Towns in Australia

Exploring Australia, town by town

Sunshine Coast QLD

Sunshine Coast

Postcode: 4560

The Coast begins at Caloundra, just one hour’s drive north of Brisbane and extends to Cooloola, the gateway to Fraser Island. It takes in tranquil hinterland including the Glass House Mountains, Blackall Range, Noosa Hinterland and the Mary Valley; as well as more than 100 kilometres of beaches stretching through the coastal towns of Caloundra, Kawana, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore, Coolum Beach, Noosa and Rainbow Beach. It’s holiday central for both couples and families.

The Sunshine Coast is the perfect mix of coast and country and the ideal place to relax and unwind.

Sunshine Coast starts just north of Brisbane and continues north along the Queensland coast until the magnificent Cooloola National Park. There are some great places to visit along this section of coastline, and some splendid National Parks which you can enjoy.

Heading north from Brisbane you will reach Caboolture, which is a small dairy town. Caboolture features several pretty lakes and parks, including the Centenary Lakes.

There are a couple of interesting and historic places to visit near here. The Abbey Museum offers various historical artifacts, while the Caboolture Historical Village hosts a number of historic buildings set within a beautiful bushland setting.

Continuing north along the Bruce Highway, you will drive through the spectacular Glass House Mountains. The Glass House Mountains features spectacular landscape scenery, as well as offering a number of fantastic walking trails.

Once you are past the Glass House Mountains, you can turn off of the highway and drive along the pretty coastal road, starting at Caloundra. Caloundra is a pleasant holiday destination, offering a couple of interesting museums, as well as some great beaches. There are some really good fishing spots around here, and if you enjoy windsurfing a good place to go is Bulcock Beach and Pumicestone Passage for various water activities.

Further north past Kawana Waters are the triple towns of Alexandra Headland, Maroochydore and Mooloolaba which make up the Maroochy region. North again, past Coolum Beach is Noosa which is popular amongst surfers.

North of Noosa are 50km of glorious beaches, called the Cooloola Coast. The beaches are backed by the Cooloola National Park (also called the Great Sandy National Park), and there is a small track running all the way through the park from Tewantin to Rainbow Beach. Along the route you will pass Lake Cooroibah and Boreen Point along the way, both offering a small selection of accommodation in perfect, relaxing settings.