Weekends Away – Sunshine Coast

From the old-fashioned fibro feel of Caloundra to the swanky Sav Blanc scene on Noosa’s Hastings Street, the Sunshine Coast is a family holiday playground. Just an hour’s drive north of Brisbane, this 65-kilometre beach strip is the stuff dreams are made of.

Flying into the Sunshine Coast Airport, near Maroochydore, is a visual feast: wide, sweeping beaches fringed with foam; a mosaic of marinas; the Glasshouse Mountains peering from the morning mist. The natural beauty of this region, from Caloundra in the south to Rainbow Beach in the north, is relatively untainted by tourism.

As one local puts it, “unlike the Gold Coast, there are no high-rise apartments casting shadows on the beach”.

Caloundra

Little has changed since my childhood holidays in Caloundra; boxy fibros with names like ‘Sunrise’ and ‘Holiday Shores’ line Golden Beach, its foreshore festooned with cotton trees. These provide welcome shade in the searing heat, as we ride along the pathway on a Bill’s Boat Hire ‘Silly Cycle’. It’s a delightful way to enjoy The Esplanade, and we punctuate the trip at various playgrounds, cafes and boardwalks along the way.

Caloundra boasts the most family-friendly beaches on the Sunshine Coast, with King’s Beach ranking number eight in our recent ‘Australia’s Top 20 Beaches’ survey. An enormous, colourful waterplay area and giant trampoline adorn the beachfront, adjacent to a saltwater wading pool. The curving beach itself is like a postcard from the 1960s: white, powdery sand with gentle waves, flanked by low-rise holiday apartments.

You can buy fish and chips or burgers at one of the many seaside eateries, or dine at the renovated Caloundra RSL in its très moderne Vivo cafe. The kids’ menu provides numerous healthy options and, downstairs, the little terrors can play for an hour or a day at the high-tech Cosmic Cave kids’ club.

If you’re looking for an old-fashioned family holiday with affordable accommodation, Caloundra is the place to be.

Aussie, Aussie Aussie …

Most of the Sunshine Coast’s theme parks are in the hinterland, within a few minutes’ drive of Caloundra.

Australia Zoo has grown in symbiosis with the legend of its founder, Steve Irwin, but it’s quite a misnomer: this zoo is home to almost as many imported animals as natives. After involuntarily emitting a loud “crikey” at the price ($157 for a family of four), I decide to spend the entire day here to get our money’s worth.

There are 14 wildlife shows every day, so map out your visit to coincide with each of these, or you’ll find yourself frequently saying “crikey” about the long queues. To cover the vast distances, bring a pram for little ones and plenty of snacks and water.

Overall, it’s a fantastic hands-on zoo where kids can feed elephants, kangaroos and farm animals, visit the Tiger Temple, or pat a baby alligator. The look on two-year-old Gracie’s face as she touches the tiny reptile is priceless – wrinkling her nose in disgust as if she’d eaten a bad oyster.

There is currently a proposal before the local council to turn Australia Zoo into a safari park. Also under consideration are plans for a Wet ‘n’ Wild Water Park on the site of Aussie World, just a few minutes up the road.

Famed for the cartoon-like Ettamogah Pub, Aussie World ($80 for a four-person pass) is a delightful, traditional amusement park complete with a ferris wheel, rollercoaster, dodgem cars, carousel and laughing clowns.

At FJ’s café, the food is fresh, tasty and great value. The proposed Wet ‘n’ Wild will retain some elements of Aussie World, incorporating waterslides and billabongs into the beautiful bushland setting.

Maroochydore

About 10 minutes’ drive north are the family havens of Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Alexandra Headland. They’re more cosmopolitan than Caloundra, with a graze of beachfront restaurants as well as lovely parks on The Spit. Lounge bars are springing up – even the tiny town of Cotton Tree has its own organic café and market. These areas are ideal if you have older kids because of the variety of outdoor activities.

On the Maroochy River, fishermen compete with jet-skiers, kayakers and party boats for a slice of paradise. Gracie looks like a mini-Michelin Man in her lifejacket, determined to steer the six-seater runabout we’ve picked up from Swan Boat Hire. At $54 an hour, it’s a fun way to explore the river’s many estuaries and wetlands.

It’s quite a flashback to be here with my daughter as I remember my last visit – Schoolies’ Week 1984, when I drank green ginger wine on one of the many party pontoons. My, how times change.

Coolum

My journey back in time moves north to Coolum, the Sunshine Coast’s surfing mecca.

This is perhaps my favourite area with a relaxed vibe, BYO restaurants, a beachfront boardwalk and big thumping surf. Go to My Place, a locals’ hangout serving perfect poached eggs and babycinos (with two marshmallows), just up the hill from the main café strip. Teenagers dig this spot, with its skateboard parks, surf shops and laid-back feel.

If you have little kids, take a 15-minute drive inland to The Ginger Factory which, funnily enough, has little to do with ginger. Entry is free, but you pay a small fee to ride the authentic steam train, to the soundtrack of: “It’s just like Thomas the Tank Engine!” from the assorted children on board. The train winds it way through 12 hectares of rainforest and lush gardens, past quaint shops with names like ‘The Dolls’ Cottage’ and ‘Granny’s Macadamia Kitchen’.

The highlight is a hilarious boat ride, modelled on Disneyland’s It’s A Small World, that follows the journey of two chefs trying to catch an escaped gingerbread man.

There are displays replicating London, Paris, The Netherlands, China, Turkey, New Zealand and Polynesia, but the standout is Mount Rushmore with the head of the Gingerbread Man replacing Theodore Roosevelt.

Treat yourself to some delicious home-made Buderim ice-cream before you leave.

BREAKOUT BOX

Did you know?

Ginger use was first recorded by the Chinese philosopher Confucius in 479 BC.

At home at the Hyatt

Let’s cut to the chase: the Hyatt Regency Coolum is the best family resort I have ever stayed at.

Driving into the property’s 150 hectares of rainforest and native bushland at the base of Mount Coolum, we are welcomed by two kangaroos, four ducks and a bush turkey wandering by the roadside. The impressive lodge-style foyer is complemented by the warm, friendly and down-to-earth efficiency of the staff.

The Hyatt was built 20 years ago but this ‘grande dame’ is ageing gracefully. The 324 suites and villas are scattered among towering paperbark and gum trees, in harmony with the natural surroundings. Regular shuttles take you from your room to any of the nine pools, six eateries (including a corner store which sells $3 sandwiches), seven tennis courts, creative arts centre, fashion boutique, spa, kids’ club, world-class golf course and the beach.

My abiding image of the Hyatt, though, is groups of smiling children tearing around the resort on pushbikes.

“The kids feel like they have all the freedom in the world, but their parents know that they are within the grounds, and safe”, says Marketing Manager Brooke Retchford.

The luxurious, modern President Villas feature king bedrooms, each with separate bathrooms, kitchenette and patio or balcony, while the superb Ambassador Villas reside within their own enclave. Each nest of villas has its own small pool adjacent to a communal lounge for breakfast and cocktails. Between 6 pm and 7 pm each day in the Ambassadors Club, qualified child carers from Camp Hyatt look after the kids so the adults can mingle and have a drink.

Gracie screams like a banshee as I try to leave her in the Camp Hyatt kids’ club, resistant to bribes of ice-blocks, toys and playground equipment. So I do what any good mother would do and make a run for it – straight to The Spa for a facial. The complex has just undergone a $4.2 million refurbishment, featuring a fitness centre, yoga room, hair salon, lap pool, steam room and 18 treatment rooms. Sigh.

Sufficiently relaxed and renewed, I return to the kids’ club to find Gracie playing and laughing with her new friends. She dons her pink helmet and we cycle to the child-friendly Bruscetta for dinner. The food, for kids and adults, is fantastic; even better is the eclectic international wine list. Riding back to the room after three glasses of wine (scout’s honour), I’m mocked by a group of teenage boys as I weave all over the bike path.

As you might have guessed, I could not recommend this resort more highly; it is a destination in itself.

BREAKOUT BOX

N.B: Awaiting information on new website booking system for the Hyatt

Noosa

Continuing north, you’ll find the uncrowded Peregian Beach, then the new gourmand’s paradise, Sunshine Beach. Around the headland from Noosa, Sunshine has better surf, cleaner sand and friendlier locals than its famous neighbour. Check out the funky Wasabi restaurant (Japanese fare) or Alegria (Middle Eastern and Spanish).

For sheer convenience you can’t beat Noosa’s iconic Hastings Street which has just had a $10 million facelift, including widening the boulevards to make it more pram and pedestrian friendly.

Noosa is known for its fine dining and children are welcomed at most establishments, particularly Seasons, Bistro C and Aromas. Another emerging dining strip is nearby Noosaville, with its renowned River House Restaurant.

There are also loads of outdoor activities for families to work off all that rich food. The walk through Noosa National Park and along the boardwalk skirting the headland is simply stunning. Or, just back from the beach, you can cruise or kayak on the River of Mirrors in the Noosa Everglades, a wetland wonder. Keep heading north to see the colourful sands of Rainbow Beach, or feed the dolphins at Tin Can Bay.

As a child, I never truly appreciated the beauty and diversity of the Sunshine Coast. As an adult, I realise it is so much more than the sum of its parts. v

FACT FILE

When to go

It’s ‘beautiful one day, perfect the next’ any time of year.

Getting there

The Sunshine Coast is an hour’s flight from Sydney and two hours from Melbourne. Jetstar and Virgin Blue offer the best deals, flying into the Sunshine Coast Airport at Marcoola (near Maroochydore).

www.jetstar.com

www.virginblue.com.au

Where to stay

Hyatt Regency Coolum

All rates include continental breakfast, golf and tennis clinics, court hire and adult entry to The Spa. The President Villas are most popular with families.

www.coolum.regency.hyatt.com

What to do

Bill’s Boat Hire

Watercraft and Silly Cycles ($20 per hour).

Golden Beach

www.billsboathire.com.au

Australia Zoo

$157 for a family of four.

Beerwah

www.australiazoo.com.au

Aussie World

$80 for four people.