50 Things To Do In Noosa

The crush of everyone’s holiday plans, Noosa is a notoriously sexy location. She’s that smouldering little minx who knows how to play hard to get, as anyone who’s ever braved the weekend traffic will know, and becomes more and more enticing every summer.

A few days after the euphoric spike offset by your impassioned reunion, Noosa settles into a comfortable rhythm that normally suffices to see out the remainder of your sojourn without too much excitement. Get experimental and spice things up a bit, we’ve got just the stuff to get you started:

1. Go to Wasabi and finally get it off your bucket list.
2. Vibe with the Italian connection at Locale. Besides the language and lack of ruins what real difference separates the Sunshine Coast from Positano?
3. Get your face and hands around a famous grillwich from Betty’s Burgers and a wee tub of their flurried concrete.
4. Take a walk through the National Park to Hell’s Gate and make all kinds of promises to do this more often.
5. Swipe right and take the lucky Lothario on a romantic ice breaker.
6. Smash a few rounds of craft beer at Black Bunny.
7. Get the most out of that fabulous kaftan that’s been in your cupboard for almost a year now.
8. Go for a hike up to a sweeping vista at the summit of Mt Coolum…
9. …or take on Mt Tibrogargan if you’re a hard mofo who thrives off the thrill of agony.
10. Take your bank balance for a burn up and down the Hastings Street boutiques.
11. Break up with city living for good and buy some prime real estate. The transition isn't complete until you throw your phone into the ocean. 
12. Hit up the Noosa Surf Club for a super retro Sunday sesh and a healthy side of nostalgia.
13. Internalise the lingo and fool everyone into thinking you’re a local.
14. Shake off the last of the Christmas angst with a day trip to Chenrezig Buddhist retreat and a recalibration of your faith in humanity.
15. Load up a basket at the Noosa farmer’s market (or any market really).
16. …and tote your market wares out to Alexandria Bay for a picnic.
17. Pick up a sconce of gelato from Massimo's and take it for a stroll along the shifting sands. 
18. Have a trained professional work out the tension in your shoulders at Balance Noosa.
19. Take up surfing. Just because.
20. Go on a retreat to Spicer’s Tamarind and bask in the lusciousness of the rainforest.
21. Get lush with your inner earthchild on some vegan feasting at  GoVegan Deli. 
22. Refresh, relax, revive and rejuvenate at the Ikatan Balinese Spa.
23. Get into heated debates about the salt content of the waters of the Eastern Beaches.
24. Customise your tan lines with some creative dollopings of SPF 30+.
25. Build an epic sand castle complete with turrets, moat and ensuite bathrooms.
26. Then watch it get claimed by the jealous tide.
27. Suit up with some new threads and bling at Alterior Motif.
28. Try your hand at stand up paddle boarding.
29. Catch a cocktail class at Moneypenny’s.
30. Perve on all the golden beach bods from the safety of a nearby bush.
31. Shake off the Christmas trauma and do your soul some good with some yoga on Sunshine Beach…
32. …or on that paddle board you’ve grown so fond of.
33. Take a walk along the beach and watch the sunset with some fish and chips and beer.
34. Scuttle down to Tea Tree Bay for a spell. 
35. Duck below at Sails Restaurant to the Rumba Wine Bar for some grape-fuelled fun late at night. 
36. Get the most out of a golden note.
37. Go for a Hastings Street crawl of some of Noosa’s most beloved watering holes. 
38. Harvest some kelp from a briny cliff face and use it to iodise your kale salad.
39. Make a dent in your holiday reading list.
40. Carve out a few hours for some intimate one-on-one time with Yum Cha at Embassy XO.
41. Swing by the Reef and see what all the fuss is about.
42. Neck a latte and wax your board all in one morning at these vibing surf cafes. 
43. See how Nitrogenie stacks up against the heavy milkshake competition.
44. Cruffinate at Wonderland Espresso, or chase down the Chocolate Komberry Co.
45. Save time on the dishes and take yourself on an intrepid hunt for the food trucks that elude the BCC. 
46. Test drive the Sunshine Coast’s spanking new Uber service and profusely compliment your driver’s choice of route #modelpassenger.
47. Ogle the sculptural excellence on flagrant display at Main Beach courtesy of Noosa Sand Shapers. 
48. Get hooked on Frozen Sunshine’s gourmet ice blocks especially the feisty little coconut and candied ginger number.
49. ...With any luck you might win an entire summer’s worth.
50. Rope some sea turtles together to make a raft. 

Looking for more things to do in Noosa? Check out our awesome sister site Metropolist: the fabulous guide to eating, drinking and beaching on the Sunshine Coast!

Image credit: Garance Dore