It’s renowned for sophisticated dining and chic shopping but exploring Noosa with kids is a family holiday dream come true.

Picturesque beaches, fresh coastal air and killer kids’ menus at the region’s best restaurants – there are plenty of reasons to bring little ones to Noosa for a much-needed escape. I’ve rounded up the best things to do in Noosa with kids to help you and the clan stay busy and keep meltdowns at bay.

In short

If you’ve only got time for one thing to do in Noosa with kids, make it a day out at Australia Zoo. Home to more than 1,200 animals, and less than an hour away from central Hastings Street, it offers non-stop kid-friendly wonderment.

1. Cut loose at Hinterland Adventure Playground

After journeying into the Sunshine Coast, I’m always keen to help my beyond-bored kids get their sillies out. Enter the Hinterland Adventure Playground, the ultimate present to gift children after a morning spent in the car or on a plane. Located in Cooroy, a 30-minute drive from bustling Hastings Street, this all-abilities slice of outdoor heaven was built on a former timber mill site and features a bunch of swings, a flying fox, a splash zone, a sand pit, a rock play area, tunnels, a sensory garden, a giant slide, a sensory garden and plenty of nets to climb and tumble down from. Toddlers will also love running away from you as they trot along small-scale nature trails. Best of all, there’s ample shade, plus barbecue areas to lure in too-cool teens, too. An always happy pit-stop to kick start your adventure in Noosa with kids.

2. Learn how to catch a wave

Boasting 300-odd days of sunshine a year, Noosa is a magnet for beach hangs, especially at Main Beach, which is a hop, skip and jump from Hastings Street. So much more than just white sand and cerulean water, the hot spot offers ample water activity whenever I’m in Noosa with kids, including surfing on foam boards, much to the delight of my wannabe grommets. Book a lesson with Merrick’s Noosa Learn to Surf, the longest running surf school in Noosa, for expert guidance. Have teenagers keen to sharpen their skills? There’s also the Australian Surf Bus which was renowned for its national multi-day surf camps before launching on the Sunshine Coast in 2025 (you’ll need to check the website for dates as they run sporadically). Patrolled year-round, Noosa Main Beach is one of the best Noosa beaches, always safe for swimming with moderate waves and epic beginner conditions.

3. Ride a horse along the beach

We swapped the surfboard for a steed during a recent Noosa escape. Meandering along the stunning coastline on horseback with Equathon Horse Riding Adventures, our private tour swept in Teewah Beach on Noosa’s North Shore. Designed for groups and families with kids aged seven years and older, the tour even takes your four-legged beauty into the surf for a shallow dip if the conditions are favourable. An unforgettable thing to do in Noosa with kids.

4. Get messy with arts and craft at Noosa Regional Gallery

In town on the third Sunday of the month? Break up beach action with a visit to the Noosa Regional Gallery as ArtPlay Sunday attracts kid-heavy crowds. The free program runs from 11am to 1pm and stages activities inspired by current gallery exhibitions, so expect far more enthralling stuff than stock-standard colouring-in. Perfect for primary school-aged children, the initiative is set up just outside the gallery, weather permitting, so parents also score epic Noosa River views while chaperoning giddy kids.

5. Visit The Ginger Factory

I’m not the biggest fan of ginger but I kept The Ginger Factory on my Noosa-with-kids to-do list because friends raved about it. They were right. Located just 30 minutes south-west of Noosa at Yandina, the very eclectic amusement park is set among subtropical gardens, and the attractions are amusingly random, entirely kid-centric and totally wonderful. We jumped aboard the 100-year-old sugar cane train ride that circles the property, but were far more impressed by Overboard, the indoor boat ride that travels like Disneyland’s ‘It’s a Small World’ to explore gingerbread man puppets travelling the globe. It’s plenty kitsch but my kids and I ooh-ed and ahh-ed at every turn. There’s also a small petting zoo, several play areas, a toy store, a nature trail inspired by the 2018 short film “Zog," ginger factory tours and, of course, shops selling Buderim Ginger products – think ginger beer, gingerbread, chocolate, honey and more. A gift that keeps on giving if you’re in Noosa with kids, especially if they’re little.

6. Explore Noosa by bike

Ditch the car and get around this scenic region on two wheels thanks to several easy cycle paths for families. The best ones include the flat 6.5-kilometre ride from Noosa Marina to Hastings Street, which passes the Pirate Playground along Noosa River, some of the region’s best cafes and coffee, and Main Beach; an 11.5-kilometre section of the Noosa Coastal Walk from Noosa Junction to Peregian Beach; the 2.5-kilometre loop around the Noosa River and a six-kilometre circuit from Weyba Creek to Noosa Farmers Market and Mangrove Boardwalk. Bike On offers hire with standard baby seats, shotgun child seats and child chariots starting from around $33.75 a day and older kids can book out their own mountain bike and BMX from about $18.75 a day.

7. Make furry new friends at Australia Zoo

It would be remiss not to mention Australia’s most famous zoo when it comes to visiting Noosa with kids, plus it’s one of the country’s best. Located less than an hour south of Noosa, Australia Zoo has been operating since the 1990s and is home to more than a thousand native and exotic animals. My family and I have visited several times in the past three years, and my kids love it more each time. During our most recent trip, where we stayed inside one of The Crocodile Hunter Lodge’s ultra-luxe Crocodile Cabins, we even caught Robert Irwin feeding saltwater snappers in the gigantic Crocoseum. Unreal. Elsewhere, I guarantee your little ones will love feeding the kangaroos and stickybeaking through enclosures with far more exotic creatures including lemurs, red pandas, elephants, zebras, meerkats, sea otters, giraffes and cheetahs. Kids from four years of age can also partake in the zoo’s Zookeeper for a Day program, which involves helping the team feed animals and clean enclosures.

8. Kayak through the Noosa Everglades

Ready for more outdoor awe? Noosa’s Everglades is one of just two everglades in the world (the other is in America’s Florida) and boasts thousands of plant species and more than 40 per cent of Australia’s birdlife. I love how tranquil and soothing a kayak along its eerily still waters prove, while my kids love keeping their eyes peeled for critters of all sorts. Explore this natural wonder in Noosa with kids thanks to the award-winning Kanu Kapers, a tour company that runs self-guided and guided kayak tours throughout. The Young Family Guided Tour is perfect for kiddos up to 10 years old and includes all your gear and brunch. Prices start from $95 for kids and $155 for grown-ups.

9. Hike the Noosa National Park

Home to Noosa Headland, soaring eucalypt forest, lush rainforest, quiet beaches and a walk that captures incredible views of the coast, Noosa National Park is a natural family family-friendly wonderland. There are several walking tracks, ranging from an easy one-kilometre trail through palm groves to an epic coastal climb that rewards you with panoramic views (you can do just part of this if your kids are itty bitty). My children love trying to spot vivid wildflowers, kookaburras, koalas and lace monitors, and if you’re there between June and November, humpback whales join the hit list. Meanwhile, dolphins and turtles are most often sighted at Dolphins Point and Hell’s Gates.

10. Paddle, fly and cycle Noosa River

I love Noosaville’s riverside sleepiness just as much as the all-day hum of Noosa Heads, and I’m not alone. Noosa River boasts all the aquatic sports. Noosa Stand Up Paddle offers SUP lessons and hire, while Fliteschool Noosa unleashes a more unique experience via an electric surfboard–snowboard hybrid that gives the sensation of flying over water. If it’s lazy exploration you’re craving, Noosa River is also home to an abundance of birdlife including pelicans, white-bellied sea eagles and the striking great egret.

11. Board a classic Noosa River ferry

Soak up chilled holiday vibes with a cruise down Noosa River aboard the local vintage ferry. Noosa Ferry & Cruise Co. offers rides aboard a 1960s vessel that connects Hastings Street and Noosa Marina, plus multiple scenic stops between. All-day passes for adults cost $28 while children cost $14, and this allows the clan to hop on and off as much as you like. The tour company also offers cruises aboard its HV Stillwater, a more contemporary hybrid-powered vessel famed for its sunset sail over the glistening waterways. In great news for parents? There’s a licensed bar and nibbles. Sold.

12. Ride the Noosa Wave

Little ones love wildlife and speed, so why not combine them the next time you’re visiting Noosa with kids? Spot the abundant marine life that call this Queensland corner home – think dolphins, turtles and manta rays – on a thrilling zero-gravity-feeling ocean ride with Noosa Wave Boating Adventures. Kids from five years old can join the team’s 1.5-hour Thrilling Dolphin Adventure tour, which glides over waves without any hard bumps. It’s the fastest (and safest) adventure boat you’ll find in the area. Expect tickets from $59 per child and $79 per adult.

13. Get silly in a giant inflatable fun park

Just over a half-hour drive south of Noosa, the Coolum Aqua Park is the region’s largest water park, sure to tire even the most energetic of kids aged six and over. The inflatable obstacle course comprises slides, trampolines, swings, wobble pads and more to slip and slide across. There are barbecue areas right nearby, so consider bringing lunch to enjoy under the park’s shaded structures. Prices start from $30 per person for a single session but you can go all day with a $70 pass if everyone’s super keen.

14. Noosa Aquatic Centre

Take a break from chasing your toddler away from Main Beach’s waves by visiting Noosa Aquatic Centre’s kid-friendly pools. Choose from a heated toddler pool and heated bubble pool for even smaller bubs, plus giant inflatables for kids aged six and over during the school holidays. The long-serving attraction, situated away from the centre of tourist town in beautiful Sunshine Beach, is a local’s secret. There’s also a gym and cafe on site, and a creche if you’re desperate for a very virtuous holiday swim or sweat session.

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