Each year we take the two hour drive up the coast, to visit the beautiful Sunshine Coast. I love where we live, and that we have access to so many great spots on the coast, and beyond. The Sunshine Coast has this great mix of places to eat, play, explore and shop, and of course swim, but then you can also head a little into the Hinterland and explore a whole new area. It’s magic!
Here’s how to spend 24 hours on the beautiful Sunshine Coast
EAT | Breakfast at Mooloolaba Surf Club
What’s a Queensland getaway without eating {or drinking} at a Surf Club? Well, it’s not a real getaway, that’s what! We popped down to Mooloolaba Surf Club to try their famous breakfast buffet, eaten while overlooking the beach. It didn’t disappoint. The array of food was the best I’ve seen for a surf club, and they even had a range of freshly baked pasteries. The kids loved that there was a kids room where they could play, and I loved that I could eat my breakfast without kids crawling all over me, or asking me to do twenty million things. It was an eating out jackpot!
DO | Visit and swim at Noosa Beach
Oh how I love Noosa! There’s something about it. It’s a little bit fancy, and a whole lot of relaxed. We stay in Noosa once a year, and it always makes me happy. I love the beach is mostly calm, and everything is in the one spot {it reminds me a lot of Hawaii}. I’m the sort of person who always likes to be doing something, so it thrills me that we can swim, and then eat, and then shop, and then pop back and swim if we like. I’ll just tell you right now, do not go into Noosa Juniors, because you will drop a crazy amount of money on all the cute kids stuff. Or do, and enjoy. I always grab a cossie for the kids, and it lasts years – as long as they don’t grow out of it.
EAT | Lunch at Betty’s Burgers
Betty’s Burgers and American Style burger spot, and is worth every calorie, and actually when you’re on holidays calories don’t count, so eat ALL THE DELICIOUS THINGS. I love the bunless burger, and the chicken burger, and the classic Betty. Actually, I haven’t met a thing on the menu that I don’t like, so dig in! Remember to finish with an ice cream from one of the many ice cream stores around, it’s the right thing to do.
DO | Play in the Rock Pools at Mooloolaba
My kids will spend hours looking through rocks for little creatures and exploring, so that’s exactly how we spent our afternoon on the Sunshine Coast. Mooloolaba has the perfect mix of beach, and rock pools, and then also grassy areas to relax and unwind as well.
EAT | Fish & Chips on the grass at Mooloolaba
There are loads of restaurants to eat at in Mooloolaba, but for our chilled out dinner we decided to go for the classic Fish & Chips on the beach. If you wanted to opt for something fresher, you could always head to the Fisheries for fresh seafood to cook at the apartment, or eat fresh on the beach.
STAY | Oceans, Mooloolaba
I sat in on Lulu and my niece’s class the week after we returned from this little trip, and it was news day, so the kids were talking about the holiday we had. The kids in the ‘audience’ asked, “What was your favourite thing?” And they both piped up, “The blinds went up and down automatically!” Man, show the kids a good time and they get most excited about the blinds in the hotel!
Oceans Resort was a last minute decision for us, and I didn’t know what to expect. What we got was luxury! It had amazing views, direct access to the pools, loads of space, high end finishes, a free-standing bath, and a shower with almost a million spouts and a VERY comfy bed. It was located right above the shops and cafes, and also directly opposite the beach, so we could walk wherever we wanted, and then back to our room to chill out or swim.
DO | Visit Maleny
After we checked out and were headed home, we decided to take a small detour into the Hinterlands to take a walk to see some waterfalls and visit Maleny Dairy. We took a short stroll at Gardners Falls, which is super small-child friendly, in that it’s only a 900m walk and the path is flat and totally walkable. The waterfalls are stunning, and we were so tempted to take a dip, but promised to come back and do that next visit.
After our waterfall walk, we popped into Maleny Dairies to check out the cows, cuddle their resident goat {so cute!}, and eat some dairy {fresh scones and cream, yes please!}. The kids loved chatting with the farmer and meeting the baby cows.
Have you been to the Sunshine Coast? How would you spend 24 hours there?
For more ideas, checkout Visit Sunshine Coast. I’ve also written about Noosa here and here.
