Rainbow Beach, Cooloola Coast, Queensland. Australia
If you embark on this breathtaking adventure, you’re destined to pass through a stunning coastal town called Rainbow Beach, and yes, it’s as alluring as it sounds. Once you get a taste of Rainbow Beach’s unique, homely charm you’ll be left wanting more and it’s not uncommon to overhear visitors exclaiming, “I wish I could live here!”
Unlike people I know, I have been going to Rainbow Beach since the early 90’s and experienced many changes in the area, some good, but a lot bad. I watched in the early 90’s when the camping area was swallowed by and big sink hole. I got to drive the rough dirt road to get to the point compared with today’s bitumen road. You could enjoy the peace and quiet and enjoy great fishing. You took trips to collect some coloured sands and climb the Cherry Venture.
Now days there are rubbish littered everywhere at the campgrounds. P Plate drivers roaring over the sands. People looting camping equipment and erosion destroying the coloured sands. No longer a place for peace and quiet.
It’s a stunning drive and there’s much to explore, so my best piece of advice is; don’t rush it. Pull over at Double Island Point, a popular day-trip destination for Sunshine Coast locals. Roll out that picnic blanket and soak up some sunshine then walk off your meal with a stroll to the headland to enjoy an incredible 360-degree view.
Once you reach Rainbow Beach you’ll be starving. Arcobaleno On The Beach is a local town favourite. This gorgeous Italian restaurant offers up a great courtyard and lovely atmosphere. The staff are all locals and do a great job of serving crispy wood-fired pizzas and delicious pasta every day of the week.
When we holiday at Rainbow we normally stay at Debbie’s Place. Debbie’s Place offers luxurious and tranquil self contained and motel style accommodation in the heart of Rainbow Beach. With affordable one, two and three bedroom suites to choose from, each self contained unit comes equipped with your own private veranda surrounded by lush, tropical gardens. Self contained suites also possess kitchen and dining facilities or if you prefer, an array of restaurants and shops are just a short stroll away. We pick this place because they offer us a special self contained room so we can take our dog.
We always visit to the Carlo Sand Blow, which is a must for everyone staying at Rainbow Beach. This iconic sand mass provides great views of the coloured sands, Double Island Lighthouse and Inskip Peninsula. When you visit at sunrise or sunset you capture some amazing photographs.
If you feel like exploring more of Great Sandy National Park, make Seary’s Creek your final resting point. The creek is beautifully clear, with subtle orange, tea-tree tannins. You can float or play in the water, read a book in the shade, or stroll along the picturesque boardwalk.
Experience something truly unique and ride a horse along Rainbow Beach. All riding experience levels can be catered to and you can choose between a beach ride, country ride, even a full moon ride!
From Rainbow Beach, you’re in prime position to explore the world’s largest sand island, Fraser Island. There are many great day tours on offer, like the Fraser Island Discovery Tour, which will take you on an adventurous 4WD excursion up the beach to Inskip Point where you’ll board a barge and cross over to the iconic island.
Spend the afternoon walking through cool, towering rainforest, swimming in freshwater lakes or watching dingoes explore their native habitat.
Another stunning Queensland winter’s day, another day packed with excitement exploring the markets, shops and beach.
If you asked us to declare what we love most about our neck of the woods, we’d undoubtedly say, with a smoothie in one hand and a basket in the other, that markets are definitely up there.
We headed off early before the sun started rising to an oldie but a goodie, Maroochydore market, which has everything you need, and plenty you don’t, but you want anyway. From fresh fruit and veg’s to plants and, of course, rainbow bagels, we love the no-frills vibe of this weekly gathering.
After a little look we headed north to the southern tip of Mudjimba, North Shore Off-Leash Beach is arguably the Sunshine Coast’s wildest, most beautiful slice of paradise for dogs. It’s first time checking out this beach, and we were very impressed. Extending from the beach entrance 500m south of the Twin Waters patrolled area all the way to the Maroochy River, not only does it offer a vast expanse of fine white sand but standing sentry at the mouth of the river is the mysterious rocky outcrop Pincushion Island, which itself warrants a visit.
In stark contrast to the built-up shores of Maroochydore on the other side of the river North Shore is something of an uninhabited wilderness, fringed by dunes and the sandy banks of the pristine river on one side and surf beach along the main stretch. Need to know, North Shore Off-leash Dog Beach can be reached by beach access paths from M64 south.
Pincushion Island, a giant sandstone protuberance which is currently attached to the beach, has oddly spent much of its life as an island due to the ever-shifting mouth of the Maroochy River and is renowned for its spooky ability to change position. A fantastic exploratory spot for children, it’s climbable by a couple of paths, with a grass patch, banksia trees, ruins of stairs and viewing platform on top, vistas to be had in each direction and some fantastic rock pools to explore below.
We then jumped back in the car and headed north again to Pergian Beach so Kim sould get her shopping fix. Peregian Beach is a truely unique village full of quality speciality shops and unique cafes run by the proprietors. Local's and regular visitors greet shop staff by name and a great deal of trade includes a chat.
Pretty much everything a person may need can be found in one or more of the Shops in Peregian Beach Village. Why go elsewhere.
Now’s the time when it’s much cooler, and while everything is so beautifully green, to explore the back roads a couple of hours out of Brisbane.
The film of dust which settles over your car is a small price to pay for the pleasures of ascending into Bellthorpe State Forest on a winding dirt road, and following the switchback country lane east through picture-book scenery eastwards towards Maleny.
The gravel crunches under tyres as you stop in the woodland's shade. Switch off the engine, get out and take some moments to appreciate the entrancing forest, the peace, the occasional call of a bird.
In Bellthorpe, the massive grey trunks of blue gums soar high to the canopy. Below, the ground is a sunshine-patterned garden of brackens and ferns, and piccabeen palms punctuate the scene.
Just getting to this beautiful place is what Sunday drives are all about.
We’ve done this trip quite a few times and each time we leave different times. Some of the photos reflect the differences.
We always like to head off early, heading out of Brisbane for Samford, and checking for bargains at the Ferny Grove Station market. Then head off to Dayboro, were we come across the weekend cyclists are out on their long-distance rides, so watch out for them.
Dayboro is just over 40km from Brisbane, has a small Sunday market along the pavement in the main street, note the selection of home-baked cakes.
We then take the hill route to Mount Mee, sometimes calling in at the impressive cafe in the vaulted-roof pole house at Ocean View Winery. Further on, we always stretch our legs at the Dahmpongah Lookout, with its wide view over pastures and the distant spires of the Glasshouse Mountains from the southwest.
We then move onto Woodford, and on a Sunday morning it’s busy with pleasure drivers, motorbike tourers and locals. On the first and third Sunday of every month, volunteers offer steam train rides on the Durundur Railway. The Australian Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Society has an assortment of mining and cane trains to run on its "two foot" gauge line. Passengers sit in wagons once used to move bagged sugar to the port for the six-minute run to Storey Brook station, where cottage herb gardens are the attraction.
Heading northwest on D'Aguilar Highway, ignore the next right turn to Beerwah, but three or four kilometres further on, take the next right to Stony Creek.
This little road climbs north up into the Conondale Range, but a short way in, take the right turn and drive 4km into Bellthorpe Forest Reserve. At road's end is Stony Creek recreation reserve, with picnic tables, toilet block and a short walk to a pool fed by the creek. The running creek is a pleasant place to sit and cool your feet, and the pool is shallow but inviting for a cool-off.
Back on the road to the Conondales, the bitumen runs out as the road climbs into state forest. There's an expeditionary element to the drive because sign posts are few and far between. High up, there's a junction. Turn right on the narrow West Bellthorpe Rd, a graded gravel route which follows a hogsback, with forest on one side and dairy cattle meadows on the other.
Here are glimpses of the Glasshouse Mountains from the northwest. You're in the Mary River catchment, back on a ribbon of bitumen and heading through Booroobin in very picturesque hill country. You emerge on the Woodford-Maleny Rd. Turn left, then right on the Maleny-Kenilworth highway and ease down into the charming town, round about lunchtime.
Maleny has an interesting mix of shops and a great choice of places to eat. The Big Byte Cafe has an internet corner and a gallery of black and white photographs of pop music stars well worth checking out.
No visit to Maleny is complete without a side expedition through more attractive landscapes down to Baroon Pocket Dam.
This is the Sunshine Coast's drinking water supply, a forest-fringed lake covering 380ha. The Lake Baroon Freshwater Fish Stocking Association has been introducing Mary River cod, golden perch and Australian bass fingerlings in large quantities since at least 1989, so it might be worthwhile taking your rod.
For the best Glasshouse Mountain views, when heading back towards Brisbane, retrace your route on to the Maleny-Woodford road and follow the Blackall Range Tourist Drive signs towards Mary Cairncross Park on Mountain View Rd.
A kilometre along, there's ample parking space at McCarthey's Lookout, commanding a fabulous view over the Glasshouse Mountain caldera from the northeast.
A couple of kilometres further on, at another good mountain viewing spot, Mary Cairncross Park is a hugely popular picnic ground. Abutting dense rainforest, the open grassed area is skirted by a path. Timber benches have been provided along this Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Walk, complete with a bamboo trellis on which vines essential in the lives of the butterfly are being cultivated.
Mountain View Rd leads back on to the busier Landsborough Rd down the range towards the coast. At Landsborough, follow the old Pacific Highway south. On this drive, there are plenty of excuses for another stop: Australia Zoo, roadside shops selling locally grown pineapples, macadamia nuts, fruit and vegetables and even a fisho's van. And suddenly, you're back on the motorway, vying with the traffic, which on a Sunday afternoon is probably slowing down well ahead of the Bribie turnoff.
Things to do in Maleny
Maleny Botanic Gardens and Bird World.
Meander through some of the most exquisite gardens in Queensland featuring a panorama of waterfalls, ponds and colourful plantings, idyllic rainforest surroundings and views of the spectacular Glass House Mountains at Maleny Botanic Gardens and Bird World. Bring a picnic to enjoy by one of the many lakes or lounge under a tree with a good book and soak up the peace and serenity.
Baroon Pocket Dam.
Baroon Pocket Dam is a picturesque lake tucked away between Montville and Maleny. The dam offers a range of fantastic recreational facilities and you could easily spend the whole day exploring the shores and waterways. There are picnic tables, free barbecues and playgrounds for the kids, making it the ideal spot for a get together with family or friends. Take a dip in the calm waters, kayak the lake and its tributaries or simply cast your rod and wait for the Australian Bass to bite.
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve.
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve is 55 acres of subtropical rainforest overlooking the Glass House Mountains. A remnant of the rainforests that once covered the Blackall Range, the Reserve is a living museum of diverse plant and animal life. There are several tranquil walking tracks, boardwalks and viewing platforms where you can soak up the natural beauty and read information about various species.
Gardners Falls.
Leave your vehicle in the car park on the banks of the Obi Obi Creek and take a short, level walk downstream to Gardners Falls, a hidden gem in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. You’ll pass a number of shallow rock pools which are ideal for smaller children who just want to splash about. Follow the bubbling waters downstream where the pools increase in size and enjoy a freshwater swim in the largest pool underneath the falls
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The Cheese Circuit.
A visit to Maleny Dairies will not only prove that milk comes from cows (not cartons) but that it tastes so good! The milk, yoghurt and ice cream can be tasted and bought at the farm shop. You can also join a farm tour, ride a tractor and see the cows milked at 3 pm. Once you’ve tasted the raw goods, head to Maleny Cheese, where you'll see the cheesemakers in action and enjoy tastings in the café and shop.
Brews and Views.
Stop in at Maleny Mountain Wines to sample a range of reds, whites, fortified and dessert wines from Australia and around the world. The friendly staff will find the perfect wine for your palate or the best drop for your celebration, picnic or BYO dining. If you prefer beer, make a pit stop at Brouhaha Brewery.
Currumbin Creek and Palm Beach is one of our favorite beaches we can have a swim with our pup (Shari).
If you own a dog, you’ll know the places you can go and things you can do are limited, especially without your best friend mortally embarrassing you by spontaneously dropping one at the worst possible moment.
If you don’t own a dog, there’s a good chance you wish you did, and want to go somewhere you can pretend you own a dog, without the hassle of knowing you’re literally responsible for an animal’s excrement.
And for owners it doesn't come much more scenic than this, with gorgeous vistas across Currumbin Creek on the still water side and views to Surfers paradise from the wide surf stretch on the other.
This sizable sandy patch of dog paradise starts at the edge of Palm Beach Parklands and follows Currumbin Creek all the way around to the surf. So whether your dog is the wave catching type or just enjoys a good old-fashioned dog paddle, both will be in heaven here.
The northern side of Currumbin Lagoon and its adjacent beachfront are designated an off-leash area, offering dogs and families plenty of space to run and swim.
Some weekends if you glance along the edge of the lagoon, there is a maze of children, adults and dogs of every size and breed, all in a harmonious buzz, all basking in the warm tranquil waters of Currumbin lagoon.
Just behind the dunes near the off-leash beach, you’ll find Dune Café – where patrons with dogs are also welcome. And it’s not only four-legged family members who turn up: the café was recently voted the most kid-friendly café on the coast.
