Noosa Coastal Walk: A Stunning Hike With Fairy Pools, Bays & Wildlife

The Noosa Coastal Walk is a gorgeous hiking trail that follows the headland from Noosa Main Beach to Sunshine Beach in Noosa National Park. This trail guide gives a detailed overview of the route and the highlights you can expect to see along the way.

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Some of South Queensland’s most picturesque coastline can be found in Noosa National Park. This sunny part of Australia is home to sparkling bays, eucalyptus forests and golden beaches, and the Noosa Coastal Walk showcases this idyllic scenery particularly well.

Following the headland from Noosa Main Beach to Sunshine Beach, the Noosa Coastal Walk passes by lots of secluded bays, the so-called Fairy Pools and plenty of wildlife spotting opportunities. It’s not uncommon to see dolphins, whales, turtles, koalas and echidnas on this trail!

This really is a wonderful hike and a great way to explore Noosa’s outstanding coastline — here’s everything you need to know about the walk!

Tip: The Noosa Coastal Walk is a popular trail that gets super busy on the weekends. If possible, you’ll want to walk it during the week.

Noosa Coastal Walk: Map & Logistics

Start: Noosa Main Beach.

Finish: Sunshine Beach.

How to get there: The walk starts from the Noosa Heads National Park car park, which is at the top of Park Road.

How to get back: Either walk back the way you came or head to Duke Street, from where you can catch the 627 bus back to Noosa Heads Main Beach.

Distance: 5.4km.

Time: 2.5 – 3 hours. Longer with stops.

Difficulty: Easy; simple to navigate with a few short climbs.

How long is the Noosa Coastal Walk?

The Noosa Coastal Track is 5.4km one way and takes 2.5 – 3 hours to walk. Give yourself plenty of time to complete the walk, though, because there are lots of scenic viewpoints, photo opportunities, and beaches to enjoy along the way.

With that being said, be sure to wear your swimsuit underneath your clothes. You’ll no doubt want to stop to take a dip in the ocean or the fairy pools while on the route. There are buses running between the start and end points if you don’t want to walk all the way back again.

Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife

There are lots of places to sit and enjoy ocean views along the Coastal Track. These offer great opportunities to spot pods of dolphins frolicking year-round, as well as humpback whales during the migration season (June to November). If you look out across the viewpoints at Dolphin Point, Boiling Pot and Hell’s Gate, you might even spot a turtle or two.

And while it might be hard to take your eyes off the endless ocean horizon, keep in mind that you’re also likely to spot some non-marine wildlife. On more forested parts of the track, look out for black cockatoos, echidna scurrying across the ground, and koalas sleeping in the trees.

Noosa Coastal Walk: The route itself

There are lots to see along the Noosa Coastal Walk, including scenic viewpoints, pretty bays and wildlife spotting opportunities. Here are all the main points of interest along the way, starting from Noosa Main Beach and ending at Sunshine Beach.

Noosa Main Beach

Your starting point: Noosa Main Beach! This beautiful beach is the heart of Noosa Heads’ scenic coastal town, as it sits right in front of lively Hastings Street. From Noosa Main Beach, walk to the top of Park Road (which takes 10/15 minutes), where you’ll find the National Park car park. From here, you’ll see the starting point of the Coast Track.

Boiling Pot

The first viewpoint is the so-called Boiling Pot, just 300 metres from the beginning of the walk. It gets its name due to the powerful waves that break over a shallow reef here, creating a “boiling” effect in the water. If it’s a clear day, you can see the coastal dunes along Teewah Beach (Great Sandy National Park) from here.

Tea Tree Bay

The next point of interest is the scenic Tea Tree Bay. This is a beautiful sheltered beach; a lot quieter than Noosa Main Beach and a lovely place to enjoy the ocean for a while.

Dolphin Point

Continuing along the Coastal Track from Tea Tree Bay, you’ll arrive at Dolphin Point Lookout. As the name suggests, you might spot some dolphins frolicking in the water from this viewpoint — sometimes in pods of up to 30 individuals!

Note: The Coastal Track is paved up until Dolphin Point. After this, the track turns into a dirt path. It’s still well-marked and easy to follow, but may be more challenging for those with strollers or reduced mobility.

Granite Bay

500 metres along from Dolphin Point is Granite Bay, a secluded beach surrounded by lush, green cliffs. There is an access point to get down to Granite Bay, where it’s likely you’ll have the beach all to yourself.

Fairy Pools

Up next are the Fairy Pools. A fairy pool is a tidal rock pool, formed over millions of years as the sea erodes big cavities into the rock. The Noosa Fairy Pools are probably the most famous part of the Noosa Coastal Walk, and are one of the main reasons why many people choose to do the hike in the first place. It’s a popular spot, as you can bathe in the ocean without being swept away by the waves, and it’s also rather pretty.

Hell’s Gates

Another 400 metres along the Coastal Track will take you to Hell’s Gates. This is a dramatic lookout, where the tide and the waves cause terrific crashes of water against the rocks. You’ll have spectacular views across Alexandria Bay and, if you’re lucky, you might spot turtles, dolphins and whales.

Alexandria Bay

Alexandria Bay — known as A-Bay to locals — is a really beautiful beach, with golden sand and crystal-clear waters. The Coastal Track will deposit you onto Alexandria Bay, and you’ll need to stroll down the length of the beach to rejoin the footpath on the other side. Note that Alexandria Bay is an unofficial nudist beach, and it’s not uncommon to see people baring all here.

Devil’s Kitchen

Devil’s Kitchen is yet another scenic viewpoint. Look out for marine life such as dolphins, turtles and migrating whales.

Sunshine Beach

The gorgeous Sunshine Beach marks the end of your Noosa Coastal Walk and is a fabulous reward for completing the hike. It would be criminal not to spend some time relaxing on the golden sand and enjoying the blue waters. Once you’ve had your fill, you can either walk the coastal track back to Noosa Heads, take a taxi/Uber, or you can head to Duke Street, from where you can catch the 627 bus back to Main Beach.

Noosa National Park is home to 5 official walking tracks: the Palm Grove walk, Tanglewood walk, Noosa Hill walk, the Coastal walk and the Alexandria Bay walk. If you only have time to explore one of these trails, make it the Coastal Walk!

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