Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park Sunshine Coast

Take a nice quiet drive along the Poverty Point 4WD track from Rainbow Beach Road to Poverty Point camping area. Photo credit: © Chris Whitelaw

Four-wheel drive past towering coastal sand cliffs and coloured sands in the paradise of Cooloola Recreation Area. Photo credit: © Tomek Z Genek

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Poverty Point Road

Wind your way over a rough sandy track through low-lying wallum wetlands and melaleuca and banksia woodland to the shores of Tin Can Bay.

Journey type
4WD, trail bike
Distance
12km return Start and finish points are the same and the traveller must return via the same path
Time suggested
Allow 45min driving time.
Grade
Unrated

Accessible by

  • High clearance 4WD
  • Trail bike

Journey facilities

  • Scenic drive
  • Trail bike riding

From Rainbow Beach Road take your 4WD along this unmarked sandy track to Poverty Point on the calm waters of Tin Can Inlet. In the warmer months, look for the magnificent yellow and red tubular flowers of Christmas bells in the wet heaths about halfway along the road. You’ll probably also see honeyeaters fluttering nearby.

Spend a restful day fishing in the sheltered waters of the estuary, and at high tide, you can fish straight from the camping area. Take your kayaks, canoes and rooftop tinnies out in search of the perfect fishing holes. Stay the night in the Poverty Point camping area if one day is not enough.

Refer to the Cooloola and Inskip recreation areas discovery guide (PDF, 4.2MB) for a map and more details.

Getting there and getting around

Poverty Point Road 4WD track is in Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park, on the Sunshine Coast between Noosa Heads and Rainbow Beach (155–240km north of Brisbane).

  • The Poverty Point track is in the northern section of Cooloola, and leads from Rainbow Beach Road to the shore of Tin Can Bay.
  • You can access this track from Rainbow Beach Road near Rainbow Beach; you need a 4WD.
  • Vehicle access permits are not required for Poverty Point Road but may be required if traversing beaches and other inland tracks within the Cooloola Recreation Area.
  • Read 4WD with care for important information on 4WD safety and minimal impact driving.

Getting to Rainbow Beach

  • From Brisbane, drive about 160km north on the Bruce Highway towards Gympie. At the southern edge of Gympie, turn onto Tin Can Bay Road and drive 42km, then turn right onto Rainbow Beach Road.
  • From Maryborough, drive 57km south on the Cooloola Coast Road, then turn left onto Tin Can Bay Road and drive 3.5km, then turn right onto Rainbow Beach Road.

From Rainbow Beach

  • From Rainbow Beach township drive along the Rainbow Beach Road for about 12.5km to the Poverty Point Road turnoff on your right and drive 6.3km on this rough sandy track to the Poverty Point camping area at the end of the track.

Wheelchair access

There are no wheelchair-accessible facilities.

Before you visit

Opening hours

Poverty Point Road 4WD track is open 24 hours a day.

Check park alerts for the latest information on access, closures and conditions.

Visiting safely

For more safety information see:

View all park alerts