The Sunshine Coast is a coastal region of Australia located in South East Queensland, north of the Queensland capital of Brisbane.
A distinctive feature of the Sunshine Coast is the Glass House Mountains which were named by Captain Cook in 1770. The region was popular with runaway convicts in early white settlement history and later developed a thriving timber industry. Gold prospecting is also a big part of the region's history.
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.
Winters are mild and summer is provided with cool sea breezes. The Sunshine Coast certainly earns it's name with there being plenty of sunshine all year round.
A couple of popular attractions include Australia Zoo, which is home of the famous Terri and Bindi Irwin as well as plenty of animals, and Underwater World, which hosts a wide range of underwater creatures.
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.
You should also travel inland from the coast, visiting the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland. There are some fabulous National Parks which you can visit, and some spectacular waterfalls and mountainous landscape.
Sunshine Coast, QLD Accommodation
Destinations within Sunshine Coast
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