Sunshine Coast & Noosa: Beaches, Bushwalks & Hinterland Markets

An hour and a half north of Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast is the bit of Queensland everyone means when they picture Australia and forget to actually visit. While the Greyhound buses barrel past on the way to Cairns, you've got a stretch of headlands, point breaks and rainforest hinterland that's somehow stayed low-key. Noosa is the jewel, but the whole coast rewards anyone willing to slow down for a few days.

Getting there and getting around

From Brisbane it's roughly 140 km to Noosa Heads, around 1 hour 45 by car up the Bruce Highway and the Sunshine Motorway. Buses run from Brisbane and the airport, but the coast is spread out and public transport between towns is patchy, so a car or campervan makes life far easier. If you're coming off the east-coast run, Noosa sits about 1,800 km south of Cairns, so it's usually the last big stop before Brisbane.

Base yourself in Noosa, Coolum or Mooloolaba depending on your budget. Noosa is prettier but pricier; the southern beach towns are cheaper and have a more local feel. Dorm beds in peak season (Dec–Jan) run $40–55 a night, dropping to $30–40 in the cooler months. Lock in a hostel early over summer because this is a domestic holiday hotspot too.

Local tip: the Sunshine Coast has a proper winter in July and August by Queensland standards — think 22°C days and cool nights. The crowds thin, accommodation drops, and the surf is often at its best. Don't write off the off-season.

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Noosa National Park

This is the headline act and it's free. The Noosa National Park coastal track hugs the headland from Noosa Heads out past a string of points — Boiling Pot, Tea Tree Bay, Dolphin Point — to Hell's Gates and Alexandria Bay. The full loop is around 10.8 km if you take the longer tracks, or you can just wander the first couple of kilometres to Tea Tree Bay and back.

A few things to know:

• Koalas are genuinely common in the eucalypts along the Tea Tree Bay stretch. Look up into the forks of the trees and go slowly.
• Alexandria Bay ("A-Bay") is the unofficial clothing-optional beach and a gorgeous, often empty stretch of sand.
• Start early. By 9am in summer the small car park at the entrance is full and parking back in Hastings Street is a nightmare.

The point breaks here — First Point, National Park, Tea Tree — are long, mellow right-handers that wrap around the headland on a good northerly swell. They're a fantastic place to learn or to log a longboard. Hire a board in Noosa for around $25–35 a day.

Surf, kayaks and the Everglades

If you've never surfed, the Sunshine Coast is forgiving. Noosa Main Beach is one of the few north-facing, protected beaches in the country, which means gentle waves and no rips on most days. Lessons cost roughly $65–75 for a couple of hours.

North of town, the Noosa Everglades is one of only two everglade systems on Earth, a maze of tea-coloured, mirror-still waterways through the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park. Kayak tours and self-paddle hire let you explore the reflections; full-day guided trips are popular and easy to book ahead.

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The hinterland: Eumundi, Montville and Maleny

Drive 20 minutes inland and the coast gives way to rolling green hills, waterfalls and tiny mountain villages.

Eumundi Markets

Running every Wednesday and Saturday morning, the Eumundi Markets are the original and best on the coast — 600-odd stalls of local crafts, street food, coffee and live music under the fig trees. Go on Saturday for the full scale, get there before 9am, and bring cash even though most stalls now take card.

Montville and Maleny

These hinterland villages sit on the Blackall Range with sweeping views back to the coast. Maleny is the more down-to-earth of the two; nearby Mary Cairncross Reserve has a short rainforest walk where you'll often spot pademelons. Kondalilla and Gardners Falls are good free swimming spots after a hike.

Australia Zoo

About 40 minutes south near Beerwah is Australia Zoo, the late Steve Irwin's wildlife park and still very much a working conservation operation. Entry is around $62 for adults, which isn't cheap on a backpacker budget, but it's a full day out with crocs, the Crocoseum show, snakes, koalas and the chance to actually get close to a lot of Australian wildlife in one place. A free courtesy bus runs from the Beerwah train station if you don't have wheels.

A rough 4-day plan

• Day 1: Noosa National Park coastal walk, surf or lesson at Main Beach, sunset on the headland.
• Day 2: Everglades kayak, afternoon swim at Sunshine Beach.
• Day 3: Hinterland loop — Eumundi markets (Wed/Sat), Montville, Mary Cairncross, a waterfall swim.
• Day 4: Australia Zoo, or chill on Mooloolaba beach before pushing south to Brisbane.

The Sunshine Coast isn't a tick-box destination, and that's the point. Give it three or four days, stay out of the car when you can, and you'll leave wondering why it isn't plastered across every backpacker's itinerary.