There are more than 30 beautiful beaches on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland between the towns of Caloundra, Maroochydore and Noosa. I grew up in Brisbane, so have spent a lot of time on weekends and holidays on the Sunshine Coast while I lived in Queensland. I moved away, to Melbourne & then New York, but recently spent some time revisiting beautiful Sunshine Coast beaches on a trip home to Brisbane in January.
Planning a trip to Queensland? Read my Queensland Travel Guide
I acknowledge the Gubbi Gubbi and Wakka Wakka peoples as the First Nations owners of the lands now recognised as the Sunshine Coast. I pay respect to their Elders, lores, customs and creation spirits. I recognise that these lands have always been places of great natural beauty, culture and community.
Swimming at beaches on the Sunshine Coast
Only swim at Patrolled Beaches, even if you’re a strong swimmer. Rips and fast moving currents are very powerful but difficult to spot. Currents in Queensland are nothing like swimming in the calm waters of the Mediterranean. There are plenty of patrolled beaches on the Sunshine Coast, so there’s no reason not to use them. Support the local Surf Life Saving Club by having lunch at the club after your swim.
International friends, remember not to swim on a full stomach and avoid getting a full body sunburn by wearing SPF 50+ sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and if you’re at the beach in the middle of the day, a shirt. The best time to hit the beach in Australia to avoid the worst of the heat is early, before 10am or after 3pm (before before dusk). I’m a big fan of a 5:30 or 6:00am ocean swim when I’m on Queensland time!
Kings Beach, Caloundra
Kings Beach is Caloundra’s main surfing beach and home to the Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club. It’s one of the most beautiful beaches in Caloundra, and when we visited was busy with surfers and families. There’s an oceanfront saltwater pool and rockpools at Kings Beach too, which makes it a popular family holiday destination.
After your swim, have lunch at the Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club or on the deck at the recently renovated King’s Beach Tavern.
Moffat Beach, Caloundra
Moffat Beach in Caloundra is a bit quieter, more sheltered and has more of a laidback vibe with fewer discernible tourists. Moffat Beach isn’t patrolled, so if you’re planning to swim it’s better to head around the corner to Kings Beach.
We had coffee & brunch at The Pocket Espresso Bar, which is a beautiful, lively cafe with a shaded back garden. The food & coffee was great!
Dicky Beach, Caloundra
Dicky Beach is a beautiful Sunshine Coast beach past the Caloundra Headland, patrolled by the Dicky Beach Surf Life Saving Club. It’s a lot quieter than Kings Beach and tends to be used more by locals than tourists. It’s such a beautiful spot!
Ballinger Beach, Caloundra
Flowing from Dicky Beach, Ballinger Beach Park is a pretty beach that backs onto some parkland, near Currimundi. It wasn’t patrolled the day we were there, so it’s better for a beach walk than swimming.
Yaroomba Beach, Maroochy
A beautiful beach best enjoyed from the lookout and picnic area at Point Arkwright. Yaroomba Beach is very beautiful, but has permanent dangerous rips. If you’re planning on swimming, head to the patrolled beaches at Marcoola and Coolum.
Yaroomba Beach is back by residential developments, and will soon be home to a new Yaroomba Beach development, which includes a five-star Westin resort. Thankfully, the development is set back from the beach.
Mooloolaba Beach, Maroochy
Mooloolaba Beach is the safest beach on the Sunshine Coast, and as a result it’s also one of the most popular. Mooloolaba Beach is home to a surf life saving club, caravan park and lots of holiday apartments, and a developed strip of shops, cafes and restaurants. Mooloolaba Beach is a beautiful spot, with views of the Glasshouse Mountains in the distance and a deep, sandy beach.
Finding a car park in Mooloolaba in summer is difficult and frustrating, so prepare to arrive early or spend a little bit of time circling around, and parking further away from the beach.
Peregian Beach, Noosa
Peregian is a lovely area with four patrolled beaches. Peregian Beach village has a number of shops, cafes and apartment residences, with a nice low key vibe.
Sunshine Beach, Noosa
Sunshine Beach is one of the most expensive addresses on the Sunshine Coast, home to footballers, movie stars and multi-millionaires (or at least, their holiday houses). It’s a lovely beach, and the people watching at the Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club is something else – even if it feels more like Sydney than the sweet, laidback Sunshine Coast.
Noosa Beach, Noosa
The most famous of all of the Sunshine Coast beaches, Noosa Main Beach is a beautiful beach and cove, backed by a boardwalk, cafes and bars of Hastings Street, and the stunning Noosa National Park. I wish Noosa wasn’t quite so over developed, but thankfully Noosa National Park preserves a pocket of calm.
I’d visit Noosa Beach early in the morning, before it gets really crowded. Noosa, like Byron Bay, is a small town that swells with interstate & international tourists year-round these days, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for some peace and quiet. However, it’s still one of the Sunshine Coast’s most beautiful beaches.
Planning a trip to Australia? Check out the Most Beautiful Beaches in Australia
What’s your favourite beach in the world? Have you been to any of these Sunshine Coast beaches?
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