocean?

1. Heli taxi 2. Hamilton Island Air 3. Ocean rafting 4. Whitsunday jetski tours 5. Fishing Whitsundays 6. Bareboating 7. Salty Dog

Fitzroy Island is a cliche of a tropical paradise - pretty as a postcard. First impressions are of lofty palm trees, golden-tan sand and a blue, blue sea.

Fancy a family vacation to Tropical North Queensland? Here are our top 10 things to do on you r visit.

Deep in the Australian Outback, many people drive to Winton.

There are swathes of blackened trunks and spindly ghosts of trees, killed when the sap boiled from the heat of bushfires.

As the prawn flies from the barbecue's scalding surface towards my 4-year-old son's face, time slows.

Experience stunning hiking trails and nature walks in the sunny tropical North Queensland.

I may have been slightly judgmental when I turned up for a standup paddleboarding lesson and discovered my instructor was a teenager.

Brisbane is the perfect place to test out the togs-undies theory.

On a hot air balloon ride over the Gold Coast you're treated to magical views, as warm ocean currents meet a lush green hinterland for 30km from Coolangatta to Southport.

The hit TV show Thunderbirds could have been set in Cairns. Any one of the surrounding mountains could double as International Rescue's hideout.

Kick-start your Brisbane family holiday with these top attractions and activities.

From galleries to flea markets, this city is abuzz with culture, says Megan Singleton

Patricia Greig explores Queensland's greatest natural wonder on board the Coral Princess II.