Business is booming at Carnarvon Gorge, about 400 kilometres south-west of Rockhampton, but staff shortages have left tourism operators struggling to meet demand.
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The Demaered'aertrijcke family was "a little bit scared of going west" but after a taste of the bush, they've joined the hordes of Australians opting for road trips instead of international travel.
Beyond the pressure on commercial services, a traditional custodian fears the gorge and its culturally significant sites are being loved to death.
The Demaered'aertrijckes travelled three hours one-way from Roma to Carnarvon National Park to hike 14 kilometres of breathtaking trails and visit four significant sites recently.
"It was just a place that we haven't been to, so we thought, why not," Antoine said.
"Basically, instead of visiting family during the holidays, we've been exploring Queensland."
A Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) spokesman said June-July school holiday visitor numbers had more than doubled from an average of 407 main track walkers per day in 2019, to 911 in 2021.
He said camper numbers at the south-west region's national parks had "increased dramatically".
Heli-Central senior pilot Patrick Graham said after a COVID-induced lull in 2020, this year was "probably the busiest" he had experienced in his three years at the gorge.
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