Sunshine Coast destination guide
The Sunshine Coast is a stretch of Queensland coast and hinterland north of Brisbane, which Tourism and Events Queensland, the state tourism body, puts an hour's drive from the capital. It describes 100 km of sandy coastline and the volcanic peaks of the Glass House Mountains, and names Noosa, Maroochydore, which it calls the urban centre, and Coolum. Visitors can fly into Sunshine Coast Airport at Maroochydore or drive about 100 km from Brisbane Airport, the body says.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) runs Noosa, Mount Coolum and Glass House Mountains national parks, and puts them at 160 km, about 115 km and about 70 km north of Brisbane respectively. Noosa has its own council, Noosa Shire Council, separate from Sunshine Coast Council, which owns the airport.
What to see and do on the Sunshine Coast
Noosa National Park
Noosa National Park covers the coastal scenery of Noosa Headland and nearby areas around Lake Weyba, Peregian and Coolum, and QPWS splits it into Headland, Peregian, Emu Mountain and East Weyba sections with separate access. Its walks include the Coastal Walk, Alexandria Bay Walk, Emu Mountain Summit Walk and Noosa Hill Walk, where QPWS says koalas are often seen. The first section of the Coastal Walk is a sealed path suitable for assisted-wheelchair access for 300 metres to Boiling Pot.
QPWS calls the main Headland car park very popular and busy, and says 4-hour regulated parking applies at the Headland section main entrance and the small Laguna Lookout car park. The beaches surrounding the park are not patrolled by surf lifesavers, and QPWS does not recommend swimming there. Mobile reception is not reliable in all areas of the park, including parts of the Headland section.
Mount Coolum National Park
QPWS describes Mount Coolum as a dome that rises 208 metres above the Sunshine Coast lowlands, with views of the coast and hinterland, and lists a lookout and walking, with no camping and no campfires.
Eumundi Markets
Eumundi Markets, at 80 Memorial Drive, Eumundi, open every Wednesday and Saturday, 7.30am to 2pm, all year round, rain, hail or shine, according to the operator as of October 2026.
Australia Zoo
Australia Zoo is on Steve Irwin Way at Beerwah.
Noosa Food & Wine Festival
The Noosa Food & Wine Festival runs from Thursday 17 June to Sunday 20 June 2027, according to the organiser, with a Festival Village, Signature Events and a Restaurant Series.
When to go to the Sunshine Coast
Tourism and Events Queensland calls the Sunshine Coast a year-round destination: summer and school holidays are peak season, and winter brings hiking weather and fewer crowds. It gives 21 to 28 degrees Celsius for summer (December to February), 17 to 26 for autumn (March to May), 10 to 22 for winter (June to August) and 16 to 26 for spring (September to November). It also gives July to October for humpback whale watching along the coast.
Noosa Shire Council's Go Noosa page promotes "sustainable and active transport options to help manage traffic congestion during Noosa's busiest holiday periods", and QPWS names Christmas and Easter as busy holiday periods at Noosa National Park.
Flying to the Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) is within 10 kilometres of the Maroochydore City Centre, with access to the Sunshine Motorway, according to the council; buses, shuttles, taxis and car rental are on the airport page.
The site's schedule data records direct domestic flights from Sunshine Coast Airport on the routes below, with the airlines recorded on each. Schedules change, so check with the airline before planning around a route.
| Destination | Airlines recorded |
|---|---|
| Adelaide | Jetstar |
| Cairns | Jetstar |
| Melbourne | Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin Australia |
| Sydney | Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin Australia |
Getting around the Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast Council says Kinetic (formerly Sunbus) runs frequent bus services for Translink throughout the coast, with timetables and maps on Translink. Contactless payment by credit or debit card or smart device for adult fares is available on Sunshine Coast buses except hinterland services, according to the council. Paper tickets cannot be bought on board a Kinetic bus but can be on hinterland services. The council asks passengers to check timetable connection times before travelling.
The council says Queensland Rail operates regular train services between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, and Tourism and Events Queensland says trains and buses run daily from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast.
In Noosa, QPWS gives the walk from Hastings Street along the seaside boardwalk to the national park's main entrance as 1 km, 30 minutes, and the Park Road entrance as a 1 km walk from platform 1 at Noosa Heads bus station. Bikes are not permitted on the park's tracks, and there are bike racks at the day-use area.
Glass House Mountains and Cooloola
Glass House Mountains National Park
The Glass House Mountains are intrusive plugs formed by volcanic activity and named by Lieutenant James Cook, and QPWS says they are listed on the Queensland and National Heritage Register as a landscape of national significance. Walking tracks lead through open forest to lookouts: visitors can walk around the base of Mount Tibrogargan or to the top of Mount Ngungun, and the Yul-yan-man track, from the Beerburrum and Tibrogargan trailheads, is a Grade 5 walk for people with rock scrambling skills.
QPWS describes the area as a special meeting place where many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people gathered for ceremonies and trading, and says it is considered spiritually significant, with many ceremonial sites still present and protected today. Because the mountains have high spiritual significance for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, QPWS asks visitors to be considerate and use only the walking tracks and lookouts provided.
QPWS lists the Mount Coonowrin section of the park as a restricted access area, declared in March 1999 under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, which it says effectively closes the area to public access in the interests of public safety, and says the Glass House Mountains "are not easy climbs". Rubbish bins are not provided in the park, and QPWS asks visitors to clean all soil off footwear, hiking poles, backpacks and other gear every time they enter and leave it. The Glass House Mountains Visitor and Interpretive Centre, which QPWS suggests visiting first, is at Settler's Rotary Park, Bruce Parade, corner of Reed Street, Glass House Mountains.
Cooloola beach driving
The Cooloola Recreation Area is part of Great Sandy National Park, and its Teewah Beach is 40 km of open beach that QPWS rates suitable for four-wheel-drive vehicles only.
Vehicle access permits are required in designated areas of the recreation area, the number plates of vehicles entering and leaving may be recorded, and QPWS sends a penalty infringement notice to the registered owner of a vehicle without a valid permit. The alerts listed on QPWS's Cooloola driving summary include one titled "Natural Sand Movement and access to Double Island Point", dated 5 December 2025 to 5 December 2026. QPWS asks drivers to read the Cooloola conditions report before they visit.
Fire ant biosecurity zones in Queensland
The National Fire Ant Eradication Program says fire ant biosecurity zones are in place across Queensland. Its rules apply to anyone who deals with equipment and materials that can carry fire ants, sourced from inside the zones, including soil, hay, mulch, manure, mining and quarry materials, turf and potted plants. The program's biosecurity zones page says the zones are reviewed and updated monthly and has an interactive map that shows whether a property is in them.
Sunshine Coast questions
Does the Sunshine Coast observe daylight saving?
No. Queensland does not observe daylight saving, and neither do Western Australia and the Northern Territory, while New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory do, according to the New South Wales Government.
When is whale season on the Sunshine Coast?
Tourism and Events Queensland gives July to October for humpback whale watching along the coast.
Can you climb Mount Coonowrin in the Glass House Mountains?
Since March 1999 the Mount Coonowrin section of Glass House Mountains National Park has been a restricted access area under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, which QPWS says effectively closes the area to public access in the interests of public safety. QPWS asks visitors to use only the walking tracks and lookouts provided.
Do you need a permit to drive on Teewah Beach on the Sunshine Coast?
Yes. QPWS requires vehicle access permits in designated areas of the Cooloola Recreation Area, lists Teewah Beach as a permit area, and rates it suitable for four-wheel-drive vehicles only.
When are the Eumundi Markets open?
Every Wednesday and Saturday, 7.30am to 2pm, all year round, according to the operator as of October 2026.
Can you swim at the beaches around Noosa National Park?
QPWS says the beaches surrounding Noosa National Park are not patrolled by surf lifesavers, and it does not recommend swimming there.