Lockdown is over, but restrictions remain (for now). With post-lockdown life returning to some normality in Noosa, we’ve compiled a list of ways you can get out and about (safely) and enjoy Noosa right now, while supporting local businesses in the process.
It’s no secret that restaurants and cafés have been hurting under the recent lockdowns and restrictions. Shake off the stay-at-home blues and book a table at your favourite local restaurant or try out somewhere new. Check Eat Local Noosa for a detailed list of local restaurants open for business.
Noosa has some of the best outdoor experience providers anywhere, and they are open for business, with restrictions on numbers. Epic Ocean Adventures take sea kayak tours, stand-up paddle eco tours and surf lessons from locations around Noosa and nearby Rainbow Beach. Fraser Island Boat Charters lets you hire your own yacht to explore the stunning turquoise waters of Fraser Island at your own pace.
Always open and always stunning, the Noosa National Park is a haven for hiking, surfing and wildlife spotting. Hug the rocky coastline of the coast track for stunning views of the coves, or head deep into the park, where you’ll likely have the trails all to yourself. Finish your wander with a coffee or breakfast somewhere on Hastings Street, and you’ve had yourself a quintessential Noosa morning. Or get to know the maze of gravel trails of the Noosa Trail Network with a guided mountain bike tour with local experts Spoke n Trail or Bike On.
Keen to try something new? There’s no better time than now! Explore the Noosa Everglades (where you’re almost guaranteed not to see another human) with local adventure company Kanu Kapers, which offers guided or self-guided tours of this, one of only two everglades systems in the world. If that sounds like more hard work than you’re up for, book an eco-friendly cruise with Everglades Eco Safaris. Discover the Noosa North Shore, on a 4WD adventure with The Discovery Group or Great Beach Drive 4WD Tours, or explore a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on a discovery tour with K’Gari Fraser Island Adventures or Fraser Explorer Tours.
As essential businesses, most farmers markets have been able to continue throughout recent restrictions, in a reduced capacity. Swapping big supermarkets for small farmers markets is one of the best ways to support small, local farmers and producers. Check here for a list of local markets.
The Noosa Country is open for business and is worlds away from the hubbub of Noosa. Filled with farm gates, artisan producers and organic growers, the hinterland makes for a perfect day trip or mid-week getaway. Pick fresh strawberries daily at Cooloola Berries, or time your visit for the Sunday Paella in the Paddock. For slow country lunches, don’t miss a visit to Pomona Village Kitchen or Kin Kin General Store, and make sure you get acquainted with the local gin distilling scene at 20 20 Distillery and Pomona Distilling Co.
It’s whale watching season, and Noosa boasts a great selection of operators. Local provider Noosa Wave offers whale watching, dolphin adventures, snorkeling and swimming with whales. While the Noosa Oceanrider takes dolphin safari expeditions and adventure tours off the coast of Noosa Heads, where you can expect to see dolphins, manta rays, turtles and whales.
