The Sunshine Coast suburb on the move
This beachside haven is laid back and lovely, as residents know and more visitors are discovering.
Mooloolaba is laid back and lovely, as residents know and as visitors discover when they venture to the Sunshine Coast
Beachside breakfast
Vast blue skies, white-sand beaches and a winter daytime average temperature of about 22C have drawn generations of visitors to Mooloolaba on southeast Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The domino effect of Brisbane’s successful bid to host the Olympic Games in 2032 and an influx of new residents during the pandemic means the popular seaside suburb, part of the town of Maroochydore, is on the move. Mooloolaba locals are a cheerful lot too, and many are up and at ’em well before the first crack of golden light hits the horizon. The early-morning power walkers are coffee aficionados and move in herds. I follow them up a set of stairs and through an archway to the airy, light-filled Pavilion Mooloolaba. With its leather banquettes, neutral colours and sea breeze, the Pavilion nails the Bali beach club vibe. It’s a lovely place to linger over a latte and plate of vanilla and ricotta hot cakes.
Leisurely plunge
Sunglasses, tick; swimmers, tick; floppy hat, tick. These are the only items needed at Tank Riviera, a lively venue on the shore of the Mooloolah River. Choose your own adventure at the day club, which offers everything from massages to serene cruises, gourmet brunches and access to the bathhouse, sauna and steam room. Slip into one of the heated plunge pools, arranged like sparkling jewels around a private palm-fringed courtyard overlooking the river. Leaving here at the end of the day is like being evicted from a great dream.
Sea-view dining
You’ll find a mix of locals and tourists tucking into the degustation dinner at Spice Bar Mooloolaba. Book an early dinner so you can watch the onshore wind whipping up white horses out to sea from a table on the outdoor terrace. The carefully edited pan-Asian menu includes popular staples such as beef tataki, duck served in a masterstock consomme with edamame and hoisin sauce, and fiery Sichuan chicken tenderloins. Take a postprandial stroll along Mooloolaba’s main eat street to get a feel for the bustling night life.
Into the spirit
WAT Den is a new temple to whisky and tequila on the hip strip of Mooloolaba Esplanade. Ask Brazilian barkeep Felipe Bley to talk you through the 36 tequila and 18 mescal options. The process of ordering a dram here is akin to receiving a tutored tasting, and the whisk(e)y – with and without an “e” – has been procured from across Scotland, Japan, Ireland, the Americas and Australia. Members of the venue’s Whisky Club can store their high-end purchases in a locker until their next visit. The backlit bar is a thing of beauty, featuring a carefully selected range of bottles displayed according to shape and colour. The space is dressed in gold and navy and the bartenders are dapper in ties and vests.
Cruise with turtles
Don a wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins and slip into the sea from the back of the Sunreef vessel moored off Mudjimba Island, about 30 minutes by boat north from Mooloolaba. Although you will see a dazzling array of fish, nudibranch species and rays during your 2 ½ hours at the site, sea turtles are the big-ticket items. Drift in meditative silence until the loggerhead and green turtles come into view. Snacks and water are provided on board. Sunreef Mooloolaba also offers Australia’s first swim with humpback whales experience from July to October.
Choices at the wharf
It’s fitting that The Wharf Mooloolaba is anchored to a finger of land that looks out over the fishing boats and dinghies chugging up and down the Mooloolah River. The expansive compound is home to some of the area’s best seafood-centric restaurants, from the casual, tricked-up trawler Prawn Star to the overwater fine diner See Restaurant helmed by executive chef Taj Maller. Arrive at dusk when the light is still bouncing off the water to enjoy a few glasses of bubbles and a platter of the eponymous crustaceans at Prawn Star, or go for the more elevated offering of a barbecue seafood platter at See.
Saltwater people
The heritage-listed Spray of the Coral Coast is impossible to miss amid the flotilla of kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, dinghies and pleasure cruisers that ply the Mooloolah River. As the 100-year-old 58ft Huon pine ketch sails past, you might hear the haunting sounds of the didgeridoo and notice the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal flags flapping in the breeze. The founder of Saltwater Eco Tours, Simon Thornalley, is a proud Indigenous man with Torres Strait Islander heritage who has created a tourist experience led by traditional owners of Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi country. The cruises combine traditional music and storytelling with maritime history, bush food-inspired canapes and lemon myrtle cocktails.
Picture this
You won’t need to reminisce about the cool hues of the coast post-holiday if you pick up a Mark Gray print from the photographer’s gallery in Mooloolaba. Buying a piece of Gray’s art is like purchasing a giant postcard reminder of the sensory overload that seduces visitors at dawn and dusk on the Sunny Coast. Gray trains his local lens on Mooloolaba and his prints run the gamut from boats to beaches. I love the images of the skies ribboned in pink, orange and red like frayed prayer flags.
Stay in style
Cycling or strolling along the Esplanade is one way to see Mooloolaba. Sitting on your sun-drenched balcony at Sea Pearl looking out at the cerulean sea and sky is another. Enjoy a welcome wine and cheese platter, access to the lap pool and an in-room dining experience with chef and sommelier for those who don’t care to cook. Nine of the 23 privately owned two and three-bedroom deluxe apartments in the boutique building are available to rent. Long-term stays are also available, for those who want to live out their digital nomad fantasies. The resort is a short walk from the northern end of Mooloolaba beach.
Cycle safari
You can cover a lot of ground on an EcoTekk tour on the shared pathway that loops from Mooloolaba north to Cotton Tree Park pier. Native bush blankets much of the land that flanks the beaches as we glide for two hours through eucalyptus woodlands and groves of she-oaks while following a portion of the path that snakes along the coast for almost 200km. Other tours take in Alexandra Headland and Pumicestone Passage, which offers glimpses of the jagged peaks of the Glasshouse Mountains.
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