Beerwah sits at the foot of the range. The Steve Irwin Way shoots of the main highway to Australia Zoo. Just about everyone wants to go to Australia Zoo! So if you’re looking for a gift idea for someone who’s hard to buy for, no matter what their age or fitness level, they’ll get a real kick out of a gift voucher to Australia Zoo. It’s a day-long experience into the wild reaches of the world, with wildlife close encounters and thrilling performances to keep your gift recipient fully entertained from beginning to end.
Another amazing wildlife adventure is the UNESCO Noosa Biosphere Reserve and Conondale National Park. Noosa is at the top end of the coast. A popular holiday spot with chic shops and restaurants lining the beach and waterfront, it also has exceptional natural attractions with national parks and conservation reserves at its doorstep. If you’re a birder or the person you have in mind for a gift has a real interest in our feathered friends, the Noosa Bio Reserve is a must-do experience. The guided full-day birding and photographic tour takes you along easy walking trails alive with colourful native flowers and animals and teeming birdlife. The tours are for small groups only - a maximum of 6, so it’s a very personalised experience, all about spotting any number of the 174 species of birds that live in the reserve and getting those perfect shots that distil the memories forever.
The seaside suburbs from Caloundra to Mooloolabah, Alexandra Headland and all the way up to Noosa make for days of fun as you stop in here and there to take a dip or lie under the shade of a sheoak tree. It’s such a peaceful way to unwind, gazing out on the ocean and watching the long waves curl and turn to white froth as they hit the shore and drift out to sea again; the endless motion of a drifting tide. Surfing and swimming are a huge part of life on the Sunshine Coast. Just about everyone has a board and will take any chance in the day to catch a few tubes. There are surf life saving clubs right along the Queensland coast and the Sunshine Coast is no exception. These are great places to stop for lunch, an afternoon drink or dinner. Lifesavers are dedicated volunteers who patrol the beaches from early morning until dark to keep swimmers safe and out of trouble. They’re an iconic feature of Australia’s beach culture and always easy to spot in their bright yellow and red uniforms. If there happens to be a surf carnival in play, its great spectator fun, so make sure you’re on the lookout for them, particularly in the summer months (November to March).
As a holiday destination, the Sunshine Coast has some of Queensland’s most loved and iconic themed attractions. The Big Pineapple is synonymous with Queensland and is a must-do experience. There’s more to the Big Pineapple than its name implies. The property includes restaurant facilities, a boutique brewery, wildlife zoo, major festival venue and high ropes adventure park. Further up the highway, you’ll find the Ginger Factory at Yandina, where you can see all the varieties of ginger plants on display, take a train tour of the grounds and of course, enjoy freshly made taste tingling ginger treats straight from the factory. Every Wednesday and Saturday morning the village of Eumundi is abuzz with market goers keen to pick up all kinds of authentic goodies from the many stalls sit beneath the shade of Moreton Bay fig trees. The township is typically Queensland quaint with colourful weatherboard buildings, and cafes and gift shops full of interesting bric-a-brac and knick-knacks.