Newby, wife Sally and daughter Olivia are enjoying a family holiday in Surfers Paradise while the former All Black loose forward rests after the blow he took playing for the Barbarians last month.
He and nine other members of the Highlanders squad had tickets for last night's league game between Queensland and New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium.
Newby will have another four or five weeks out of rugby after the injury he sustained against Ireland at Gloucester.
"I'm feeling good and the neck is stable. I've got a little bit of a disc problem but not something that needs surgery or anything," he told the Otago Daily Times from Australia.
"With a bit of rest, I've been told I should be fine. I only wore a brace for a week while it was still a bit swollen and they were working out what was wrong."
The injury happened when Newby crossed the tryline and an Irish defender tackled him.
Newby's chin was forced hard down into his chest and his neck was stretched.
He knew it was a significant injury but he was also confident there was not going to be any lasting damage.
"I knew it wasn't deadly serious. I could move my arms and legs and I didn't have pins and needles everywhere.
But I was a bit concerned when they X-rayed it. They thought there might have been a fracture, which sent me into a little bit of panic.
"They assured me the spinal cord and everything was fine. They were really good at Gloucester Hospital."
Newby will make his comeback either for his Dunedin club or for Otago in a pre-season game in mid-July.
He said the Barbarians tour, even if it was ruined by the injury, was enjoyable.
The hotels were first class and the training facilities immaculate, and it was novel to be training alongside Australians, South Africans and Englishmen.
Newby did not get to visit Leicester, the English club he will join when he leaves Otago in October.
But he did watch - from his sickbed - Leicester get beaten in the club final by Wasps.
He was in the airport in Singapore when he heard of Highlanders team-mate Adam Thomson's selection for the All Blacks and was rapt for his fellow loose forward.
Newby is a staunch Queensland supporter and was hoping to see the Maroons level the State of Origin series last night.
