The Sunshine Coast is an idylic regional city in Queensland Australia. While the region is not as well known as Brisbane, the Gold Coast and other cities, it does attract tourists who want a relaxing break or a romantic weekend away. While skyscrapers dot the landscape, the coast has not lost its charm. Tourists can still travel to magical places such as the Sunshine Coast all year round.
Once a thriving regional town, the Sunshine Coast has become a bustling city in its own right. While the region has grown exponentially, there are some hidden gems which are well worth visiting.
Must Do
The Ginger Factory show cases the region’s ginger plants and products throughout the year. Children will delight in the local attractions as they travel around the grounds on a nineteenth century train. There are special shops for children to explore and admire the quality, hand-made toys when they are allowed to do so. Create a gingerbread man with icing and smarties before eating or saving it for another day.
The Superbee is a great place to visit because it teaches people about bees, their behaviour and the different honey flavours for everyone to try. There are special bee tours which allow people to experience their secrets for themselves.
Mooloolaba and Noosa provide beach lovers with all the sun, surf and golden sand they could imagine. Shoppers will enjoy the clothing, book, toy, gift and other stores before or after swimming in the crystal blue ocean. Enjoy a delicious breakfast as you allow the cool salty air to engulf you.
What do you like best about your city?
The mountains are breath taking and they provide people with a superb contrast from the shops, beaches and city suburbs. The lush, green landscape and animals encourage people to travel to the region again. People can sit on the sand, on the grass or at one of the many tables and eat fresh fish for dinner. Families can travel to the region knowing there are plenty of parks where their children can play.
There is a community atmosphere few cities can match. People are willing to help local and international tourists as they travel around the region for professional or personal purposes.
Best Walk
There are various trails for people to take advantage of depending on their interest and fitness level. Mooloolaba provides people with the best experience because people are able to travel to the lighthouse at their own pace. Tourists and locals alike can stop to photograph the unique wildlife during their sojourn. There are some amazing bush trails in Noosa and its surrounding Hinterland town.
Best Restaurants on the Sunshine Coast
There are a wide variety of restaurants to choose from depending on people’s tastebuds and budget. Seafood lovers will experience sumptuous smorgasbord of prawns, crab, clams, lobster and other culinary delights.
Red Sea Restaurant, Ocean Ended and Sails Beach Restaurant are a few of the best establishments on the coast. Italian establishments such as Bella Venezia Restaurant and Bar as well as Amici Restaurant Pizzeria provide people with the best quality food and customer service the region.
There are plenty of Indian and Thai dishes to spice up people’s holiday experience. Restaurants such as Magic of India, India Today Caloundra, Pum’s Kitchen and Spirit House, provide people with a world they never experienced before. Sample all kinds of delicious ingredients as you admire the water or a spectacular green scene.
Best Music/Festival
Few people appreciate the wide variety of music on the coast; however, there are a wide variety of genres from blues to electronic funk and everything in between, there is sure to be something for everyone. Local people want to cling onto the city’s regional roots as its Annual music festivals testify. The Gympie Music Muster encourages people to experience the real Australia. Country Australia encourages tourists to experience the bush and its talented people for themselves. Maroochy Music and Visual Arts Festival show cases the best physical and musical creations in the city’s hub.
Caloundra Music Festival, Jungle Love Festival and Big Pineapple Music Festival provide artists with the opportunity to perform before local and international audiences during the year.
Best Day Trip Out of the City
The Sunshine Coast Hinterland provides tourists and locals with the chance to travel around Mapleton, Montville, Maleny as well as Flaxton whenever they wish. The quaint towns are well worth visiting as they provide people wtih a taste of the mountains and their inhabitants. Beer lovers will delight in the chance to taste some of the hinterland’s special brew when they travel to Pomona, Cooroy and Kenilworth or any of the Hinterland towns in the region.
Something that not many travellers would know about the Sunshine Coast
There are strange facts about the Sunshine Coast which few people know about. They range from nurses who heard loud noises coming from the toilets in Nambour Hospital to Indigenous place names and their meaning as well the fact it took eight years to decide on the city’s name.
Nambour is probably the least known town, yet locals claim it is now one of the trendiest towns in the region. Nambour is still a services town; however, there are more coffee shops and boutiques than ever before.
Strangely, the Sunshine Coast is known for its health spas, organic produce, yoga classes and other well being businesses. The Big Pineapple is no longer the popular tourist attraction it once was. Management had to find creative ways to keep the state’s once thriving business alive for future local and international tourists to appreciate.
The Sunshine Coast is not as well known as Brisbane or the Gold Coast; however, it is a place where local and international tourists can travel to all the hidden gems in the region. The hinterland towns, beaches, shops, cafes, festivals and popular tourist attractions, provide people with a unique holiday experience. Let known facts such as those mentioned above provide people with the chance to embrace the heart of the city and its local community.
