Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The nearest train station to Noosa Heads is in
Cooroy,
25km (16 miles) away,
to which
Queensland Rail
(
&
13 22 32
in Queensland, or 07/3235 1122) oper-
ates two daily services from Brisbane on its
CityTrain
(
&
07/3235 5555
) net-
work. The trip takes about 2
1
⁄
2
hours and the fare is A$18 (US$9.75) including
bus connection to Noosa Heads. Queensland Rail's long-distance trains depart-
ing Brisbane pick up but do not drop off passengers in Cooroy, with the excep-
tion of the high-speed
Tilt Train
(which runs Sun-Fri). The fare is A$28
(US$18).
The Sunlander
makes several trips from Cairns each week; the fare is
A$183 (US$119) for a seat, A$345 (US$224) for a first-class sleeper. Local bus
company
Sunbus
(
&
13 12 30
or 07/5450 7888) meets most trains at Cooroy
station and travels to Noosa Heads; take bus no. 12.
Several coach companies have service to Noosa Heads from Brisbane, includ-
ing
Sun-air
(
&
1800/804 340
in Australia, or 07/5478 2811) and
Suncoast
Pacific
(
&
07/5443 1011
on the Sunshine Coast, or 07/3236 1901 in Bris-
bane).
McCafferty's
and
Greyhound Pioneer
have many daily services from all
major towns along the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and Cairns. Trip time
to Noosa Heads is 2 hours and 20 minutes from Brisbane, and just under 26
hours from Cairns. The single fare is A$21 (US$14) from Brisbane and A$186
(US$121) from Cairns.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Write to
Tourism Sunshine Coast Ltd,
P.O.
Box 264, Mooloolaba, QLD 4557 (
&
07/5477 7311;
fax 07/5477 7322; www.
sunshinecoast.org) for information. In Noosa, drop into the
Noosa Tourist Infor-
mation Centre
(
&
07/5447 4988;
fax 07/5474 9494) at the eastern round-
about on Hastings Street where it intersects Noosa Drive. It's open daily from
9am to 5pm. Other tourist information centers are:
Nambour Tourist Infor-
mation Centre,
5 Coronation Ave., Nambour (
&
07/5476 1933
);
Maroochy
Tourism,
Sixth Avenue and Aerodrome Rd., Maroochydore, (
&
07/5479
1566
); and
Caloundra City Information Centre,
7 Caloundra Rd., Caloundra
(
&
07/5491 0202
).
GETTING AROUND
Major car-rental companies on the Sunshine Coast
are
Avis
(
&
07/5443 5055
Sunshine Coast Airport, or 07/5447 4933 Noosa
Heads),
Budget
(
&
07/5448 7455
airport, or 07/5447 4588 Noosa Heads),
Hertz
(
&
07/5448 9731
airport or 07/5447 2253 Noosa Heads), and
Thrifty
(
&
07/5443 1733
airport, or 07/5447 2299 Noosa Heads). Many local com-
panies rent cars and four-wheel-drives, including
Trusty
(
&
07/5491 2444
).
The local bus company is
Sunbus
(
&
07/5492 8700,
or 13 12 30 in Australia).
EXPLORING THE AREA
HITTING THE BEACH & OTHER OUTDOOR FUN
Main Beach,
Noosa Heads, is the place to swim, surf, and sunbathe. If the bikini-clad super-
model look-alikes are too much for you, head to Sunshine Beach, just behind
Noosa Junction off the David Low Way, about 2km (1
1
⁄
4
miles) from Noosa
Heads. It's just as beautiful. Both beaches are patrolled 365 days a year.
Learn to surf with two-time Australian and World Pro-Am champion
Mer-
rick Davis
(
&
0418/787 577
mobile phone; www.learntosurf.com.au), who's
lived in Noosa for 10 years. Merrick and his team run 2-hour lessons on Main
Beach daily for A$35 (US$23), 3-day certificate courses for A$95 (US$62), and
5-day courses for A$125 (US$82). They will pick you up and drop you off at
your accommodations, and also rent surfboards, body boards, and sea kayaks.
If you want to rent a Windsurfer, canoe, kayak, surf ski, catamaran, jet ski, or
fishing boat that you can play with on the Noosa River, or take upriver into
