Rainbow Beach in Queensland: How did Rainbow Beach get its name?
Rainbow Beach in Queensland gets its name from the multicoloured sands in the cliffs behind the beach. Rainbow Beach is one of the departure points for Fraser Island.
For many visitors, the Queensland town of Rainbow Beach is little more than a departure point for Fraser Island. It is closer to the world’s largest sand island than the better known Hervey Bay, and a smattering of hostels and 4WD tours operate from there. These include Fraser Island Adventure Tours, and Pippies, all of which go to top sights such as the Maheno shipwreck and Lake McKenzie.
5 brilliant Rainbow Beach experiences you should book in advance
- Kayaking with dolphins – including a 4WD beach driving adventure.
- Beginner surfing lessons – you’ll be standing on the board by the end.
- Stand-up paddleboarding and 4WD tour combo – great value day out.
- Fraser Island day tour – visiting the island’s main highlights.
- Fraser Island three day tour – covering parts of the island most visitors miss.
The town is a small, chilled out place, with a couple of places to eat and not an awful lot more. In many ways, it’s an archetypal Aussie beach town – the sort of place people come to BECAUSE it is simple. There’s accommodation at the Rainbow Beach Caravan Park, various backpacker hostels and holiday lets. Meals are served at the Rainbow Beach Surf Club. But it doesn’t get much more complicated than that.
Rainbow Beach tides
But how did Rainbow Beach in Queensland get its name? Well, the secret lies in the beach itself. This stretches for several kilometres towards a shimmering, estuary-formed lagoon towards Double Island Point. Rainbow Beach is beautiful, albeit treacherous if you happen to be in the wrong place when the Rainbow Beach tides come in.
It’s possible to walk along the beach, but it is tough going with no shade, no toilet stops and no cafés to stop at. So you’re probably going to need to hire a four wheel drive vehicle and drive along the beach, or take a tour from Noosa with Great Beach Drive 4WD Tours.
Rainbow Beach and the Great Sandy National Park
These tours pay special attention to the cliffs behind the beach. The cliffs are remarkable for the range of colours they contain. Once upon a time, they were mined for the black, rutile sand. This ceased in 1970s when Rainbow Beach became part of what’s now the Great Sandy National Park, but the sand’s by-product, titanium dioxide, was hugely valuable. It was used a lot in the American space programme, while the sands also provided zircon for jewellery, glassware and camera lenses.
The black sand is mixed in with reds, oranges, yellows, pinks and whites – and they’re forever changing too. Cracks show on the cliff face, indicating an ever-present danger of collapse.
Rainbow Beach very much goes according to the whims of nature. Driftwood is washed up on the sand, then eventually dispersed. Trees sometimes fall and block the beach. The sandblows seen over the tops of the cliffs move at a glacial pace, nudged by the wind.
It’s worth parking up the 4WD, going over to the cliffs and breaking off chunks of different colours. Take them over to the sea-lapped wet sand, and they can be used as something of a paint palette. That way, you can make your very own rainbow from the multi-coloured sands that give Rainbow Beach its name.
It’s also possible to stay at Rainbow Beach – there are two Rainbow Beach holiday parks. Water activities are relatively safe – there are no crocodiles in Rainbow Beach.
More Queensland towns to visit
The massive markets of Eumundi
Platypus-viewing hotspot Yungaburra
Rainforest-shrouded Cape Tribulation
Bee Gees hometown Redcliffe
Whale-swimming cruise capital Mooloolaba
Golden Gumboot-hosting Tully