I did the 4.2km return walk to Alexandria Bay starting from Sunshine Beach end (Parkedge Rd). Usually I start walks from Noosa end and wanted to try one of the southern trails this time. I set off late one Sunday afternoon and it was a perfect time (not too many people, cool and breezy). The beach and coastal panorama is gorgeous and there were no naked swimmers with their bits out on this occasion (this is known as a nude beach!). Choose your shoes carefully as the walk is mostly sand & takes you through open eucalypt woodland and heathland to Alexandria Bay. There are some interesting native plants to see on the way including coastal banksia/native bottlebrush & no walk is complete without seeing the omnipresent scrub turkey!

The walk is so pretty, you see so many beaches that are quiet. We started near our hostel and ended on Main beach which was a great way to cool down. Took around 3 hours, make sure you take plenty of water and suncream as there isn’t much shade. The route does get very busy so be prepared for a lot of stopping to let people past. Would definitely go on this walk again and hopefully stop at more beaches.

The Noosa National Park is only about a km from Hastings St, reached via a raised boardwalk that offers a tantalising coastal and forest views. It is the perfect antidote to the full-on commercial experience that Hastings St offers. There are numerous tracks to follow once you're in the NP, with our favourite being the coastal track that takes you past several beaches to Granite Bay and beyond. The path is fairly narrow and can be busy with walkers but the mood is friendly and people are generally very considerate of others walking at different speeds etc. And with luck you might even spot a koala high up in a gum tree - have done so on previous walks but not this time.

If you love walking this is a highly recommended experience with ocean views. There are easy 1.1 km trail, harder 2.4km trail, 3.2km one way and a 10.8 kilometres return four hard trail. We loved it.

Beautiful hiking, amazing views, full of wildlife. A nice mix between forests, coastal cliff walks, beaches, and hill tops. Lots of wildlife to see despite being quite busy. Some parts were hilly and some exposed roots and loose gravel but paths were easy to follow and not strenuous. We did the Alexandria Bay walk to Sunshine Beach; and the Tanglewood walk to Hell’s Gate and then back along the Coastal Walk. Amazing day!