Day Trip To Noosa, Australia

We heard over + over again, “Noosa is the new Byron Bay.” That made me super excited, as I loved Byron Bay. Byron is on my top list of favorite places I’ve ever been to! However, as soon as we got to Noosa + walked around, we were like, “Nope, this definitely doesn’t give us Byron feels.” We wanted to keep an open mind — as we had planned for 8 days in Noosa!

After spending 3 days in Noosa (we ended up cutting our trip short — originally we were going to stay 8 days), I’d recommend a day trip if you are doing a Queensland roadtrip... but I would not stay in Noosa for more than 1 night. Don’t get me wrong — Noosa is beautiful, but it was too “resorty” for us. It felt very much like a vacation town that skewed towards older, domestic tourism… whereas Byron was a lot younger, international tourism with a free-spirit vibe that I just loved. Also, most of the food in Noosa was mediocre (other than the grocery store!)… which was a bummer.

That being said… the Noosa National Park was amazing AND the surf in Noosa is world-famous… so if you are interested in surfing, a Noosa day trip is a must. Here’s how I’d plan a day trip to Noosa…

Day Trip To Noosa, Australia

#1] Grab a coffee at Puncheur Coffee Roasters. Every adventure (or should I say day lol) needs to start off with a coffee, am I right? 😉 I loved their bulletproof coffee + green smoothie!

#2] Hike Noosa National Park: This was far + above the BEST part of Noosa. So many gorgeous beach views, lush trees, + it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll see dolphins (maybe even a koala?!). I recommend starting at Sunshine Beach + walking towards town. Do this hike first thing in the morning since it gets very crowed (+ hot!) It was a 4.2 mile hike point to point. We took at uber from town to get our car at Sunshine Beach. Once you’re in town, you can walk around to browse the shops + restaurants — there was nothing there that was a must in my opinion though.

#3] Drive around Noosa: I always love driving around a new town just to see it. Noosa has quite a few areas to explore — Noosa Heads, Hasting Street + Main Beach, Noosa Junction, + Noosaville. Noosaville has a river area that you’ll see on the drive!

#4] Go to a grocery store + grab food for a picnic. We loved both Organika + Belmondos. Both grocery stores had a cafe + prepared foods that you can bring for a picnic! If you would rather go out to lunch, we liked Jungle + Co. It’s a super healthy cafe with coffee, smoothies, wraps, bowls, etc.

#5] Get out for a surf. Noosa is known for having some of the best waves in the world. So if you’re into surfing, this is a must. Check out the surf spots here. Rent a board at Bernie’s Surf Hire!

#6] Beach time at Tea Tree Bay: Skip the “main” beach + head to Tea Tree Bay! This beach is magical (+ a great surf spot!). Plan to spend a few hours at the beach, just soaking in the vibe. Sunset is beautiful here, too. *Note: there’s no parking directly on the beach (which makes it so special + a lot less people!) — it’s about a 10 minute walk to the beach from the parking lot.*

#7] Go to dinner at Light Years: Light Years is an Asian Bar + Bistro ++ it was our favorite restaurant in all of Australia… + they have a location in Noosa! Get the beef rendang, kingvish ceviche, Asian greens, + lola poloma… so yum.

Pro Tips:

• How long? 1 day
• When to visit: Any time! Summer is December-February. We visited in late March + it was beautiful weather.
• I personally would not “seek out” going to Noosa— however, if you are driving by, it’s a great place to stop along the way + have a full day to explore
• If you are visiting on Sunday, go to the Noosa Farmer’s Market!
• Stay: If you are staying overnight in Noosa, there are a lot of super cute Airbnbs!

While Noosa wasn’t my cup of tea, there are plenty of people we talked to who loved Noosa — so keep that in mind. If you are into resort towns + want to spend all day relaxing at the beach, than Noosa might be the place to consider! The weather was beautiful I must say… + the golden sand + rolling waves were glorious ☀️

Love,
Elisabeth