Not all beaches on the Sunshine Coast are crowded. And with over 35 to choose from, they offer a choice of surf beaches or calm bays with clear, inviting, warm water; most are patrolled by surf lifesavers.
There is enough space for everyone to stretch out on the sand, enjoy beach sports, swim, SUP, body surf, or jump on a board and ride some waves back to the shore.
For those keen on surfing or learning to surf, the longest beginner waves in Australia can be found at Double Island Point north of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
A few of the Sunshine Coast’s best beaches worth exploring are Mooloolaba Beach, Kings Beach, Coolum Beach, and Bulcock Beach. If you are heading to Noosa National Park in Queensland, you can even explore the pristine beaches of Tea Tree Bay, Little Cove and Alexandria Bay.
You don’t have to look far to see people who love to surf or are eager to take surfing lessons. You might also have noticed lifeguards keeping a watch from the lifeguard tower.
Coached by experienced surfers from Sunshine Beach Surf Club and other surf schools along our coastal region, water is in our blood.
On Sundays throughout the warmer months (yes, we do have seasons, though, for visitors, it is often hard to distinguish between them), large groups of our children take to the beautiful Australian beaches as part of Junior Lifesaver groups (Nippers) hosted by the Surf Lifesaving Clubs; learning lifesaving and surf safety skills.
Their training doesn’t end there, with a high percentage becoming Surf Lifesavers in later life.
Perhaps take a moment to stop by one of the Surf Clubs and see our children having fun on the beach and in the water while learning vital lifesaving skills that will be with them for life.
It’s not just the surf and the sand; Australian beaches are also equipped with first-rate recreational facilities that often include beachfront parks, children’s playgrounds, undercover barbecue and picnic areas, toilets and showers and plenty of parking just a few steps from the sand.
Sunshine Coast’s best beaches are set up for you to enjoy the ultimate, hassle-free beach getaway. One of our national pastimes is having a barbecue, which you can experience for yourself. You supply the meat, salads and drinks, and we supply the FREE barbecue to cook on.
Push the button, wait a couple of minutes and start cooking. What could be simpler?
Maybe you want to immerse yourself further in our beach culture.
Perhaps you would like to join in with the many locals who like an early morning coffee and a seat and watch as life goes around.
Watch people out enjoying the sunshine, walking a path or along the sandy beach, joggers and owners walking their dogs, skateboards and bikes going by the coastline. The activity begins before the sun rises, with the first surfers finding waves, and it continues well after dark with skaters refining their skills at the skate parks.
If you are out during the day, we encourage you to stay safe on the beaches and in the sun, as we regularly have an extreme UV (Ultra Violet) index, and it doesn’t take long to burn.
Another way to enjoy our beaches is beach driving along one of the longest beach drives in the world, connecting Noosa to the Gympie region (Rainbow Beach).
With the Pacific Ocean on one side and coastal dunes and Australian bushland on the other, few words adequately describe the thrill of beach driving. This Sunshine Coast beach passes through two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, the Noosa Biosphere and the Great Sandy Biosphere, providing you with an unparalleled beach driving experience.
It is along this drive that you can often see pods of dolphins, turtles, manta rays, sharks, and Humpback whales (June – October), a myriad of birdlife, stunning natural scenery that includes pristine beaches and Coloured Soft Sand with over 40 different colour shades.
If you are wondering what to do on your next holiday or this holiday, look no further; the best beaches on the Sunshine Coast are nothing short of magic, and we truly enjoy sharing them with you.
Being at the beach and playing in the waves is an amazing amount of fun. And they are the main reason many of us are at the beach in the first place.
But they can be one of the shoreline’s biggest hazards despite being a patrolled beach. This is because assessing the beach conditions can be quite challenging.
Spend a few minutes checking out the waves before diving in to see what kinds of waves you’re dealing with on the day to ensure beach safety. These are the wave types you will encounter on our beaches.
This type of wave curls over and crashes down, often onto a shallow sandbank.
This type of wave never really breaks; however, it can surge a long way up the beach, knocking you off your feet.
It is a good idea when you are thinking of going into the water to follow the below for a safe swim:
Dive in the waves with your arms in front of your head to avoid injuries.
Always keep young children within arm’s reach.
Don’t turn your back on the sea.
Always swim between the red and yellow flags.
Swimming between the red and yellow flags means swimming in the safest area, as it is a patrolled beach. It also means that you will be away from any of the rips that might be along the beach. This ensures better beach safety.
A rip current is a strong current that is localised and narrow and moves directly away from the shore. It cuts through the lines of breaking waves like a river running out to sea and is strongest near the surface of the water.
They often appear as dark, relatively calm channels between the white breaking waves. One of the things that make rip currents so deceptive is that they can look like the safest place to swim. But these dark channels actually indicate fast-moving strong currents moving out to sea.
70% of people who think they can spot a rip current can’t.
They’re dangerous because people can become exhausted trying to swim against rip currents back to shore, or they can push inexperienced swimmers out into deep waters where they can’t stand up. Here are some tips if you do get caught in a rip.
your body is naturally buoyant and the current is not going to pull you under
Float and raise your arm if you need help
If you feel confident, swim parallel to the shoreline towards the white water, where it will be shallower and the waves will help you get back to shore
Do NOT try to swim against the rip straight back to the shore
