The cool corner of Australia you'll want to keep to yourself The Times Sarah Turner The cool corner of Australia you'll want to keep to yourself new Once a hippy hotspot, Noosa, north of Brisbane, now draws locals in the know for its design nous, laid-back energy, gorgeous beaches and a clutch of chic new hotels Noosa National Park in Queensland Tourism Australia Sarah Turner Friday October 23 2026, 5.00am BST , The Times Listen 0:00 / · 10:30 min Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save O utside a shop that sells unstructured linen clothing for significant sums, a big-wheeled pick-up truck stops to let a flock of bush turkeys cross the road. It's a quintessential Noosa moment. Once the Rolling Stones' preferred place to chill out Down Under — the former B&B they partied in was recently put up for sale for ￡2m — this part of southeast Queensland, which spans nearly 300 square miles of bush and coast, is travelling that well-worn path from hippy hotspot to haute destination. Yes, most people who land at the Sunshine Coast airport at Marcoola, 30 minutes' drive away, will be on scheduled flights from Sydney and Melbourne, but private jets also regularly zip in too. Most commented 1 US withdraws diplomats from Saudi Arabia amid deadly Houthi attacks US news 204 comments Some of the private jetters will be heading to Makepeace Island, the exclusive hideaway in the middle of Noosa River, which spools for 37 miles through absurdly beautiful tropical bush country before splaying out into the ocean at Noosa Heads (makepeaceisland.com). The island is quietly co-owned by Richard Branson, the former Virgin Australia cofounder Brett Godfrey and the investor Radek Sali. The actor Chris Hemsworth has stayed there, as have — rumour has it — Justin Bieber and Matt Damon. The owners of Brisbane's glamorous Calile Hotel, a two-hour drive south (practically next door in Australian terms) are developing a Noosa outpost due to open in 2028. This part of Queensland doesn't adhere to the rest of Australia's upside-down weather, staying warm year-round. Even when Melbourne and Sydney are shivering in the teens in July and August, it's peak season in Noosa with temperatures in the mid-twenties and it's much the same at this time of year. Noosa has fought for years to keep its serenity Getty images Noosa's a bubble, everyone says to me. Unlike the Gold Coast 124 miles south, with its tower blocks and cheap-and-cheerful reputation, Noosa has fought for years to keep its serenity. Development, especially near the beach, is strictly limited. While Noosa Heads, particularly the area around Hastings Street, may be full of holiday apartments, there are no high-rises allowed and its eastern end leads into a national park. The park's main trail, about a 40-minute hike, brings you to Sunrise Beach and Noosa Heads' most glamorous rental, Domic House, which was built into the hillside seven years ago on a plot so steep that everyone else had deemed it unbuildable. Advertisement What you need to know Where is it? Noosa is at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Noosa Heads is about 85 miles from Brisbane Who will love it? Surfers, sunshine-seekers and people who love luxury hotels Insider tip Noosa's Farmers Market, until noon on Sundays, is packed with great produce from the region (noosafarmersmarket.com.au) How to do it Our in-house agency Times Holidays can help you book your own fully customisable version of Sarah's itinerary, tailored to your specific interests There are paintings by leading Aboriginal artists at every turn and six bedrooms with 4m-high ceilings, curved walls and acoustic panels that make each room a giant speaker. A private chef — usually the Italian-born Andrea Ravezzani — might serve up meals next to Domic's infinity-edge swimming pool while you wallaby-spot through the railings into the national park and your concierge, on duty 24-7, sources surf lessons. And from May to October, guests are perfectly placed to see some of the 60,000 migrating humpback whales that pass by. All this can be yours for the not inconsiderable ￡6,300 a night (domicnoosa.com). Top stories 1 What orthopaedic surgeons do every day to protect their knees Health & Fitness 2 New I took hallucinogenics to cure my PTSD from being an NHS paramedic Health & Fitness 3 Bernie Taupin: 'Elton John could be difficult— I would just roll my eyes' Music 4 Now's the time to lock in a pre-Christmas holiday deal — here are 12 Inspiration 5 Which is the best P&O cruise ship? Here's how to choose Cruises Top stories 1 I'm 25 and I've never had an orgasm. What am I missing? Sex & Relationships 2 Mike Soutar: I gave up m to watch Arsenal and eat fish and chips Family Finances 3 Why France's economic crisis keeps coming back to pensions Pensions 4 New John Healey has a rare chance to spark a middle-class wealth boom Saving & Investing 5 Bernie Taupin: 'Elton John could be difficult— I would just roll my eyes' Music At the other end of the price scale and with a prime position on the Noosa Heads side of the national park Halse Lodge, Noosa's backpacker hostel, is another slice of joy. This 100-year-old building with a wide wooden veranda has just been given a retro, Sixties-style glow-up with wood panelling and chunky furniture by the designer Chloe Tozer and offers dorm rooms from ￡38 a night (halselodgenoosa.com.au). Domic House is built into the hillside Cathy Schusler The Elysium Noosa Resort's hot new look As of this year the Elysium Noosa Resort, which is my base, has been glammed up from its previous life as a mid-market Sofitel to a five-star level. Its 175 rooms and suites now have a Seventies Ibiza feel with rounded furniture, pastel colours and an expansive lobby that leads out to a swimming pool with Noosa's only swim-up bar. I warm to the hotel immediately. It lays on free champagne for guests every afternoon and Cibaria, its restaurant in a prime spot on Hastings Street, is superb. The slipper lobsters known as Moreton Bay bugs go especially well with risotto (mains from ￡19; cibarianoosa.au). Add in a nearly all-Aussie crowd and a Patrick Sullivan chardonnay from South Australia and the evening becomes an entirely delightful Aussie-Italian intesa cordiale. The Elysium's Bar Capri extends the Mediterranean metaphor with superb people-watching and leisurely nightcaps. Early the next morning at breakfast, my table dappled with sunshine from the dense green pandanus trees, I watch as everyone from surfers with boards to octogenarians with folding chairs heads through passageways between the shops and restaurants that line Hastings Street. Noosa Heads' half-mile curve of golden sand is a public beach; the only sunloungers you can rent here come from a van next to the surf club, a full day costing a bargain ￡8 (noosabeachsurfhire.com.au). Meanwhile, the black-feathered bush turkeys that roost near the beach spend their days wandering along the pavement. Advertisement The Elysium Suite at Elysium Noosa Resort elisehassey Noosa still looks after its core surfing base. Kids come here after school for training and there's a line of lockers where you can store belongings when you're out on the waves. In the evenings the surf club does a roaring trade in fish and chips; a vast post-surf platter plus a schooner of beer will set you back about ￡20 (noosasurfclub.com.au). Otherwise, pizza from El Capitano can be carried to the beach in minutes (from ￡22; elcapitano.com.au). Or you could head to Belmondos, ten minutes' drive west of the hotel, a warehouse-sized deli where Noosa's beautiful set (and their private chefs) go to stock up. It's a haven of kombucha-infused everything, Australian-grown olive oil and raw honey, most of which comes from the immediate area (belmondos.com). Read more Quokkas, prisons and pies… this pocket of Australia has the lot Australia's most underrated city break? This is it An eye-opening train journey through the Australia most tourists miss Best tours of Australia A luxe stay inland Noosa's hinterland is now just as red-hot as the Cotswolds are in the UK even if, as one Noosa Heads resident says slightly wistfully, being in hill country means that sometimes you might want to light a fire against the evening chill amid the eucalyptus and blue gum trees. Towns such as Pomona and Kin Kin combine coffee roasters, hotels and art scenes with more temperate temperatures than the rest of Queensland. Near Eumundi, a 30-minute drive southwest from Noosa Heads, is one example of how the countryside is becoming increasingly cool. Down a series of rough tracks, Hayley Bonham and Rory Elsom are creating Casa Renoir, a mix of villas and cabins. The first villa opened in December and is a deeply serene if somewhat improbable slice of rural Italy in the Noosa bush. The original 1960s homestead building is now filled with speckled pottery from Puglia and acres of whitewashed charm. Outside are lily ponds, vintage Land Rover Defenders, peacocks and miniature goats. With proper Aussie efficiency and gumption, six other villas are being built plus a restaurant and clubhouse. Already, there's a new swimming pool with a beach and a small waterfall tumbling above it. The villa sleeps four people and starts at ￡4,443 for three nights, but when finished cabins will start at ￡450 a night. “We don't want to price people out,” Hayley says as she shows me around (casarenoir.com). Casa Renoir Across Casa Renoir's 40 acres there are well over a hundred different trees; the previous owners were permaculturalists who also created a bamboo forest which, when you wander through it, the trees towering over you, is like having a private meditation session (yes, there will be a spa here in 2027). There will also be chef residencies; the first one is James Henry of the much-lauded Le Doyenné just outside Paris. If this part of Noosa is Cotswolds gone gently troppo , Casa Renoir is turning into its organically evolving, delightfully boho Soho Farmhouse. Advertisement All recommendations within this article are informed by independent expert editorial opinion. This article contains affiliate links and links to our in-house travel agency, Times Holidays, all of which will earn us revenue. Sarah Turner was a guest of Tourism and Events Queensland ( queensland.com ) and ITC, which has ten nights — five room only at Elysium Noosa Resort, MGallery Collection and five B&B at the Calile in Brisbane — from ￡5,640pp, including flights and car hire ( inspiringtravel.co.uk ) Our in-house agency Times Holidays can help you book your own fully customisable version of Sarah's itinerary, tailored to your specific interests Travel Destinations Australasia Australia Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save Promoted Content Previous Article Next Article