Five of the best planet-friendly experiences on the Sunshine Coast

Sonya GellertBy Sonya Gellert
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From active outdoor adventures for nature lovers to eco-epicurean escapades and Earth-conscious accommodation, the Sunshine Coast is brimming with planet-friendly experiences.
Kondalilla National Park, Montville, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Who wouldn’t want to preserve and rejuvenate this precious environment? (Image: Tourism & Events Queensland)

And it’s not just Aussies who are noticing. The Sunshine Coast has recently become the only place in the world where three UNESCO-declared biospheres sit side by side, as the Sunshine Coast Biosphere Reserve, the Noosa Biosphere Reserve and the Great Sandy Biosphere Reserve form a green corridor from the Glass House Mountains along more than 100 kilometres of coastline to Tin Can Bay.

Also worth noting? The Noosa Everglades are one of only two everglade systems in the world.
With its rich abundance of precious environments, it’s no wonder more travellers are seeking ways to tread lightly when traversing this biodiverse destination. Here are five ways to experience the Sunshine Coast in sustainable style.

1. Kayak for the koalas

Kayak Tours, Everglades, Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Paddle the Noosa Everglades (one of only two everglade ecosystems in the world) and help fund koala conservation. (Image: Tourism Events Queensland)

Paddle through the striking, world-renowned Noosa Everglades while raising money for koala habitats (who said you can’t multitask while on holiday?). Kanu Kapers not only gives kayakers a front-row seat to the incredible beauty of the everglades, but also provides the satisfaction of knowing you’re touring with a company that’s giving back to the land it tours on. Through its carbon offset scheme, Kanu Kapers’ owners, Viv and Kym – in collaboration with local charity Queensland Koala Crusaders – raise much-needed funds to maintain and create leafy homes for koalas. Better yet, these tour operators don’t use motorised boats, instead opting to guide visitors with handcrafted sea kayaks to ensure they’re not polluting these ancient waterways. This peaceful experience is a must-try for avid wildlife watchers and active travellers.

2. Retreat into the rainforest

Glass House Mountains, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Narrows Escape host multi-day walking retreats using the sustainable villas as a base.

It’s easier resting your head in accommodation that’s centred on planet-friendly practices, sleeping safe in the knowledge that sustainability is a priority. Narrows Escape in Montville is a luxurious hinterland retreat that focuses on ensuring its water and energy consumption is minimal, its waste is managed responsibly, and sustainability is the end goal. Nature-loving guests can take part in the retreat’s six-day, five-night guided Sunshine Coast’s Great Walk package, which allows hikers to become much better acquainted with the local environment. Just want to unwind? Combine style and eco-friendly principles and opt for a stay in one of six private villas, complete with your own crackling log fire and bubbling spa, perched on the edge of Kondalilla National Park.

3. Set sail sustainably

Saltwater Eco Tour, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Sail the Sunshine Coast with local knowledge, bush tucker and seafood. (Image: Tourism & Events Queensland)

Mooloolaba-based Saltwater Eco Tours welcomes its guests aboard a 113-year-old, carefully restored heritage timber ship, Spray of the Coral Coast, to sail over the serene, turquoise waters of the Sunshine Coast. Having collaborated with the traditional owners of the land, this tour provider ensures visitors take in the ancient wisdom of the local Kabi Kabi First Nations peoples as the ship sets sail through a distinctly photogenic setting. Saltwater Eco Tours provides a choice of a dedicated cultural tour, a sunset tour with live music, a native bushfoods and seafood cruise, or a private charter. Each tour encourages its participants to connect with Indigenous culture, the Mooloolah River and the area’s maritime history.

4. Imbibe feel-good brews

Terella Brewing, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
There are loads of options like their ginger beer or hard lemonade at the sustainable Terella Brewing. (Image: Visit Sunshine Coast)

With a strong connection to the land, a name that means ‘little earth’, and a devotion to producing great, German-inspired beer, Terella Brewing in North Arm creates its popular beverages in a sustainably minded cycle system (which means its waste products are put to good use). And because the innovative, eco-conscious brewery shares a home with a vertical farm, both companies are making use of each other’s growing and brewing by-products to further lower their footprint and waste. Travellers – and their dogs – can visit the brewery’s tranquil, family-friendly hinterland tap room, meet farmyard animals, and enjoy snacks and beers on the sprawling lawns. If beer isn’t your drink of choice you still have lots of options, as the brewery also produces the popular Mad Dog range: try their ginger beer, hard lemonade, or hibiscus and lychee hard lemonade.

5. Wake among the mountains

Glasshouse Mountains Eco Lodge, Sunshine Coast, QLD
Restored 1880’s train carriages with solar power, composting and the planting of trees have turned Glasshouse Mountains Ecolodge into a responsible destination on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

There are few places more scenic to wake up than in the Glass House Mountains, and fortunately, a sustainably inclined accommodation option awaits those who wish to help protect this stunning stretch of the coast while they’re in the area. At Glass House Mountains Ecolodge you can rest assured knowing the lodge is taking measures to preserve the local environment as you cosy up in a restored 1880s train carriage or 125-year-old timber church. Since buying the property more than 30 years ago, owner Keith and his family have planted hundreds of trees on site, while solar power, composting, self-sufficient water usage, a grey water recycling system and low-energy lighting all contribute to the lodge’s gentler approach.

For more ideas and information on the Sunshine Coast’s best eco-friendly experiences, go to visitsunshinecoast.com .
Sonya Gellert
Sonya Gellert is a writer whose insatiable appetite has seen her travel the world in pursuit of great culinary experiences to share on the page (and plate). Sonya's been the travel editor at a national food magazine, a restaurant and hotel reviewer, a freelance lifestyle writer and a life-long glutton.
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What it’s really like to stay on the world’s largest sand island

    Kassia ByrnesBy Kassia Byrnes
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    Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

    The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort  with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

    But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

    Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

    Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

    Exploring K’gari

    ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island
    Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

    This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

    If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

    The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

    kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island
    Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

    If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

    While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

    The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

    Unwind at sunset

    two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort
    Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

    As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

    The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

    When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

    Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

    Indulge and disconnect

    woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa
    Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

    Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

    The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

    Getting there

    kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island
    The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

    Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.