Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast was officially named in 1966 to compete with the Gold Coast brand to the south. Its character is fundamentally different: lower density, less neon, more focus on natural beaches and hinterland villages. The main coastal towns from south to north are Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore, Coolum, Peregian, and Noosa.

Noosa is the most famous and most upmarket. Noosa Heads has the headland walk through the National Park (one of the few places in Australia where you can walk past wild koalas in the trees overhead) and the surf break at First Point. The main street, Hastings Street, is the heart of the dining and accommodation scene.

Mooloolaba and Maroochydore are the busier family beach destinations, with patrolled swimming beaches, the Sea Life aquarium, and a long beachfront promenade. Caloundra has the calm waters of Pumicestone Passage and a series of small surf beaches.

The hinterland (Maleny, Montville, Mapleton) sits 30 minutes inland in the Blackall Range, with cooler air, art galleries, sourdough bakeries, and views back over the Glasshouse Mountains. Eumundi (between the coast and the hinterland) hosts the famous Eumundi Markets every Wednesday and Saturday morning.

The Sunshine Coast is a 90 minute drive from Brisbane, or a short flight to the Sunshine Coast Airport in Maroochydore.