Picking between which Australian coastal town to visit can be difficult given there are so many to choose from! Noosa in Queensland is the perfect trip, whether taking a trip from Sydney, Melbourne or another city, the coastline is stunning with too many activities to pick. Here are our 7 top picks of things to do if you are short on days, including Noosa National park and Noosa restaurants to visit.
Boutiques and markets
Boutique shops, market stalls, restaurants and bars, Hastings Street has it all. Hastings is situated in the centre of town, and well worth a visit if Byron and Bondi are your scene! It is a pretty hip place with plenty of boho vibes. Be sure to stop at Jojos, beautiful gypsy-style dresses and Samikar, a cultural gifts store with stunning silver jewellery pieces.
It can get pretty busy here, get here early to avoid the crowds, there is plenty of parking on the street or further down near Noosa Forest, also worth a stop with picturesque views over Noosa river.
Beaches Beaches Beaches
You will find Noosa main beach at the back of Hastings parade, a very pretty family-friendly beach with car park accessibility, due to its ease it can also get very busy in high season! For a little more 'off the track' head over to Sunshine beach for miles and miles of empty sands, worth the 15 minute drive out of town. Sunshine beach is a dog-friendly beach, you'll find them here playing in the waves and watching the surfers. The National Park walk is also accessible from here, you can join by the track by the large steps at the far end of the beach, you can't really miss them!
Take a Hike
Literally. There are a number of National park entrances, we did two different tracks on different days to experience both sides of the park.
Option 1 - Park up at the official National park which is a 5 minute drive from the main town (Hastings street). For those wanting a comfortable but scenic walk, this is perfect. Boarded with railings, there are a number of stops on the way to take a break and soak up the stunning blues, either from the walk or number of beaches on the way. You might even be lucky enough to spot a koala like we did on the way!
Option 2 - We parked at 'McAnaly road' there is a lot of free parking here, either on the road, or a small car park at the bottom before heading up the hill to this national park entrance. This is a tougher walk, the path is sand and surrounded by trees so be prepared to get a sweaty! Depending the track you take (there is a map at the beginning of the walk to help) you will eventually reach sunshine beach. Once up the large steps, continue walking and there are a number of small bays to hike down to.
Mount Tinbeerwah
Do you want a mountain summit all to yourself? We found one! Head over to Tewantin National Park, this is an easy climb suitable for all ages which has panoramic views from the top, with national park, green and ocean in all directions. The hike is 1km return in total, it took us around 15 minutes to reach the top. Once you hit the fire tower you know you're there, take a towel and set up for the evening with a picnic and few drinks to enjoy a spectacular sunset with a special person.
Eatery options
With so many to choose from, it really is hard to pick a couple spots. Our top spots we recommend is Betty's burgers with a must-try Massimo ice cream!
Gympie terrace has beautiful views overlooking the Noosa River with many restaurants along the promenade. Another couple of places to check out is Mrs Jones and I, and Lazy river, both looked like a great atmosphere and price was on point too.
Lake Weyba
A huge pool of still water, incredible at sunrise and awesome for a swim if the can brave the cold, also great for water sporting during the day. The airbnb we stayed at offered Kayak and canoe hire, unfortunately we ran out of time to take them up on this wonderful opportunity, but we were at least lucky enough to witness the sunrise every morning.
Australia Zoo
Australia Zoo is possibly the best zoo we have ever visited. Home of the famous 'crocodile hunter' a true tribute to Steve Irwin. There are numerous amazing shows throughout the day, a kangaroo 'walk through' where you can purchase and feed the kangaroos on the way, a chance to get up close with these incredible animals and their beautiful baby joeys.
Tickets will set you back $59 per adult, a portion of this goes towards funding national and international Conservation Projects.
As always all opinions are our own