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11 serene spots to go camping on the Sunshine Coast

From glitzy glamping to activity aplenty holiday parks, the best camping on the Sunshine Coast helps you escape in style.

I’m open to all wellness practices but what’s more energising than time spent in nature? In the Sunshine Coast, just a 2.5-hour drive north of where I live on the Gold Coast, powder-white beaches and lush subtropical hinterland make getting (and staying) outside especially enticing. From luxury glamping with all the plush surprises to pitching a tent in a family-friendly holiday park, camping on the Sunshine Coast serves as a holiday maker’s rite of passage. Here, I break down some tried-and-tested hot spots.

In short

If you only pick one spot to go camping on the Sunshine Coast, make it Sixty6 Acres for its freshly built sites (unveiled in June 2025) and wellness zone complete with seven mineral plunge pools.

1. Habitat Noosa Everglades Eco Camp

glamping at Habitat Noosa Everglades
Retreat into your luxe glamping tent at Habitat Noosa Everglades.

The Noosa Everglades gathered dust atop my Queensland bucket list prior to my visit to Habitat Noosa Everglades Eco Camp – but, boy, did it live up to expectations when I made it. The headline attraction, those Everglades, at this Sunshine Coast campsite are one of only two on the planet, and these guys run daily tours out to them. Eerily still, particularly its River of Mirrors, as endemic birdlife thrives, the Everglades are just the cherry on top of deluxe glamping at Habitat. Go for the Paperbark glamping tents rather than the Wilderness ones if you’re a family of four or under — they’re newer, fitted with a king bed and bunkbed, and surrounded by red kangaroos who care for adorable joeys right at your doorstep. Expect a spacious ensuite bathroom, bar fridge, private fire pit, private deck and tea and coffee making facilities, too. The great thing about this place is you can, alternatively, keep things cheap with a solar-powered or unpowered campsite right by the water. Activities beyond Everglades exploration include paddleboarding, canoeing and sinking homebrews care of the on-site microbrewery. Prices start from $37 for unpowered camping sites.

Address: Elanda Point Rd, Elanda Point

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2. Sixty6 Acres

a private farm stay at Sixty6 Acres, Sunshine Coast
The picturesque farm stay occupies an idyllic slice of the countryside. (Image: Kelli Jean Black Photography)

It used to be an exclusive farm stay with just a handful of cabins but Sixty6 Acres, just a few minutes’ drive from the Big Pineapple, now invites camping in arguably its most spectacular form. 93 powered sites accommodate caravans and tent-pitching amid 66 spectacular acres of countryside. When you’re not wandering its grounds, losing total track of time, there’s an on-site restaurant and bar, The Farmhouse, to indulge in, unveiled in June 2025. Also, that month, a series of seven outdoor magnesium plunge pools, linked by a stone pathway, lit Sixty6 Acres up as a wellness destination, so bring your togs and prepare to soak. Fluffy farm animal encounters, a golf course and one picture-perfect lake are also on-hand to help create magical family-friendly moments. Powered sites start from $100 per night.

Address: Walden Rd, Woombye

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3. Kookaburra Park

the Kookaburra Park, Sunshine Coast
Kookaburra Park sits on 75 acres in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

Get your laughing yoga on at Kookaburra Park where the cackling of kookaburras provides a memorable soundtrack to relaxed Sunshine Coast camping. A stay at this property, which doubles as a sanctuary for rescued animals, is delightful for all ages and family sizes as a range of unpowered and powered sites, tiny homes, cabins and cottages fill the pet-friendly grounds. Kids will love hand feeding the campsite’s resident deer, pigs and guinea pigs before uncovering a fairy garden where they can add their own arts and crafts to the interactive play scene. There’s also a scenic 2.4-kilometre return hike, as a local platypus beckons from the Mary River and multiple dams play home to turtles and ducks. Prices start from $22 per person for one night’s unpowered camp site.

Address: 2951 Maleny Kenilworth Rd, Cambroon

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4. Ingenia Holidays Rivershore

Ingenia Holidays Rivershore pictured from above
Stay in plush cabanas next to the outdoor pool. (Image: Ingenia Holidays Rivershore)

Ingenia Holidays Rivershore isn’t your average holiday park, leaning far more into resort territory thanks to its plush cabanas at the outdoor pool. Yes, there’s the obligatory holiday park amenities, like camping and caravan sites, a jumping pillow, two water slides and a camp kitchen. However, this Sunshine Coast camping spot, nestled on the banks of the Maroochy River, also has riverfront glamping tents with king-sized beds and claw-foot baths, a jetty made for fishing and a fully licensed onsite restaurant and bar. Unpowered camp sites start from $52 per night and prices climb all the way up to those safari glamping tents, priced from $219 per night. The clincher? Many accommodation options are pet-friendly, so check the website for details.

Address: 99 David Low Way, Diddillibah

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5. BIG4 Noosa North Shore

the ensuite site at BIG4 Noosa North Shore, Sunshine Coast
The pet-friendly BIG4 Noosa North Shore has an array of accommodations for families. (Image: Supplied)

Ready for another Sunshine Coast holiday park with all the trimmings? BIG4 Noosa North Shore lures fur parents thanks to its various pet-friendly accommodation options which span powered and unpowered campsites (from $38 per night), cottages (from $200 per night) and glamping tents (from $255 per night). Once you’ve settled in, grab a map from reception because the facilities can overwhelm. Two mountain biking tracks, paddleboarding, a jumping pillow, indoor bouldering cave, frisbee golf, volleyball, table tennis, surfboard rentals, multiple walking trails and dedicated school holiday programs should keep everyone smiling, plus there are multiple amenities blocks, a kiosk, an eatery, laundry, playground and an abundance of wildlife for every other spare moment.

Address: Cnr Maximillian & Beach Rds, Noosa

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6. Kenilworth Homestead

an outdoor pool at Kenilworth Homestead, Sunshine Coast
Kenilworth Homestead is still one of South East Queensland’s premier family campsites.

A privately run camping site that feels like a holiday summer camp, Kenilworth Homestead is a gorgeous spot for sleeping under the stars on the Sunshine Coast. Choose between powered and unpowered sites scattered throughout the 38-hectare property, while horse yards and farm animals provide all the entertainment. Prices start from $36 per night for an unpowered campsite.

Address: 2760 Eumundi-Kenilworth Rd, Kenilworth

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7. Kanimbia

a safari tent at Kanimbia, Sunshine Coast
Kanimbia has four luxe Safari tents.

Crowned 2024’s best Australian glamping destination at the World Luxury Travel Awards, Kanimbia offers outstanding outdoor stays. Stepping into one of four of its top-shelf Safari tents, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Glass cabinets with artefacts, couches, rugs, candles, pendant light fixtures, kitchenettes, bar trolleys… It’s like you’re in someone’s home. There’s also one Empress tent, where the shower and bath are just outside, and another two glamping options but trust me: you want the Safari. The team can arrange food and cheese platters, plus bikes, and there are firepits to set the mood come sunset. Prices start from about $190 per night.

Address: Inalls Rd, Obi Obi

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8. Starry Nights, West Woombye

You’ll score more than enough space to stretch out at Starry Nights, located in the heart of the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Pour yourself a bath, pluck away at your ukulele, or just soak up the chorus of birdsong at this beautiful glampsite, featuring tents crafted from recycled barnwood and canvas. Each stay offers a wood fire, king beds, rain shower, clawfoot tub, kitchenette with an espresso machine, flushing toilets and a barbecue, plus you can book spa treatments inside the comfort of your cocoon. Prices start from roughly $350 per night.

Address: 36 Carruthers Rd, West Woombye

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9. Big4 Caloundra

the pool at Big4 Caloundra, Sunshine Coast
Big4 Caloundra is your ultimate destination for a holiday packed full of family fun.

Parents, like me, who pitch their tent at Big4 Caloundra on the water’s edge of the Pumicestone Passage estuary get to take a load off because the kids are sorted here. Pack their bikes and skateboards so they can mingle with the mass of kids you’ll camp alongside, and let them take full advantage of the kid-friendly amenities spanning a jumping pillow, kids’ club and heated swimming pool with two waterslides. When everyone’s reunited, toast a day done right at Tripcony Traders, this Sunshine Coast camping hot spot’s in-house restaurant and bar. Prices start from about $85 per night for a powered tent site.

Address: 44 Maloja Ave, Caloundra

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10. Cotton Tree Holiday Park

a beachfront camping site at Cotton Tree Holiday Park, Sunshine Coast
Stay in powered and unpowered camp sites on Maroochydore Beach. (Image: Mark Fitz/Tourism and Events Queensland)

Cotton Tree Holiday Park offers the best of both worlds with direct access to both the Maroochy River and stunning Maroochydore Beach. This is urban camping at its very best, so walking down the main street for ice cream is a must, as is rambling down to one of the local restaurants for dinner. Choose from powered and unpowered camp sites (24 of the powered beauties lie absolute waterfront), plus there are villas and a four-bedroom house to consider. Facilities include four individual amenity blocks, three laundries, barbecues and free Wi-Fi. Prices start from roughly $64 per night for an unpowered tent site.

Address: 2/36 Cotton Tree Pde, Maroochydore

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11. Teewah Beach Camping Area Zone 1

a couple standing beside a 4WD on Teewah Beach Camping Area
Teewah Beach is accessible via 4WD. (Image: Ming Nomchong Photography/Tourism and Events Queensland)

Hardcore campers who like to get off the well-trammelled beach paths will appreciate Teewah Beach Camping Area Zone 1 in the staggeringly beautiful Great Sandy National Park. The beach is only suitable for high clearance 4WDs so it keeps numbers down, making for a much more intimate camping experience. It’s an easy stroll to the beach where you can extend your exploration at low tide and may even spot whales in winter. Campers should note there’s no phone reception and open fires are not allowed. Additionally, there are no toilets (the nearest are found at the Freshwater Day-use area and Double Island Point, which both demand decent walks), so visitors must BYO portable loos (it’s mandatory), and you’ll be sleeping on sand or grass – no concrete slabs. It’s priced at $7.50 per night and you’ll need to organise your permit, too.

Address: Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park

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Kristie Lau-Adams
Kristie Lau-Adams is a Gold Coast-based freelance writer after working as a journalist and editorial director for almost 20 years across Australia's best-known media brands including The Sun-Herald, WHO and Woman's Day. She has spent significant time exploring the world with highlights including trekking Japan’s life-changing Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage and ziplining 140 metres above the vines of Mexico’s Puerto Villarta. She loves exploring her own backyard (quite literally, with her two young children who love bugs), but can also be found stalking remote corners globally for outstanding chilli margaritas and soul-stirring cultural experiences.
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A gourmand’s guide to eating your way around Hamilton Island

(Credit: Nikki To)

From poolside bites and tasting flights to seafood plates and dry-aged steaks, a foodie adventure on Hamilton Island is worth every bite.

Hamilton Island’s sun-lacquered shores have long magnetised travellers craving an escape from reality. But what’s less expected – and more interesting – is just how assuredly this Whitsundays idyll delivers on the culinary front. Dialling up the flavour as much as the barefoot allure, the Hamilton Island food scene offers world-class dining and drinking options, spanning slick fine-dining moments to just-caught seafood served within sight of the sea. Let’s dig in.

Catseye Pool Club

Catseye Pool Club
Catseye Pool Club offers stunning beach views. (Image: Kara Rosenlund)

Framing the electric blues of Catseye Beach from The Sundays hotel, Catseye Pool Club is Hamilton Island’s latest culinary prodigy. Shown to our table, we thread through rattan chairs, Zellige tiles and tumbling greenery that opens up to Coral Sea shimmer.

The poolside restaurant is the brainchild of Sydney-based chef duo Josh and Julie Niland, who have brought their relaxed yet elevated dining ethos north. The menu – designed to bring people together – is made for sharing, each hero ingredient orbited by a palette of sides to mix, match and layer as you please.

My thyme cocktail – woody with scotch, lifted by lime leaf – pairs perfectly with the charcoal grilled prawns entree, which is served with tumeric and lemongrass marinade, macadamia satay sauce and a thai-leaning sour green mango salad. Each forkful lands differently, but all are a delight. Then comes the coral trout. True to Josh Niland’s ‘scale-to-tail’ philosophy, the fish is presented whole in a theatrical crescent, a tiny fork stuck into its cheek in a nod to Niland’s declared prize cut. Ribbons of zucchini resembling gauzy curtains bring brightness and snap, while kasundi lends depth and warmth. It’s tongue-tantalising, special occasion dining with humanity.

Sails Restaurant

Sails Restaurant hamilton island
Settle into casual poolside dining. (Credit: Nikki To)

A more casual poolside dining scene awaits at nearby Sails Restaurant, where Eastern Mediterranean flavours are dished up with an island twist. Chermoula chicken skewers and barramundi souvlaki lie on the more filling side of the menu, while the sumac squid and stone-bread flatbread with za’atar – arriving alongside pomegranate molasses, beetroot hummus and crushed macadamias – are perfect light bites after a dip in the pool. And don’t miss the garlic lemon scallops.

The setting is equally part of the draw. Sunlight floods the high-ceilinged dining room, while outdoor tables look out across the glittering expanse of Catseye Beach. Holidaymakers in oversized sunglasses sip spritzes beneath umbrellas, the gentle clink of plates mixing with splashes from the adjacent pool. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger long after lunch.

Bommie

cuttlefish dish at Bommie restaurant Hamilton Island Yacht Club
Head to the Hamilton Island Yacht Club for a taste of Bommie. (Credit: Nikki To)

Tucked into a sleek curved wing of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Bommie delivers experiential fine dining with a sense of occasion. Led by award-winning Executive Chef Ryan Locke, the seasonal menu champions local and native Australian ingredients whipped up into a modern display of creative precision.

Inside the dim-lit dining room, guests can choose between the Tasting Menu or Chef’s Signature Degustation. Sourdough with pine oil sets the tone for the six-course tasting menu, beautifully presented in a bed of pine needles alongside smoked paperbark butter. I love how the squid ink choux pastry is served with flavour-popping native finger lime, which our waiter encourages us to eat caviar-style. Standout moments continue with the wattle-seed-crusted venison elevated by red fruit and pickled beetroot swirls; the meat is perfectly pink in the middle and an homage to the island’s history as a deer farm.

Pebble Beach

qualia Resort Pebble Beach
qualia Resort guests can dine at Pebble Beach. (Credit: Lean Timms)

Exclusive to qualia Resort guests for lunch and dinner, Pebble Beach is Hamilton Island’s most serene expression of seasonal island dining. Ocean-facing chairs dot a timber deck that spills straight onto the resort’s private beach, while crystalline turquoise waters stretch to meet distant islands – a scene far prettier than any postcard could capture.

The recently refreshed menu doubles down on seasonality and bright, layered flavours. While the more substantial T-bone steak with hazelnut honey carrots tempts, we go lighter: Coffin Bay oysters with Champagne foam and keffir lime dust kick us off splendidly, followed by Byron Bay burrata served with balsamic and caramelised figs. The fennel and orange salad topped with succulent grilled chicken is utterly delectable, but it’s the zingy, oh-so-fresh soft shell fish tacos that I can’t stop thinking about. It all goes down a treat with a glass of delicate Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne.

Beach Club Restaurant

Beach Club Restaurant hamilton island
Book in advance for Beach Club Restaurant. (Credit: Nikki To)

A lunch or dinner table at Beach Club Restaurant is best booked in advance – and it’s easy to see why. Looking out over the hotel’s palm-fringed infinity pool, the restaurant spotlights elegant contemporary Australian cuisine with a stellar (also Aussie-leaning) wine list to match.

I am completely enamoured by the grilled Queensland prawns, which are brought to life with a smoked compound, local fried curry leaves and lime. Digging into the butter-soft lamb rump served atop pea ragout and parsley Paris mash feels like a warm, nostalgic hug. And dessert – vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with hot salted honey and apple gel – ends the night on a high note.

Expect warm and discreet service; our waiter Marco tells us that the tiny decorative starfish on our table are there to help the staff remember whether we prefer sparkling or still water, so they don’t need to bother us by asking multiple times.

Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher

hamilton island Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher
Join this immersive wine experience. (Credit Eleanor Edström)

There’s more to Hamilton Island’s foodie scene than restaurant reservations alone. For wine-curious travellers seeking something a little more immersive, Beach Club has recently introduced Talk & Taste – a tutored tasting hosted by Bommie Assistant Manager and wine enthusiast Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher. Held twice weekly for a maximum of eight guests, the experience explores Australian wine culture through four thoughtfully selected drops paired with native-inspired bites.

We opt for the white wine and seafood option. Alongside pours from Eden Valley and Launceston, a nibbling platter arrives featuring sashimi, salmon roe, Mooloolaba prawn ceviche and palate-cleansing ginger. The seafood is pristine and pared back, allowing the wines to take centre stage.

The real highlight, however, is discovering just how nuanced winemaking can be. Courtenay speaks of viticulture as both art and science: harvest grapes a week too late and ripeness tips into ruin; plant the same varietal on different elevations and the sun, slope and water flow will shape entirely different expressions. Pinot noir, she explains, with its delicate skin and high water content, yields lighter fruit-forward wines, while thicker-skinned shiraz delivers depth and structure. I leave feeling fascinated and inspired by Courtenay’s evident passion.

coca chu

table spread at CocaChu
Get a taste of Southeast Asian flavours. (Credit: Nikki To)

Sweet and hot. Sour and salty. Dining at ever-popular coca chu is a sensation-swirling experience that’s not to be missed if you’re a sucker for punchy Southeast Asian flavours. Located at the Main Pool end of Catseye Beach, this lively hangout is all swaying lanterns, driftwood, high beamed ceilings and giant open windows that let in the balmy ocean breeze.

Drawing from hawker traditions, the grilled betel leaf is a neat, vibrant mouthful of chilli fried cashews and spiced beef. The tofu surprises – soft beneath a tumble of dill, mint and coriander, and glossed in moreish peanut sauce. The massaman curry is pure comfort: creamy, fragrant, fall-apart meat. It’s generous and expressive cooking that I, for one, cannot get enough of.

Marina Cafe

hamilton island MArina Cafe
Take in harbour views and comfort food.

Sometimes, all you crave on holidays is a bacon and egg roll done properly and a creamy fruit smoothie. Boasting harbour views, an easygoing atmosphere and clean modern interiors, Marina Cafe is a popular local haunt for a reason. The casual menu lures families and couples alike with its all-day brekky, seasonal salads and sandwiches – from a roasted pumpkin bowl to prosciutto and rocket on herby focaccia.

The acai bowl, topped with toasted nuts and berries, is a refreshing start to my day. Whether you sit in or takeaway, it’s a good-vibes-guaranteed place to refuel before or after your Whitsundays adventures.

Discover your foodie getaway now at hamiltonisland.com.au.