GRACIE – Noosa – Loving it because

Whatever you are seeking in a great holiday, look and you will find it here. Nestled on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, it offers a brilliant climate, upscale luxury and a laid-back vibe.

Noosa Main Beach

Dump the car and start with the Noosa National Park that occupies the headland. A spectacular walk along the rocky coastline, dotted with secluded sandy coves, is a great way to start the day. Be the first to see the virgin sand washed smooth by the outgoing tide.

Winch Cove Granite Bay

Depending on the time of year, you can see the migrating whales and dolphins or catch a glimpse of turtles as they swirl into the coves on the surge of the surf.

Hells Gates – no turtles visiting today

Alexandria Bay – Hells Gates in the foreground

Kookaburras, glossy black cockatoos, the odd koala, bush turkeys and lizards all hang out here. Of course, not everyone will be around when you go through, but keeping an eye open for a creature is part of the allure.

Pockets of rainforest and coastal bush are home to the iconic pandanus and banksia as well as a range of coastal bush vegetation. Against a background of rolling surf, this is something special.

Rainforest vegetation

Take a breather. An idea place to spot a migrating whale or drop down to low gear.

The northern point of Granite Bay, Noosa Heads National Park

Noosa Main Beach offers gentle waves, is safe for swimming all year round and has patrolled surf lifesavers. It’s an invitation to chill out.

Noosa Main Beach

Little Cove next door is a more secluded spot if you wish to be away from the crowd. Simply slink onto the sand and dissolve into the day.

Little Cove
Courtesy: Noosa eGuide

Step off the beach to Hastings Street – a real draw card offering an wide range of shops, multi award winning restaurants, bars and accommodation. There’s a particular sophistication in the air – gentle and relaxed. So much to love here.

Hastings Street, Noosa

Lovers of homewares will find fulfilment in ‘Signature on Hastings’. Beautifully curated homewares, gifts (for baby and you) together with personal temptations makes this a ‘must go to’ destination.

Signature on Hastings

There’s fashion shopping to suit absolutely everyone. For those in search of serious fashion pieces, a step through the door of ‘Frangipani’ will more than satisfy.

Frangipani Boutique, Hastings Street, Noosa

In keeping with the relaxed mood of Noosa, several boutiques offer eclectic arrays of workable pieces that are interchangeable and innately cool. Foremost of these can be found in a grouping of three at the lower end of Hastings Street – try ‘D’Ablo’, ‘Don’t tell Mama’ (gotta love that name), and ‘Bowery’. Great offerings here. Lots of floaty fashion to hang about in.

L-R Bowery, D’Albo and Don’t tell Mama Boutiques The French Quarter end of Hastings Street, Noosa

Beachwear essentials and more casual pieces can be gathered from a vast array of boutiques along the Hastings Street stretch. Browsing has never been so much fun. Stuff for groovy grannies or the urban cool can be found in shops such as ‘Laila’.

‘Laila’ boutique on Hastings Street, Noosa Heads

The gentle pace of the day calls for appetites to be satisfied. Breakfast, lunch or dinner are all fabulously catered for in the world class restaurants on Hasting Street and along the river at nearby Noosaville. Establishments such as ‘Sails’, ‘Locale’, ‘Season’, ‘Bistro C’, ‘Noosa Beach House’, ‘Wasabi’ are too good to overlook – you will be spoilt for choice.

Photograph courtesy of ‘Sails’ Photograph Gallery

Likewise you will find it difficult to choose your accommodation. Whether it’s a house, unit or hotel room you are wanting, there’s much on offer either riverside, beach front or secluded away in Little Cove.

Tucked neatly into the hill at the end of Hastings Street, ‘No 1 on Hastings’ offers first class accommodation in an ideal location. The views are spectacular and the positioning brings all day sunshine.