Your day starts with pickup from your Sunshine Coast hotel. Travel north in an air-conditioned 4WD vehicle to the Cooloola Recreation Area section of Great Sandy National Park.

Enjoy your guide's informative commentary during the drive, which goes off road along the 50-mile (80 km) stretch of sand from Noosa to Rainbow Beach. Stop at the lighthouse at Double Island Point to admire 360-degree views that reach from Noosa to Fraser Island. Your guide also points out Teewah Beach, a lovely salt water lagoon and Honeymoon Bay where you can swim in the protected waters of the bay, or surf on the longest right hand breaks in Australia all year round.

The colorful terrain of Red Canyon and Coloured Sands make for great photo ops. For thousands of years, iron-rich minerals have stained the sand at these two landmarks, yielding a stunning array of yellow, brown and red hues. Aboriginal people used the sands for painting and decorating boomerangs.

Throughout your 8-hour tour, your guide points out the highlights of the region and details its natural and human history. Learn about the Aboriginal peoples of the area, the arrival of Captain James Cook, the lives of lighthouse keepers at Double Island Point Lighthouse and more.

You'll also see the rainforest up close, and you may be able to spot dolphins, turtles and migrating whales (July to November) in the waters of the Coral Sea. Bring swimming gear if you want to take a dip.

Your tour includes lunch at Rainbow Beach Surf Club, entrance fees, transportation, and hotel pickup and drop-off. The order of the itinerary may change depending on the tides and beach conditions, and one way may be via the Noosa Hinterland route.

At the end of a fun and informative 4WD beach tour, you are dropped off at your hotel.