Noosa Coastal Walk- Spending the Day in Noosa’s National Park
With tropical rainforest, swimming holes, sparkling coasts and extraordinary wildlife there’s more to explore in the sunshine state of Queensland and Noosa Coastal Walk is no exception!
Noosa is an Australian resort town on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Known for its surf, backed by cafes and boutiques and of course Noosa National Park.
There are lots to do in Noosa Nation Park, our favourite however is the Noosa Coastal walk that runs from Main Beach to Sunshine beach!
Here is everything you need to know to spend a day in Noosa National Park and doing the amazing Noosa Coastal Walk!
Noosa Coastal Walk- Spending the Day in Noosa’s National Park
Where to stay in Noosa
The resort town of Noosa is ideally located on the sunshine coast and it the perfect place for weekend getaways, family vacations and self-care retreats. There are some great accommodation options right in the heart of Noosa along Hastings St.
Our top pick is The Sebel, their Hampton’s inspired apartments are a stylish retreat to come home to after a day of shopping, soaking up the sun or indulging in Noosa’s café culture. They also offer different packages and discounted rates making The Sebel a great pick!
Getting there
Noosa is located about a 90-minute drive north of Brisbane. The closest airport to Noosa is the Sunshine Coast Airport which is around 30 minutes away. The airport has multiple daily flights from most major Australian capital cities.
Once you are in Noosa you can easily walk to the start of coastal walk in the National Park. You will start from Main beach and walk along the coast until you reach Sunshine Beach. See the map below.
About Noosa National Park
In 1962, when the Noosa Parks Association (NPA) was formed, the protected area was just a small landscape, it now covers more than 65,000 hectares, from the coastline of Rainbow Beach to the Noosa River.
The headland section of the Noosa National Park is one of Australia’s most frequently visited national parks and one of the easiest to access by foot from local areas, it’s popular with bushwalkers, nature lovers, families and surfers.
The park is very well organised with a Noosa Parks Gallery and Visitors Centre at the entry, as well as picnic areas, toilets and a number of well-marked walking tracks.
The main entrance is at the end of Park Road, we took the 13-minute walk from the end of Hastings Street although there is Car parking is available at the park entrance.
There are 5 different trails available in Noosa National Park. The Palm Grove Walk a 1.1km return hike, the Tanglewood Walk 8km return hike, the Noosa Hill Walk a 2.8km return hike, the Coastal Walk 10.8km return hike and the Alexandria Bay Walk 4.2km return hike.
We choose the wonderful coastal walk that has 5 highlights on the walking including Tea Tree Bay, Fairy Pools, Alexandria Bay and Hell Gates Lookout.
Main Beach
Start your morning with a yummy breaky at Blended, we fell in love with their Acai bowls and Almond Cappucino. They were spot on every time! What I also loved about a lot of cafes in Noosa is that they all use Bio Pak for their packaging. I am so about sustainable travel and even though I had my keep cup it was great to see so many businesses dealing with this huge problem of single-use plastic!
The Noosa Heads Coastal Walk which spans from Noosa Main Beach to Sunshine Beach is 5.4km and takes around 3 hours to complete. We completed it in around 4 hours, this was with a lot of photo stops and a swim at the fairy pools to cool off.
Ideally, you want to be starting in the morning, and don’t forget to pack your bag with sunscreen and a refillable insulated water bottle as the Australian sun can be very harsh. We also grabbed a couple of wraps from Coconut Head so we could have a picnic lunch somewhere in the park.
Editors Tip: Give yourself plenty of time to do the walk because there are numerous photo opportunities along the way! Also, don’t start too late in the day when the sun is the hottest.
Head to Noosa Heads and at the roundabout on Hastings Street turn right and follow the road to the end. From the surf life saving club to Noosa National Park entry is about 13 minutes. The walk is beautiful and if you are lucky you might even see whales at Little Cove Bay.
Once you get to the visitors centre, you can decide which route is for you. We choose the Coastal Walk, althought its one of the longest, it’s also the best!
Editors Tip: I would go to the toilet here. The other toilets are located at Tea Tree Bay.
Tea Tree Bay
The coastal walk although long is relatively easy. It is ideal families as there are great swimming spots in bays that are protected from large swell.
The best part of the walk is you can turn around and go back whenever you have had enough! From Noosa to Dolphin Point is an easy one-kilometre walk. To the fairy, pools are another 10 minutes and to Sunshine Beach is another 2km.
Once at Sunshine beach you can also opt to catch a bus back to Hasting St if you don’t want to walk.
As one of the top beaches in Australia its easy to see why Tea Tree Bay is a highlight on the Noosa coastal walk! The beautiful sheltered bay is a picturesque dream. Here you can take a dip or watch the surfers and take in the peace and quiet of the bay. Bordering the bay are the stunning lookouts at Boiling Pot and Dolphin Point.
The Coastal Track is paved until Dolphin Point which is just after Tea Tree Bay so if you have a stroller or those with reduced mobility can get access to Tea Tree Bay. After this, although well marked the track turns to dirt.
Editors Tip: The beaches within Noosa National Park are unpatrolled so be extremely careful when swimming and keep an eye on little ones.
Fairy Pools
Next up is my favourite part of the whole walk and maybe even Noosa. The fun little fairy pools! To get to the pool scramble down rocks off the eastern end of Granite Bay. While photogenic, these natural tide pools are a tourists magnet so they may not be as secluded as you had hope! Go early as possible and check the tide before you go!
Editors Tip: We went at the end of August which is still in Winter but had a beautiful day to enjoy the park. It also meant fewer crowds! So many of the coves and bays were deserted!
There are a few key lookouts along the walk, they all offer incredible views where if you are lucky you can spots turtles, dolphins and even whales! Don’t miss Boiling Pot (formerly known as the Witch’s Cauldron due to the surge of frothing water that bubbles into the bay), Dolphin Point and Granite Bay.
Wearing Bikini by Glassons
Hells Gate
Perhaps the most spectacular view on the whole walk is the one from Hell Gates! The dramatic scenery spans the coastline from Double Island Point and south over Alexandria Bay.
Hell Gates gets its name from the sandstone cave carved out by the harsh waves. The deep valley of the Gates sits on the edge of a headland, with infinite ocean views, here you can spot pied cormorant perch atop the various branches hanging about.
The area is also home to dolphins and turtles and we were also lucky enough to see whales! It’s truly a spectacular day!
Editors Tip: Visit from July to October to view the migrating whales.
Are you ready to do the Noosa Coastal Walk? What’s your favourite hike? Let us know in the comments below!
This post was in collaboration with AccorHotels. As always opinions, photos and ideas remain my own.
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There’s a certain charm and adventure to national parks with beaches. Not many boast of such a combination. Thanks for this lovely guide!
Noosa is a gem. Some lovely shots in there of a beautiful part of the Sunny Coast 🙂