Although Noosa is relatively small, it’s quite spread out with several distinct areas which attract locals and visitors for different reasons. We’ve written previously about the keys to choosing your Noosa apartment rental and now we’d like to help you consider which is the right area for your stay.

Sunrise Beach and Sunshine Beach

Overview: Ideal for families looking for a quieter location close to the beach.

Sunrise Beach and Sunshine Beach are situated on the open beaches south of Noosa Heads. Sunshine Beach borders Noosa National Park and has a vibrant village atmosphere with restaurants, bars and a surf club. Apart from eating out at the Sunshine Beach Surf Club, which is always good value, the venues tend to be expensive as does the accommodation.

Sunrise Beach borders Sunshine Beach and shares the same long white sand beach. Visitors staying in Sunrise Beach can easily walk 10 minutes along the beach to Sunshine Beach or drive there in a couple of minutes.

Sunrise Beach tends to offer much better value accommodation and a more authentic local atmosphere. Although you won’t find bars or restaurants here, there’s a great little coffee shop near the beach which also serves breakfast and lunch. There’s also a small shopping area with a convenience store, butcher, pharmacy and bakery one kilometre away.

Both Sunrise Beach and Sunshine Beach have their own patrolled areas for safe swimming and are excellent locations for people who want to surf the uncrowded waves or take long beach walks. You could even walk all the way to Peregian Beach or Coolum for lunch and hop on a bus back.

Hastings Street and Noosa Main Beach Area

Overview: Excellent choice if money isn’t a factor and you want to see and be seen plus have a good choice of restaurants, shopping and bars within walking distance.

Hastings Street is always a fun place to visit. There’s good shopping covering the spectrum from Just Jeans to Hugo Boss, along with surf shops like Billabong and some fun gift stores. In the evenings the trees sparkle with lights and the restaurants overflow onto the pavements.

The people watching is great on Hastings Street and at the beach but Noosa Main Beach tends to get very crowded since this is where most tourists end up.

The best aspect of staying near Hastings Street is you can easily walk to Noosa Main Beach, the River Mouth and Noosa National Park without worrying about parking.

On the downside, prices are high and the traffic can be frustrating, with queues both into Hastings Street and out of it at during peak holiday periods.

Noosa River and Gympie Terrace

Overview: Great for families and retired people who want to stay close to playgrounds, shops and restaurants but slightly away from the main tourist area.

Gympie Terrace, which stretches along the Noosa River, has a variety of holiday resorts and apartments for rent. Noosa’s biggest playground is located close to the Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club and the kids can enjoy skateboarding or climbing trees by the river.

The restaurants in this area are varied, from expensive dining venues which rival the cost of eating out on Hastings Street, to more affordable options including burger joints, Indian Restaurants and Thai takeaways.

The river is excellent for boating or families that want to go jet-skiing or fishing. There are public barbecues staggered all along the river but it can be hard to find a table during the summer months.

Finally, while kids do enjoy splashing around in the river there are no lifeguards here.

Where would you prefer to stay next time you visit Noosa?

Book your Noosa accommodation by Sunrise Beach now