About Us

Coast to Hinterland Tours is a Sunshine Coast Tour Operator incorporating storytelling, sightseeing, food & wine into customer-focused authentic day tours, transfers and minibus charter experiences.  

Mission

Deliver Sunshine Coast’s best travel experiences with unmatched safety, comfort and customer-focused service, every day of the week.

Vision

To strengthen our position as Sunshine Coast’s most desired Tour Operator that is respected and trusted by both partners and customers.

Values

We ensure Quality

We are Passionate

We are Constantly Improving

We are Customer Focused

Mark, Founder

I am a consummate organiser with a passion for tourism and travel. I’ve not only studied tourism but I’ve also lived it, having visited over 80 countries. Leaving Zimbabwe with my family at age 9, we settled in South Africa before migrating to Australia. After a brief stay in Perth, we settled in Townsville, where I finished school before completing an Associate Diploma of Business in Travel and Tourism. I began working for a local travel agency, before taking over its management. 

Taking a break from the travel industry I ventured into selling print media advertising, developing further my customer service skills. My passion for adventure ignited with the prospect of a working holiday; the UK opened its arms and welcomed me to its shores. I was immersed in travel, visiting over 50 countries during my time away. New jobs allowed me to further develop my organisational and leadership skills, and learn new skills that have become integral to Coast to Hinterland Tours.

Not content to stay in one location or one industry, an impulse decision saw me land in Shetland on the working side of the bar, sharing stories with locals and visitors, before returning to London in a new leadership role. This was another stepping stone, a chapter in a longer story. With my finger pointed the globe turned once more, this time stopping at Slovenia.

Soon work led me back to tourism; I became Sales & Customer Relations Manager for an online company selling travel packages throughout Europe. 4+ years later, I was back in London, planning my return to Australia.

Settling on the Sunshine Coast despite never having been here before was another challenge to be met. I had lived in 6 countries, one of them where I didn’t have the language, so how hard could it be? I found my feet before I had taken off my shoes, this was my new home; paradise.

Starting a business was the only thing to do. I had found paradise and wanted to share it with as many people as I could; and what better way to do that than to utilise all of my skills and experience to create a company that would allow me to do just that? So I created Coast to Hinterland Tours. My passion for adventure, my love of food, of nature, of where I live, this place was too good not to share.

My life has always been an adventure and I will continue to make adventure my life. The rest, well, it’s still happening.

Geoff, Senior Tour Guide

Geoff is a born and bred Queenslander from a small country town in the Central Highlands. Before settling on the Sunshine Coast Geoff worked extensively in a diverse range of customer service roles around Queensland, before jetting off to pursue his passion for travel, exploring the world, experiencing different cultures, and meeting new people. Since 2003 he has visited a total of 71 countries and lived in 4.  

In 2015, Geoff moved to the Sunshine Coast, choosing this region for its exceptional beauty, the fresh local produce, and the unique Sunshine Coast energy that draws people in. Not to mention the incredible scenery and the plethora of places to see and explore. Geoff fell in love with the beaches, the rainforest, the open fields, the hinterland towns, and how significantly the scenery can change over a short distance.

With so much diversity, Geoff has no single favourite place on the Sunshine Coast – every single place is his favourite for its own reason and there is not a single place on the coast that he wouldn’t go back to. When he isn’t at work Geoff enjoys exploring the Sunshine Coast through a range of hobbies including camping, hiking and cycling, as well as reading, cooking, writing, and travelling.

In 2018 Geoff’s experience and passion for travel and tourism, the Sunshine Coast, meeting new people, and providing an exceptional customer experience all came together when he welcomed the first customers to Coast to Hinterland Tours.

Despite spending so much of his time travelling the Sunshine Coast, Geoff still loves meeting customers and showing them around the area, sharing the region’s history and stories, and taking in the scenery and venues that make up the tours. He is truly passionate about his work and never tires of driving around, showing off the slice of paradise that is the Sunshine Coast.

Jan, Tour Guide

Having been a school teacher for over 40 years, both in Australia and the UK, you could say I am experienced with handling situations and people – both big and small.

After living and teaching on the Sunshine Coast for many years, a quest for ‘seeing the world’ saw me pack up my life and head off with nothing more than a bag of clothes. The two years I’d planned to stay soon turned into twelve as the travel bug had taken me to explore and experience 27 different countries.

With retirement from teaching in England, home on the Sunshine Coast was calling, which is where I found a new career – tour guiding. This was ideal for me  – giving me the opportunity to share the delights of interesting places with a coachload of tourists – meeting new people and being instrumental in giving them an enjoyable experience. Initially I worked for tour guiding companies, meeting cruise ships docking in Brisbane and Mooloolaba. Through this line of work I developed an indepth knowledge of places, while using my organisation skills of managing group travel.  Taking a coachload of elderly cruisers is not dissimilar to a group of school kids, except they take longer to load on board!

When the pandemic put paid to that scheme, I looked for a new outlet for my guide experience and found it in coach tours. Touring locally on the Sunshine Coast means I can share my knowledge of and passion for the special places I love right on my doorstep.

Being part of the CTH team means I can share my enthusiasm for the Sunshine Coast and help to fulfill customers’ desire for a happy and meaningful day out.

Peter, Minibus Charter Driver

London born Peter Hay emigrated to Australia in 1973. When he tired of corporate life he escaped to the Sunshine Coast in 1978 for a fresh start. Here he fell in love with the magnificent weather, the openness and outdoor lifestyle, and the happy, relaxed locals and tourists who can always be found enjoying life on the coast.

Over the course of his lifetime, Peter has travelled extensively, visiting over 46 countries across Europe, Asia, and America, including a six-week road trip through Afghanistan. Whilst he is more of a homebody these days, he has enjoyed working in tourism on the Sunshine Coast for many years, both in tourism-related retail positions and as a driver for tours of the area.

Peter enjoys meeting a diverse range of people through work, from locals to visitors from all over Australia, to tourists from all across the globe, as well as driving through the stunning scenery of the Sunshine Coast. His favourite part of the Sunshine Coast is the gorgeous hinterland. Peter particularly enjoys visiting the charming hinterland towns of Montville (home to enchanting art galleries, exquisite vineyards, and Chocolate Country) and Maleny, which boasts breathtaking views and delicious local produce including cheese and wine. He described the drive between the two towns as the most scenic on the entire Sunshine Coast.

Having lived here for over 40 years, and with a true passion for the region, Peter is an ideal driver to show you around the area.