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Sunshine Coast Travel GuideFamily friendly Sunshine Coast travel guide.Just north of Brisbane lies a stretch of coastline known as the Sunshine Coast. From Caloundra in the south to Fraser Island in the north and out to the scenic Blackall Ranges in the west, this beautiful part of Australia provides a great family holiday destination. There are hundreds of kilometres of magnificent beaches on the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island and the beautiful hinterland including the Blackall Ranges. There is plenty of family friendly accommodation available, from reasonably priced quality lodgings to world class resorts. Some of the attractions available on the Sunshine Coast include Australia Zoo, Underwater World, The Big Pineapple and Aussie World. The Sunshine Coast is about 1-2 hours drive north from Brisbane on the Bruce Hwy. This page contains facts about the Sunshine Coast, tips for families, and some places to visit. The accommodation page lists the family friendly accommodation available with details of family facilities available and a link to each resorts web site. Sunshine Coast Map Click here to view the Sunshine Coast map Getting There The Sunshine Coast is a one to two hour drive (depending where you're staying) from Brisbane along the Bruce highway. The Sunshine Coast has its own airport just north of Maroochydore and is about 1 hour 20 minutes from Sydney by air and just over 2 hours from Melbourne. The airport is serviced by Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar and Sunstate Airways. Bus services run frequently from Brisbane Airport to locations along the Sunshine Coast. The region is also serviced by Queensland Rail with the Tilt Train from Brisbane or Rockhampton. Travel to Maroochydore may be harder to secure at the cheap prices than to Brisbane, and with this and the larger number of flights to Brisbane, it may be worth while flying to Brisbane and hiring a car to drive up to the Sunshine Coast. Work out the price differences and allow around $50 a day for a car, and it may end up a cheaper alternative, especially when you take into account your transfers to and from the airport and attractions. You can check the airlines web sites: Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar. Webjet is a new service that allows you to compare flights and prices from each airline. Click here to visit the Webjet site. Transport To visit all the Sunshine Coast has to offer you'll probably need a car. Web Car Hire offers a service that compares the available options from some of the leading car rental companies. Click here for more information. Budget is renowned for meticulously maintained vehicles and the absolute best in service; Budget offers a wide range of cars, 4WDs, and minibuses, as well as Australia's largest fleet of trucks and commercial vehicles. Accommodation There is plenty of family friendly accommodation available on the Sunshine Coast. You can choose from 5 star luxury resort to basic apartment accommodation. Check our Sunshine Coast accommodation page for a listing of the family friendly resorts and hotels available. Booking accommodation online is now the norm, with most resorts offering an online booking facility. There are also numerous online travel companies where you can check resort facilities and accommodation types, check for availability and price, and book your holiday using a credit card. Quickbeds, operated by Flight centre, offers both year round and last minute accommodation with an easy to use search facility. Res Online is another service that offers an easy availability and price check at hundreds of resorts and hotels. For discount accommodation check the Hotel Club site and Rates To Go for last minute discount accommodation. Climate The Sunshine Coast enjoys a fantastic climate year round with one of the highest sunshine readings in the world (average from 6-8 hours sunshine each day). Summer temperatures range from a low of 20 degrees Celsius to a high of 30 degrees Celsius. It can get warmer away from the coast. Spring and autumn temperatures range from 14 to 26 degrees Celsius. Winter has a low of 10 and a high of 20 degrees Celsius. Beaches The Sunshine Coast offers a variety of beaches, from world famous surfing beaches to safe family beaches with gentle surf. Most of the main beaches are patrolled and netted. Some of the better beaches include Coolum, Mooloolaba, Sunshine, Maroochydore, and Noosa's main beach (north for surf, south for the kids). Bulcock Beach and Golden Beach (near Caloundra) are ideal for young children. At some of the beaches, you are able to hire equipment like umbrellas, boogie boards etc. Always swim between the red and yellow flags (half red/half yellow) and keep a safe eye on the kids. A plain red flag means no swimming and a plain yellow flag means caution. Attractions There is plenty to see and do around the Sunshine Coast. These are some of the attractions on offer: Australia Zoo (Beerwah) Home of the Crocodile Hunter this private zoo features crocodiles and other Australian native animals. Aussie World and the Ettamogah Pub (Palmview) Have a beer or meal in the pub then visit Aussie World with plenty of rides and attractions for the kids. Free entry. The Big Pineapple (Nambour) Find out everything you need to know about pineapples. The kids can visit the animal nursery or feed the kangaroos. A train ride takes you through the pine apple plantation. Free entry. Underwater World (Mooloolaba) Excellent oceanarium well worth a visit. Plenty of marine life to see including face to face meetings with sharks in the underground tunnels. A simulated underwater rollercoaster ride (for kids 7+) is included. Superbee Honey Factory (Tanawha) Sample the different types of honey or stroll around the grounds and visit Snow White, the house that Jack built or the Three Bears Cottage. Great for younger kids. Free entry. Nostalgia Town (Pacific Paradise) Take a ride on the Enchanted Rail or Alberts Incredible Time Machine. Other attractions include putt putt golf and car rides. Free entry. Sunshine Castle (Bli Bli) A medieval castle featuring a torture chamber and a doll museum with over 2200 dolls. Climb to the top of the tower (24 metres up). Ginger Factory (Nambour) Tour the world's biggest ginger factory. Taste the ginger in the Ginger Shop or visit the Ginger Factory to find out how the ginger products are made. Take a ride on the Historic Cane Train. Free entry. Forest Glen Sanctuary (Forest Glen) Drive through the animal sanctuary and hand feed the deer from you car window. Plenty of kangaroos and wallabies to feed and pat and koalas to cuddle. Eumundi Markets (near Noosa) Open every Saturday and Wednesday these markets offer a large variety of stalls from pottery to paintings, clothing etc, etc. Plenty of food stalls available and rides for the kids. Noosa Harbour Markets Open each Sunday morning these markets are much smaller than Eumundi. Much easier to walk around and plenty of stalls to pick from. Fraser Island The world's largest sand island with beautiful beaches, rainforests and freshwater lakes. Day tours of Fraser can be arranged from anywhere along the Sunshine Coast with pick up and drop off from your resort. Blackall Ranges Located just behind the Sunshine Coast with dense rainforests and majestic ranges. The mountain villages of Montville, Flaxton Mapleton and Maleny are famous for their local art and craft galleries, restaurants and beautiful scenery. Check out the Sunshine Coast Attractions review page to learn more about some of these attractions. Family Travel Tips The Sunshine Coast is not as centralised as the Gold Coast so you will probably need a car if you want to see all the region has to offer. Car hire can be arranged through the major hire companies and can be collected from Brisbane Airport on arrival. Bus transfers can be arranged from Brisbane Airport but are reasonably expensive (probably a couple of days car hire to get to your destination and back). If you can arrange a flight to the airport at Maroochydore you will save on bus transfers. Qantas fly to Maroochydore but VirginBlue only fly to Brisbane, however you are more likely to pick up cheaper air fares flying into Brisbane rather than Maroochydore. Expect to pay between $45 to $60 per day for car hire. We used Budget and had no problems. Some of the attractions offer free entry but once you get inside they can charge you plenty. Check out the Sunshine Coast Attractions review page for prices at some of these places and web site links. There are plenty of restaurants around the Noosa area but most aren't suitable for young children. Two that stood out were the Harbour Master restaurant at Noosa Harbour, Tewantin which offered $2 meals for the kids, colouring books and pencils and great food and Fatty's pizza and pasta restaurant in Thomas Street, Noosaville which provided the kids with paper and crayons, friendly staff (and pizzas). The Mooloolaba Surf Club is also worth a visit. Links Sunshine Coast Accommodation Sunshine Coast Tours & Attractions SunshineCoast Discount Accommodation |
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