The ultimate guide to Noosa National Park

Not too many places can lay the claim of a national park within easy walking distance of the town centre—but that's just the start of what makes Noosa National Park so special. 

Spanning 2,883 verdant hectares, Noosa National Park incorporates the Noosa headland and areas around Lake Weyba, Peregian and Coolum. Its most popular walking tracks can be found along the Noosa headland, just a 30-minute wander from Noosa's centre, Hastings Street. Parking is available, but you will need to be early to nab one.

Noosa National Park Walks

Coastal Walk

There are five walks in Noosa National Park, with most connecting the Coastal Walk at some junction. If you're only game for one trail during your time in Noosa, make it the Coastal Walk. Hugging the coastline of Noosa Heads, this stunning loop circuit takes approximately four hours total (5.4 km each way). 

With the air scented with eucalyptus from the Head's eucalypt forest, make your way to the first lookout point along this Noosa National Park walk, Boiling Pot, before making your way on to Tea Tree Bay—one of Noosa National Park’s most scenic beaches.

After dipping your toes (or surfboard) in the surf, continue to the achingly pretty Dolphin Point where dolphins, turtles and whales (during the migratory season) are all regularly spotted.  If you’ve made it this far, push on to Hells Gates to be rewarded with sweeping views over Alexandria Bay, before one last spot along the Coastal Walk at Sunshine Beach—the perfect spot for a post-walk swim or surf.

Some choose to take the local bus back to Noosa from here, but you can return the same way to complete the full 10.8km. 

Tanglewood Walk (8.2km return)

For elevated views, follow the signs for the Tanglewood Walk at Hells Gate along the Coastal Walk, or start at the Noosa National Park Day Use area. It’s an 8.2 km return journey, but a great option to check out the inland pocket of rainforest and flourishing wildflowers just behind the coastline.

Palm Grove (1.1 return) and Noosa Hill Walk (2.8km return)

Palm Grove is an easy 1.1km return through a shaded thicket of rainforest accessed right at the entry to Noosa National Park at Noosa Heads, with the adjacent Noosa Hill Walk a pretty 2.8km return through the same patch of rainforest.

Alexandria Bay Walk (4.2km return)

The last of the headland walks can be picked up mid-way along the Coastal Walk, just south of Alexandria Bay, which follows a beautiful rainforest trail into Sunshine Beach village. This is a great option if you're tackling the full Coastal return walk, as you can pick up the trail just north of Sunshine Beach, making your return walk past Lion Rock with stunning vistas over the southern end of Alexandria Bay. The Alexandria Bay walk is also a great option to do on the reverse, having completed the Coastal walk in full one-way, before cutting back in through the rainforest track.

Explore lesser-known areas of Noosa National Park

Emu Mountain (1.1km return) and Hawkea Walks (2.4km return)

Noosa National Park is actually made up of three sections. While sparkling Noosa Heads is the most visited, Emu Mountain and Peregian are worth a wander, too.

Emu Mountain is an easy 1.1 km return walk with elevated views of the coastline. Red gums and she-oak line this rugged trail, and bonus, you're also treated to magnificent Glasshouse Mountains views. If you have the stamina; follow the 2.4 km Hawkea walk, which is signposted 400m into the Emu Mountain walk, for even more impressive coastal and hinterland views.

Ocean Beach Walk (1km return)

Finally, the Ocean Beach Walk will take you from Peregian to the beach through a mesh of casuarina, paperbark swamp and sedgelands. Pack your swimmers and a towel for a dip at the patrolled Peregian beach afterwards.

The flora and fauna of Noosa National Park

It might be hard to take your eyes off the beaches and ocean horizon, but don't forget to look up; Noosa National Park is teeming with native Australian plants and wildlife.

Brush box trees, eucalypt forests, banksias, she-oaks and giant kauri pines, and carpets of brilliant green coastal boobialla make for a beautiful backdrop to Noosa National Park.

The Coastal Track offers a box seat for whale spotting during the migration season, and it's not uncommon to see pods of dolphins year-round. If you peer into the clear water at Dolphin Point, Boiling Pot and Hell’s Gates, you might even spot a sea turtle or two.

Along the inland Noosa National Park walks, keep your eyes peeled for koalas and black cockatoos—if you’re really lucky you could even see an echidna scuttling through the undergrowth.

The best photo spots in Noosa National Park

Noosa National Park has so many incredible opportunities to capture a picture-perfect moment; from rolling turquoise waves to the local wildlife or a beach shot perfectly framed by a pandanus branch, the Sunshine Coast spoils any would-be photographer.

Boiling Pot and Dolphin Point are fantastic spots to snap dolphins, and the views of Double Island Point from Granite Bay on a clear day are incomparable.

But the jewel in Mother Nature's crown has to be Hell’s Gates. The deep cliff edges that resemble soaring gates sit right on the edge of the headland, with infinite ocean views on one side and the long sandy stretch of Alexandria Bay on the other.

Catch a break in a World Surfing Reserve

Surfing is a way of life in Noosa. So much so, that the region was officially recognised as a World Surfing Reserve in 2020.

Deciding where to surf in Noosa National Park? First-timers should try the calm waters of Little Cove; longboarders, First Point or Little Cove; short boarders, the open beaches for fast, clean waves; and Paddle Boarders, First Point or Nations. Tea Tree Bay is considered the most scenic, while Granite Bay is home to the biggest surf. If it’s windy, try First Point or Nations.

Another fantastic way to explore Noosa National Park is by kayak. Join a guided tour to learn the headland's million-year-old history, take in the gorgeous views of the coastline, and keep a lookout for dolphins and turtles.

Discover more of Noosa; plan your visit with this 48-hour guide.