Noosa and the Sunshine Coast is a great family holiday destination
When international visitors come to tropical Queensland in Australia, they frequently think of the Great Barrier Reef in northern Queensland or the Gold Coast in southern Queensland first. When Australians think of holidaying in sunny Queensland, they think of the Sunshine Coast. The Sunshine Coast is found in Central Queensland, about 70 miles (113km) north of the Queensland capital of Brisbane and 112 miles (180 km) from the Gold Coast. One of the great attractions of the Sunshine Coast is that, while it’s a well-developed region with lots of amenities for everybody, it is not overdeveloped. 265,000 residents call the 312,000 hectare area of the Sunshine Coast and its 40 miles (65 km) of beaches home. Why do they gravitate there from all over Australia and abroad? It’s because the Sunshine Coast has achieved a status for being one of the most attractive spots in the world to live. The Sunshine Coast stretches from Caloundra in the south to Noosa Heads at its northern edge. In between, the region is peppered with pleasant villages and suburbs, a lot of which, like Coolum, Peregian and Sunrise, end with the word “Beach.” The beach lifestyle is everywhere on the Sunshine Coast and the region is a haven for surfers and other ocean lovers who are attracted to its mild blue waters and great waves. Of all the beaches along the Sunshine Coast, Noosa is the most renowned. The town rests on the northern edge of Noosa National Park. It isn’t a large town, but it welcomes thousands of tourists every month of the year. They are lured there by its winning combination of excellent beaches, its magnificent National Park and its five star amenities. All of these attractions are within easy walking distance of the main street in town, Hastings Street. Hastings Street is usually cited as one of the most ideal tourist streets in Australia. It manages to have an posh “champagne set” ambiance at the same time it has a laid back Aussie surfer feel. For this reason, it is a popular place to hang out for all who visits Noosa. Still better, it runs parallel to Noosa Beach and is within a stone’s throw from the National Park and the famous waves of Noosa Heads. To say there’s something for ev