Things to Do in Eumundi, Sunshine Coast: The Local Guide

# Things to do around Eumundi and the Sunshine Coast: the local guide

Eumundi is a useful base for exploring the Sunshine Coast’s contrasting landscapes, but the best outings are spread well beyond the town itself. This guide focuses on worthwhile day-trip options across the coast and hinterland: rainforest walks, ocean headlands, calm-water foreshore parks and lookouts over the Glass House Mountains. They are not all close to Eumundi, so choose by the kind of day you want rather than trying to fit everything into one itinerary.

For a straightforward combination of walking and swimming, look towards Noosa. For rainforest and hinterland scenery, Montville, Maleny and Tanawha are the stronger choices. The southern coast offers family-friendly waterfront parks, while the Glass House Mountains provide some of the region’s most memorable views.

The Noosa coast: beaches, headlands and river air

Noosa National Park

Noosa National Park is one of the most accessible major walks on the Sunshine Coast. Its eastern end begins at the headland near Hastings Street, so you can move quickly from the cafés and beach into gum forest, coastal scenery and ocean lookouts. Entry is free, and the coastal track is the main reason to visit.

The walk follows the cliffs past bays and rocky coves, making it a good choice when you want a proper coastal outing rather than simply a swim. The setting changes as you go, from sheltered sections near the beaches to more exposed headland views. Allow time to stop at the lookouts instead of treating it as a walk to rush through.

Hell’s Gates

Hell’s Gates is one of the standout points on the Noosa National Park coastal walk. Here, the headland meets the open ocean, with surf breaking against the rocks and broad views along the coast. It is a dramatic counterpoint to the calm, north-facing water at Noosa Heads Main Beach.

Reaching Hell’s Gates is part of the appeal: it is an outing within the national park rather than a drive-up lookout. Wear shoes suited to a coastal walking track, and treat the cliff edge and crashing surf with care. It is best for visitors who want the wildest scenery in the Noosa section of this guide.

Noosa Heads Main Beach

Noosa Heads Main Beach is the easy, central beach option. Its unusual north-facing position creates a gentler, calmer setting than many open-ocean beaches, while its location at the end of Hastings Street puts swimming, cafés, boutiques and the national park close together.

That combination makes it particularly practical for mixed groups: one person can swim, another can walk along the sand, and the whole group can continue into town or towards the national park. It is a better fit for a relaxed beach day than for dramatic surf scenery.

Noosa Spit Recreation Reserve

At the northern end of Noosa Heads, Noosa Spit Recreation Reserve sits around the Noosa River mouth on Claude Batten Drive. It offers a different kind of waterfront experience, with open parkland, calm river beaches and walking paths. The reserve is also known for its off-leash dog beach, making it a useful option for visitors travelling with a dog.

Choose the Spit when you want space and flexibility rather than the concentrated holiday atmosphere of Main Beach. The river setting is more sheltered, and the reserve works for a walk, a picnic or a few hours beside the water. Check local signs and restrictions if you are bringing a dog, particularly around the beach and shared areas.

Hinterland walks and gardens

Kondalilla National Park

Kondalilla National Park, near Montville and Flaxton, brings a cooler, greener change of pace. Its centrepiece is Kondalilla Falls, where a creek drops over the edge into rainforest. A circuit walk leads through towering trees and ferns, with a rock pool adding to the appeal of the setting.

This is the pick for a proper rainforest walk and a stronger sense of being away from the coast. The falls and dense vegetation give the park more atmosphere than a simple picnic reserve, while the circuit makes it possible to experience several different sections of the landscape. Take care on the walking sections and allow enough time to enjoy the forest rather than focusing only on the waterfall.

Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World

Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World combines landscaped gardens, sweeping Glass House Mountains views and a large walk-through aviary. The attraction is the variety: it offers cultivated gardens and scenery as well as a close-up wildlife experience in Bird World.

It suits a slower hinterland day, particularly if your group includes people who want gardens and views rather than a strenuous bushwalk. The Glass House Mountains backdrop gives the visit a strong sense of place, while the aviary adds something more interactive than a conventional botanic garden. Give yourself time for both parts instead of treating it as a quick lookout stop.

Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden

The Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden is in Tanawha, behind Maroochydore, and showcases local native flora through landscaped gardens, rainforest and natural bushland. Its strength is the way the designed areas blend into a broader bush setting.

Visit when you want a peaceful, plant-focused outing without committing to a coastal walk or mountain climb. It is also a useful choice for seeing a different side of the Sunshine Coast: not just beaches and panoramic lookouts, but the native landscapes behind the urban strip. Bring time to wander through the different planting and bushland areas rather than expecting one single headline attraction.

Big views: the Glass House Mountains and beyond

Glass House Mountains Lookout

The Glass House Mountains Lookout offers a broad view across the distinctive volcanic peaks rising from the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The mountains were named by Captain Cook as he sailed past in 1770, and their isolated, sharply defined forms remain one of the region’s most recognisable landscapes.

This is the most direct choice for seeing the whole cluster in one panorama. It works well for visitors who want a memorable landscape without making the day solely about a long walk. Go for the relationship between the peaks and the surrounding plains: the lookout explains why this part of the hinterland feels so different from the coastal strip.

Wild Horse Mountain Scenic Lookout

Wild Horse Mountain Scenic Lookout provides another high-level view of the Glass House Mountains, as well as the coast and surrounding country. The approach is a short but steep sealed track leading to a former fire-spotting tower, so the visit is compact but not completely effortless.

It is a good option when you want a big panorama and are happy to trade distance for incline. The reward is a 360-degree outlook, with the volcanic peaks providing the visual focus. Allow for the steep walk on the way up and down, and choose it when clear views matter more than a leisurely garden or park visit.

Mount Coolum National Park

Mount Coolum National Park protects the distinctive dome-shaped mountain near Coolum Beach. Its summit walk is relatively short but steep, with 360-degree views across the coast, hinterland and ocean at the top.

The attraction is the payoff: a concentrated climb leading to a genuinely expansive view. It is a better choice for an active outing than a casual stroll, and the steepness is the main practical consideration. If you would rather enjoy a coastal outlook without climbing a mountain, Point Perry Foreshore Reserve in Coolum is the gentler alternative.

Easy coastal parks and foreshore stops

Point Perry Foreshore Reserve

Point Perry Foreshore Reserve sits on a Coolum Beach headland and looks out along the coast. It is a strong choice for sea air, surf watching and broad coastal views, with whale spotting in season noted as one of its attractions.

The reserve is about taking in the ocean rather than undertaking a major walk. Pair it with the nearby foreshore if you want a relaxed Coolum outing, or choose it on its own for a simple scenic stop.

Tickle Park

Tickle Park is directly on the Coolum Beach foreshore and combines open lawns, shaded picnic areas and a playground with easy access to the beach. It is the most family-oriented option in this section, particularly when adults want a place to sit while children have room to play.

Its value is practical rather than spectacular: a beachfront setting, space for a picnic and a straightforward transition between park and sand. Choose it over a headland lookout when the day needs a playground and an easy base.

La Balsa Park

La Balsa Park at Buddina sits beside the Mooloolah River, with the ocean nearby and Point Cartwright and its lighthouse a short stroll away. The riverside setting makes it suitable for picnics, gentle walks and relaxing beside the water.

It offers a useful middle ground between a beach visit and a formal attraction. You get a scenic waterfront, access to a longer stroll and the option of continuing towards Point Cartwright, without needing to make the day about a steep climb or rainforest circuit.

The Wharf Mooloolaba

The Wharf Mooloolaba is a waterfront precinct on Parkyn Parade, centred on the marina. It brings restaurants, bars, shops and attractions together in one place, making it the most convenient choice here for a meal or drink with a waterside setting.

Visit when you want to finish an outdoors-focused day somewhere with plenty happening around the water. It is less about a single viewpoint and more about the concentration of dining and waterfront activity.

Planning your day from Eumundi

Start by choosing one geographic area rather than attempting to cover the whole coast. Noosa suits a beach-and-headland day; the Montville and Maleny options suit rainforest, gardens and hinterland scenery; Coolum works for a lighter coastal outing; and the Glass House Mountains are best reserved for clear views and a lookout-focused trip.

Wear sensible shoes for Kondalilla National Park, the Noosa coastal track, Mount Coolum and Wild Horse Mountain, where walking or steep sections are central to the experience. For beaches and foreshore parks, bring what you need for time beside the water. Always follow signs and local directions, especially around cliff edges, surf, dog-access areas and national park tracks. If views are the priority, check the conditions before setting out: a lookout is only as rewarding as the landscape you can see.

Featured spots

• Noosa National Park
• Noosa Heads Main Beach
• Kondalilla National Park
• Hell's Gates
• Glass House Mountains Lookout
• Noosa Spit Recreation Reserve
• Mount Coolum National Park
• Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World
• Wild Horse Mountain Scenic Lookout
• La Balsa Park