Mark’s Noosa vacation 8 best kept secrets

Noosa is an easy two hour drive north along the M1 from Brisbane. We usually take the train from downtown Brisbane to the airport to pick up a car. Typically we stay in Noosaville for three or four days before driving back down the Brisbane airport to board a flight to Cairns and pick up another car to drive up to Port Douglas. Noosa has long been a favorite travel destination for Australians. However, it’s one of the best kept secret destinations for the international traveler.

Noosa is a small exclusive seaside resort where development is strictly restricted.

Noosaville is a short riverboat ride from Noosa heads and is a quieter location favored by retirees and young families

Noosa is a beach lover’s paradise with beachfront hotels where you can hang out on Noosa heads beach with others, or choose one of the lesser used beaches along the Noosa National park trail. The beach, trendy stores, coffee shops, ice-cream parlors and a wide selection of bars and restaurants are just steps away form your hotel room

For those who like water sports there is a wide selection of boating, paddle boarding and serf boarding opportunities available. Checkout Sunshine, or North beach for some great serf boarding. Or you can rent a paddle board and paddle lagoons.

There are a wide selection of daily tours that can be booked, to Frasor Island, 4×4 tours through the Toolara state Forest and along 42 mile and Rainbow beach. Also whale and dolphin watching boat tours

Camping and horse back riding along the North shore Great Sandy Resources Reserve

For bird lovers, check out the Noosa Osprey nest, the Galah’s, black Cockatoos and Lorikeets. There is a wide selection of Shore birds like Pied oyster catchers, turns, herons, pelicans, sea eagles and many other inland bird species, including king fishers to be seen. Consider hiring a guide to take you to the best locations

Enjoy the sunset on the Noosa river boat, see it from the boathouse bar, better still, enjoy seeing the sun go down while enjoying oysters at the boathouse restaurant

We prefer staying close by the river within easy walking distance to the Thomas Corner Eatery and the Noosa boathouse which are two of our favorite restaurants. Noosaville is a quieter more laid back location than Noosa Heads. The perfect place to hang out after a day out in Noosa Heads, either on the beach, taking in the Noosa National Park trails, or out shopping along Hastings Street and of course enjoying lunch while doing some people watching.

Noosa area Noosa National Park map

Noosaville, Noosa Heads video

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This video clip was produced in Premier Pro. This video was taken with a Sony Z90V XDCAM ultra 4K camera at 2160/30P 100Mbps with Gamma HGL BT2020. There is some additional colour correcting that has been completed in post. I have removed an HD version because the 4k video looks better played on an HD screen than the HD rendered version. See my Nikon D750/Z6, Sony PXW-Z90 camera prospective for additional equipment details. My apologies to those trying to view this video on legacy equipment. The video is best viewed on a 4k system, or with a display card that can easily display $k content on an HD monitor.