Sunshine Coast
One hour north of Brisbane you’ll find Queensland’s Sunshine Coast - a contrast of small seaside towns, quaint mountain villages and chic coastal hot spots. A huge range of beaches await you from open rolling surf to sheltered bays.
Take to the water or relax on the sand, hike in lush National Parks and rainforest and cool off with a dip in one of the swimming holes. A visit to the Sunshine Coast offers a great opportunity to indulge yourself with quality food and wine.
Great resorts with award winning golf courses, beachfront apartments, self contained units and hotels make it easy to enjoy the sun, sand and surf. Restaurants and cafes make the most of the climate and the views.
In the green, subtropical hills behind the Sunshine Coast, among the pineapple and sugar cane farms, are country hamlets. Old pubs serve excellent counter lunches on open verandas that overlook green valleys. Painters, potters and other artisans are drawn here by the tranquillity, the easy pace and the natural beauty.
The Sunshine Coast is also home to numerous attractions for family fun and adventure.
Beyond the brilliant white beaches, the rolling surf and the resort towns of the Sunshine Coast lies a hinterland of lush green landscapes that invite discovery.
Take some time to explore the long and winding roads through some of Queensland's most picturesque countryside. Your journey will take you down country lanes that ride the crests of rolling hills, offering panoramic views of the distant coast then twist down into wooded valleys.
Along the way you'll visit historic towns and villages, see the natural treasures within national parks, find cool relief beside lakes and waterfalls and discover an enticing mix of rustic charms and country style.
Spend a few days indulging in some country hospitality in cosy B&Bs, rustic cabins and stylish retreats and begin your discoveries of the national parks, the gallery trails, restaurants, wineries, inviting country pubs, fresh local produce, shops and markets - all within a glorious green landscape, just a short drive from the coast. It's a taste of the good life.
Serious foodies, adventurous diners - anyone who loves to eat will find their fill on the Sunshine Coast. The regions perfect climate and growing conditions ensure wonderful fresh produce, seafood and wines. Discover it all on the Noosa Food trail and the wine trail.
Noosa is the cuisine hub with Hastings Street and Gympie Terrace the main eat streets. Both feature al fresco restaurants and cafes with water views, delicatessens, bars and ice creameries. Recommended are Season, Bistro C, Bernardo’s Restaurant and Bar, The Riverhouse and Humid. Other Coast highlights are Ebb Waterfront Dining and the Wine Bar both overlooking the Maroochy River, The Spirit House and Barnacles seafood at Tin Can Bay where you might be lucky enough to see dolphins swimming in the shallows.
Stroll along beachfront boulevards, including the most famous of them all, Noosa's Hastings Street. After you've cruised the stylish boutiques and specialty stores, take time out for a coffee or leisurely brunch and watch the world go by, Noosa-style.
Our shopping centres have their own special style, with waterfront or over water locations. Potter around specialty stores, find that special memento or simply splurge a little.
If art and craft is your passion, head for the hills. Many artists and craftspeople make the hinterland areas of the Blackall Range (Maleny, Montville, Flaxton, Mapleton) Kenilworth, Eumundi, Yandina, Cooroy and Gympie home. A gallery trail will take you to the work rooms and galleries of painters, potters, glass blowers, jewellers, garden art sculptors and furniture makers, all creating unique pieces in serene surrounds.
Keep your holiday memories alive by taking home a case of Sunshine Coast wine from a local winery, jams or sauces featuring Sunshine Coast produce or a cooler box of freshly caught mud crabs direct from a seafood market.
Whether it's a treatment in one of the five-star resort spas or a few treasured hours at a stand-alone day spa, take time out to inspire, nurture and indulge the senses.
If a tranquil retreat is what you need, book in at an Asian-style spa surrounded by lush tropical gardens. Feel your stress and tensions melt away with an aromatic coconut or coffee-bean infused body treatment.
Perhaps you crave the luxurious indulgence of an international-style day spa, just a short stroll from your luxury beachfront resort accommodation. For many, centring mind, body and soul is the goal. For a complete focus on your well-being, visit a health retreat idyllically located on a working organic farm in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
Indulge in a uniquely Sunshine Coast treatment - a Cooloola sand and sea salt scrub which will leave your skin smooth and blissfully scented.
Caloundra
Caloundra sits on the stunning foreshore of the Sunshine Coast and offers everything you need for a relaxing holiday. There’s a large variety of accommodation and restaurants to choose from. Fabulous surf and estuary beaches plus fishing spots, and other tourist attractions will keep you busy.
Maroochydore
Maroochydore offers a blend of surf beach and the calm waters of the Maroochy River whose southern bank forms a virtually unbroken stretch of parkland and picnic spots. Ideal for boating, fishing and aquatic pastimes, it is also the venue of major surf sport carnivals. The location is a perfect central base for exploring the coast's attractions by car, coach or public transport.
Mooloolaba
Blessed with a heady mix of ocean beaches, riverfront, variety of restaurants and nighteries, Mooloolaba is a popular, central Sunshine Coast resort town. It also has an all-weather port which is not only home to a large trawling fleet, but the finishing point for blue-water sailing races from both Sydney and Auckland. With its international standard marinas and quality restaurants, Mooloolaba is a favourite anchorage for ocean cruisers and game fisherfolk. Surfers can also have their moments on the Mooloolaba waves or at nearby beaches such as Alexandra Headland, Coolum and Maroochydore.
Noosa Heads
Noosa Heads, set on the edge of Noosa National Park and Laguna Bay, is alive with international standard shops, restaurants and accommodation. Accommodation options range from budget backpacker establishments, units and apartments to the luxury of the Sheraton Noosa Resort. From Hastings Street, the centre of activity, visitors are only a short distance from the Noosa National Park, the Noosa River Everglades and Cooloola National Park. Day tours and 4WD expeditions to Fraser Island are also a popular option.
More information about the Sunshine Coast.
