Rainbow Beach is a peaceful seaside community on the Queensland coast, about 240 kilometres north of Brisbane, and 76 kilometres east of Gympie. The place is jaw droppingly beautiful, and a photographer’s dream. More than 20 kilometres of pristine beach sweeps a gentle arc around the Pacific Coast, from the Coffee Rocks, up to Inskip Point. From Inskip you can catch a barge to Fraser Island. The landscape is bush clad right to the sand, and at the southern end, near the township stand the beaches namesakes- giant sandstone cliffs etched by time and streaked with more than seventy different colours of sand.Aboriginal legend tells how the coloured sands were created when Yiningie, a defeated rainbow spirit collapsed there after battle; science explains it as rare mineral deposits, leached iron oxides and dyes from the native plant life.

The township at Rainbow Beach began as a service center to the local sand mining industry. Conservation efforts famously halted this in the mid 70s, tourism taking over as the towns central industry from then on. The town is a gateway to several tourist destinations including Fraser Island, the Cooloolo section of the Great Sandy National Park and Double Island point. Four wheel drive enthusiasts have a marvellous time in the area, and 4WD is the only way to access some of the more secluded camp sites. The town and surrounds is also of great interest to ecologists.

999 people lived at Rainbow Beach when the 2006 census was taken. Retirees moving to Rainbow Beach would be guaranteed visits from the family- it’s just too beautiful to stay away. The government, local community and developers are still trying to negotiate ways to further develop the huge tourism potential whilst protecting the stunning environment. Families moving to Rainbow Beach have access to a state primary school, but the nearest high schools are at Gympie.