A beach holiday in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast truly has something to offer everyone, as former Queenslander Carla Grossetti declares. The coastal town also came in at no. 41 in your pick of Top 50 Aussie Towns.
I first visited Mooloolaba about 20 years ago to enjoy a beach holiday with my beau that revolved simply around the surf and sand. But these days, I would drop anchor in Mooloolaba for a multitude of reasons.
Walk along the luxurious beachfront esplanade adjacent to Mooloolaba Beach. (Image: Visit Sunshine Coast)
Mooloolaba is worth the trip for a visit to Praw Star alone. (Image: Visit Sunshine Coast)
2. Soak up the live music at The Wharf
One of the many reasons to visit Mooloolaba is to rub shoulders with loafer-clad yachties and the young surfie set listening to live music at The Wharf.
Wander down to The Wharf in Mooloolaba. (Image: Visit Sunshine Coast)
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3. Join a Saltwater Eco Tour
Likewise, a cruise up the Mooloolah River with Indigenous-owned Saltwater Eco Tour s is also a must to learn about the Kabi Kabi’s rich culture.
Join Saltwater Eco Tours to learn about the Kabi Kabi’s rich culture. (Image: Visit Sunshine Coast)
4. Get your fill of Walker Seafoods
The Sunshine Coast is very much on the map for foodies thanks to Walker Seafoods. The local business has Marine Stewardship Council certification for sustainable fishing of yellowfin tuna, albacore tuna and broadbill swordfish. It’s what any local restaurant worth their salt serves.
5. Check out The Pavilion
The Pavilion , sandwiched between Briner and Mooloolaba Beach, is the pumping new hotspot at the Mantra Mooloolaba Beach. This smart and sophisticated spot is all elegant archways and rattan chairs full of sun-kissed people with hair arranged by the ocean.
The Surf Club Mooloolaba is one of many restaurants serving sustainable seafood. (Image: Visit Sunshine Coast)
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7. Dive with sharks or swim with whales
Sign up for the new Shark Dive Extreme experience at Sea Life to get an idea of what else is in the ocean. Or simply spend a breezy day between July and the end of October swimming with whales on a Sunreef tour.
Go swimming with whales on a Sunreef tour. (Image: Visit Sunshine Coast)
8. Stay tuned for the opening of Avani Mooloolaba Hotel
Back on land, the announcement of the new upscale $50 million 180-room Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel also sends a message to holidaymakers about confidence in this sought-after destination.
No question, I could move to Mooloolaba tomorrow to just relax, lay back and enjoy a life of sweet leisure.
Carla Grossetti avoided accruing a HECS debt by accepting a cadetship with News Corp. at the age of 18. After completing her cadetship at The Cairns Post Carla moved south to accept a position at The Canberra Times before heading off on a jaunt around Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America. During her career as a journalist, Carla has successfully combined her two loves – of writing and travel – and has more than two decades experience switch-footing between digital and print media. Carla’s CV also includes stints at delicious., The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian, where she specialises in food and travel. Carla also based herself in the UK where she worked at Conde Nast Traveller, and The Sunday Times’ Travel section before accepting a fulltime role as part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK. Carla and has been freelancing for Australian Traveller for more than a decade, where she works as both a writer and a sub editor.
Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.
While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.
Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.
Getting there
Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)
You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.
Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.
Best accommodation in Clermont
Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)
All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.
Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.
One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters , Four Mile , Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings . To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting . They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.
Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum . Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.
The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.
See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)
For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.
Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services . Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.
Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs . The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.
Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont
Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.
Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.
Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.
For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.
Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.
