Rainbow Beach and Carlo Sand Blow

Rainbow Beach takes its name from the sand cliffs south of the town, coloured in bands of red, orange, yellow and white by iron oxides leaching through the dunes over hundreds of thousands of years, with counts of the shades running to dozens. Above them, the Carlo Sand Blow is a fifteen-hectare sheet of bare sand migrating slowly inland, walked in about twenty minutes from the car park and giving views along the coast in both directions, particularly at sunrise. The town is the southern launching point for K'gari, with barges from Inskip Point, and the coast here is used for four-wheel driving, paragliding off the blow and whale watching in season.

What you actually see

• The coloured sand cliffs - bands of iron-stained sand along the beach.
• The Carlo Sand Blow - a bare migrating dune with coastal views.
• The K'gari barges - the crossing from Inskip Point to the island.
• The beach driving - four-wheel drive access along the sand at low tide.

When to go

April to October for the dry season; whales pass from July to November. Sunrise from the sand blow is the classic timing. Summer is hot, humid and the sand surface can burn feet.

Honest expectations

Beach driving requires four-wheel drive, a permit and tide timing; vehicles get caught by tides regularly at Inskip Point. The coloured cliffs are best seen in low sun and look muted at midday. The sand blow has no shade at all.

Nearby

K'gari lies across the passage; Tin Can Bay and Gympie are inland.