The Sunshine Coast is a gorgeous coastal region of Queensland north of Brisbane, stretching over 1,600km2 between Caloundra in the south and Great Sandy National Park in the north, home to approximately 380,000 people.
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport.
For thousands of years, the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara peoples lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived. The Kabi Kabi are the coastal people of the Sunshine Coast while the Jinibara are the mountain people.
The first European to sight this area, specifically the Glass House Mountains, was Captain James Cook in 1770 - as with much of this coastal area of Australia.
The first Europeans to make contact with the Aboriginals of the Sunshine Coast were actually four lost former convicts who lived with the Kabi Kabi for eight months in the 1820s; this paved the way for other convicts who escaped from Moreton Bay penal colony in Brisbane to run away here and live with the Aboriginals.
Most of the towns of the Sunshine Coast started developing in the 1850s for the timber industry. Once most of the lush forests had been cut down, the industry transitioned to fruit and dairy farming, especially sugar cane and pineapples. Tourism took off after the Second World War and soon became one of the most popular areas to move to.
We spent about a week exploring the Sunshine Coast area. Here is my complete guide:
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Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to the Sunshine Coast. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. On the Sunshine Coast, the traditional language of the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara peoples is Gubbi Gubbi and Dalla, respectively.
→ Learn more about the language of the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara peoples.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
Free WiFi is provided by the Sunshine Coast Council.
→ Find free WiFi on the Sunshine Coast.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. The Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane in Queensland, can get very hot and busy in the summer, especially around school holidays, and cool in the winter months. I recommend visiting in spring (September-November) or autumn (March-May) for pleasant, sunny days.
Length of stay: Across three visits, we spent about a week on the Sunshine Coast hiking, eating, visiting beaches, exploring the towns and enjoying the highlights of the region.
The Sunshine Coast is a gorgeous coastal region of Queensland north of Brisbane, stretching over 1,600km2 between Caloundra in the south and Great Sandy National Park in the north.
By flight: The closest major international airport to the Sunshine Coast is south in Brisbane, one to two hours away by car, depending on where on the coast you're headed.
There is also a smaller airport on the Sunshine Coast in Marcoola, connecting primarily domestically with Adelaide, Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney. It also has a few international flights to Auckland, Bali and Singapore.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to the Sunshine Coast is with your own wheels. The most popular way of exploring Australia is by camping - whether with a motorhome, campervan, caravan or a roof tent on top of a car. This gives you the ultimate freedom of going as fast or as slow as you like.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Brisbane.
You might want to start in Brisbane as your base for renting a campervan to explore Australia.
→ Rent a campervan in Brisbane with Apollo, Camplify, Indie or Juicy.
By coach: Both Flixbus and Greyhound run coaches between Brisbane and Cairns stopping on the Sunshine Coast. Both stop in Maroochydore and Mooloolaba; Flixbus also goes to Noosa.
By guided tour: There are guided tours available of the Sunshine Coast primarily from Brisbane if you prefer to go the guided route or don't have your own wheels.
→ Book a guided tour to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane.
By public transport: The Spirit of Queensland train runs between Brisbane and Cairns stopping on the Sunshine Coast including Caboolture, Landsborough, Nambour, Cooroy and Gympie.
Queensland Rail Network Map
The Sunshine Coast is a gorgeous coastal region of Queensland north of Brisbane, stretching over 1,600km2 between Caloundra in the south and Great Sandy National Park in the north.
There are some key towns in the Sunshine Coast in which you could base yourself to explore the region including, from south to north: Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore and Noosa Heads.
By bus: The Translink bus network around the Sunshine Coast is incredibly vast making this a super practical and easy way to get around, especially as each journey is just AUD $0.50!
→ Plan your trip by bus around the Sunshine Coast.
By car: If you have your own wheels, of course you can drive yourself around.
By Uber: Uber is readily available throughout the Sunshine Coast.
By guided tour: There are countless guided tours of all sorts across the Sunshine Coast available including cruises, kayaking, driving tours, snorkeling, biking, fishing, whale watching, food tours, winery tours, train rides and much more, no matter what you're interested in!
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options on the Sunshine Coast to suit any budget.
→ Check out all the accommodation options on the Sunshine Coast.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. The best way to find camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
We stayed at a mix of free and paid camping on the Sunshine Coast, each spot near various things we wanted to see. From north to south:
Where we camped on the Sunshine Coast
Tiaro Memorial Park is a free camp spot in the heart of Tiaro in a paved parking lot with a playground, toilets, free hot showers (!) and BBQs.
Wahpunga School Park is the closest free campsite to Noosa Heads located on quiet road just outside Kin Kin with toilets.
Hidden Valley is a sweet paid campground located on a working macadamia orchard in Maroochy River. They don't offer powered sites but they do have hot showers. You'll find a peaceful, quiet inland escape and most importantly, a resident emu! You must book in advance by texting or calling.
Hidden Valley
Little Yabba Rest Area is a free camp site in the Imbil State Forest next to a swimming creek with toilets. I can also really recommend doing the gorgeous hike through 150-year-old Moreton fig trees here.
Little Yabba Rest Area
Cruice Park is the closest free camping near the Glass House Mountains and Australia Zoo. This free campground is just outside Woodford. It's not much, just a grassy park with plenty of space to park up, but it does the trick for a night of free camping! There are also toilets and a playground.
Cruice Park
NRMA Lake Somerset is a fantastic paid campground located right on Lake Somerset with direct lake access and all the facilities you need including powered and unpowered sites, laundry, toilets, showers and bins.
We spent a week just hanging out here enjoying daily swims in the lake, going for runs around the vast property and spotting the many kangaroos that also call this campground home!
NRMA Lake Somerset
The Sunshine Coast has countless food options in its many towns - here are just a few ideas to get you started of places we ate at and enjoyed:
Noosa Heads
We had a quick and casual sushi lunch at Sushi Sushi, a takeaway spot right on Hastings Street serving up fresh, classic Australian sushi rolls. There are a few benches out front where you can sit to eat before carrying on with your exploring.
Make sure to stop by at Massimo's Gelateria for a sweet afternoon treat; they've been making their own authentic Italian gelato and sorbet since 1995.
We also had delicious coffee and pastries from Noosa Social, an espresso and wine bar on the quieter end of Hastings Street near the national park. We were a bit too late to try their breakfast menu but it looked yummy!
Sushi Sushi
Massimo's Gelateria
Noosa Social Espresso & Wine Bar
Mooloolaba
We went for brunch with a former colleague of mine from when I worked in Wellington (the capital of New Zealand) at their favourite local spot on the beach in Mooloolaba. The Booley does delicious brunch, including loads of vegetarian options.
Beerwah
Beerwah is located halfway between the Glass House Mountains and the Australia Zoo. We had amazing Thai food at Little Sukhothai, a really cute place with lovely service on the main road. We liked it so much, we went twice!
Across three visits, we spent about a week exploring the entire Sunshine Coast region. There are so many towns, beaches and inland areas to keep you going; here is what we got up to to get you started, written in geographical order from north to south:
Spend a day in Noosa Heads
Noosa Heads is perhaps one of the most famous destinations on the Sunshine Coast, a gorgeous beach town right on the coast.
Go for a walk along the beautiful Boardwalk Pass, go shopping on Hastings Street, grab something delicious to eat (check out my recommendations in the section above) and take in the view form Laguna Lookout.
→ Check out my complete guide to spending a day in Noosa Heads!
Boardwalk Pass
Laguna Lookout
Go hiking in Imbil State Forest
The Fig Tree Walk is a fascinating, easy wander in Imbil State Forest where you can walk alongside 150-year-old Moreton fig trees. It's situated inland along the Little Yabba Creek.
Check out the Fishermans Road Market
Every Sunday, the Fishermans Road Market opens up shop in Maroochydore featuring food trucks, coffee, plants, local stalls, farm produce, crafts, clothes and more.
Go for a walk and a swim in Buderim Forest Park
This gorgeous forest park in Buderim is home to a sweet little walking trail through the forest leading to a waterfall popular with the locals to jump in to and swim on a hot day.
Take a yoga class
The Sunshine Coast is a super health and wellness-focused region with countless healthy food options, surf spots and yoga and Pilates studios. It was such a treat to join a Saturday morning yoga class taught by my former colleague from New Zealand at Morning Light Studio, a gorgeous, light-filled spot in Mooloolaba.
Spend a day at Australia Zoo
Australia Zoo is one of the country's best-loved attractions, the world-famous zoo owned and operated by the Irwin family in Beerwah.
Australia Zoo is massive, far from its humble two-acre beginnings in the 1970s. Now reaching over 700 acres and with more than 500 staff, there is so much to see and do here. I recommend spending an entire day here.
Go hiking in the Glass House Mountains
Mount Ngungun is the only one of the Glass House Mountains which you can climb. The Glass House Mountains are made up of 12 volcanic peaks which formed approximately 20 million years ago, just south of the Sunshine Coast.
Hang out and swim at Lake Somerset
We spent a few nights camping right on the lake at the NRMA Holiday Park here however day visitors are also permitted to access the lake free of charge and without camping! The lake is so gorgeous and perfect for swimming in or boating on. You might also get to spot some of the resident kangaroos who also call this campground home.
There is a free visitor parking lot before the entrance to the camp and direct lake access available every day from 6am to 6pm (closing 5:30pm in winter from May to August).
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
