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Straight off the plane, straight onto the road
Where to find your rental
All car rental counters are located in the arrivals hall, a short walk from the baggage carousels. Just follow the signage once you've collected your bags. Vehicles are parked close by, so there's no shuttle bus wait between claiming your luggage and loading the boot.
What you'll need:
Four things, and you're through the counter in no time:
- A driver's licence you've held for 12 months or more
- A credit card in the main driver's name for the deposit
- Your booking confirmation, if you've got one
- A second photo ID, if your licence doesn't have one
One thing to check ahead of time: the minimum age is 21, and a young driver surcharge can apply under 25
A few tips that'll save you time
Book ahead where you can, especially in peak travel periods. Walk-up rates and availability both improve when you've reserved online first. If your flight lands outside the busier 10am to 2pm window, you'll usually find shorter queues at the counter too.
One thing worth checking before you plan your itinerary: some rental agreements don't allow vehicles on the ferry or barge to Magnetic Island, so confirm this with your provider first. If your hire car isn't permitted, SeaLink's frequent passenger ferry gets you there in 20 minutes, and a local vehicle, scooter or bike hire is easy to arrange once you're on the island.
Once you're on the road
From here, North Queensland is yours to set the pace on. Head into the city for The Strand and Castle Hill, or point the car west and start the kind of road trip this region does best.
We've mapped out a couple of favourites in the blogs below ⇓
