Walk into ancient subtropical rainforest, stand beneath the volcanic Glass House Mountains and meet the wildlife of one of Australia's most beautiful coastlines — all on a small-group day that treads lightly on the places it visits.
An unhurried day in nature
Most visitors know the Sunshine Coast for its surf beaches and its easy holiday rhythm. Step a little inland, though, and the country changes within minutes. The flat coastal plain rises into the green folds of the hinterland, the air cools and softens, and you find yourself among some of the oldest living rainforest in the country, beneath thirteen ragged volcanic peaks that have watched over this Country for tens of thousands of years. A Cooee Tours eco tour is built around exactly that contrast — a single, gentle day that carries you from the coast to the high green ridges and back again, with a guide who knows where to look and when to be quiet.
We have been showing people around Queensland since 1974, and over those decades the Sunshine Coast has remained one of our favourite corners of the state to share. It rewards slow travel. The pademelon that edges out of the ferns at dusk, the whip-bird's call answered across a gully, the cool breath that rolls off a waterfall on a warm afternoon — these are the moments that an eco tour is designed around, and they only arrive when you stop rushing. Our days are deliberately uncrowded, our pace is comfortable, and there is always time to simply stand and take it in.
This is a nature-first experience under our Cooee Nature banner, and it suits a wide range of travellers: couples and families, keen birdwatchers and photographers, seniors who want a relaxed day out, and anyone curious about the wild heart of the region. You do not need to be especially fit, and you certainly do not need any experience. You only need a willingness to slow down and pay attention.
What the day holds
Every eco tour is shaped to your group, the season and the weather, so no two days are quite the same. The places below are the heart of what we explore, and your guide will weave a route between them that flows naturally and keeps the driving relaxed.
Eleven craggy peaks rise abruptly from the coastal plain, the worn cores of volcanoes that erupted some twenty-five million years ago. We visit the lookouts that frame Beerwah, Tibrogargan and Coonowrin, follow gentle lower tracks through the surrounding forest, and unpack both the dramatic geology and the deep cultural story these mountains carry. It is one of the most striking landscapes in southeast Queensland and a highlight of every tour.
A pocket of remnant subtropical rainforest near Maleny, threaded by an easy circuit through giant strangler figs, piccabeen palms and towering red cedars that escaped the colonial timber-getters. Red-legged pademelons graze quietly in the understorey, brush turkeys rake the leaf litter, and the canopy hums with birdsong. The reserve's lookout over the Glass House Mountains is, on a clear morning, one of the finest views on the coast.
The hinterland town of Maleny sits high on the Blackall Range amid rolling dairy country and pockets of rainforest. We pause for the views back to the mountains and the sea, and visit Lake Baroon, a serene reservoir framed by forest where platypus are sometimes seen at first or last light. It is a peaceful, restorative stretch of the day.
A short, beautiful walk leads through open eucalypt forest and into cool rainforest where Kondalilla Falls tumbles into a rock pool below. The track passes mossy boulders, the constant sound of running water and an excellent chance of spotting eastern yellow robins and other forest birds. We choose the section that best suits your group's energy on the day.
Where the hinterland meets the sea, the coastal track around Noosa headland offers pandanus-fringed bays, the chance of koalas in the eucalypts along the way, and dolphins or migrating whales offshore in season. The walking is easy and the rewards are constant — turquoise water on one side, bushland on the other.
The sheltered waters between the mainland and Bribie Island form a rich marine and birdlife corridor, part of the wider Moreton Bay system. We take in the coastal wetlands and mangrove edges that support wading birds, ospreys and, at the right times, turtles and dugongs offshore — a reminder that the Sunshine Coast's wild places reach right to the water's edge.
Who shares the forest with us
Wildlife is wild, and that is exactly the point — nothing here is staged or fenced. Sightings can never be promised, but the Sunshine Coast is generous, and a patient eye is usually rewarded. Your guide knows the quiet pockets and the right hours, which is the single biggest difference between hoping to see something and actually seeing it.
In the rainforest understorey, red-legged pademelons are a regular delight, freezing mid-graze before bounding into the ferns. Brush turkeys patrol the leaf litter, lace monitors bask on warm logs, and the canopy carries the calls of eastern whipbirds, catbirds and the occasional regent or satin bowerbird. Down at the water, you might glimpse a platypus dimpling the surface of Lake Baroon at dawn, or an azure kingfisher flashing past a creek.
Along the coast and in the open eucalypt forest, koalas doze in the high forks of gum trees, while echidnas shuffle through the undergrowth and eastern grey kangaroos graze the clearings at dusk. Overhead, white-bellied sea-eagles and ospreys ride the coastal thermals. In winter and early spring, humpback whales pass close to shore on their migration, and pods of dolphins are a common sight from the headlands. Wherever we are, we watch from a respectful distance and let the animals carry on with their day undisturbed.
Eco tours run all year, and each season has its own character. The cooler, drier months from April to September are superb for walking, with crisp clear mornings and comfortable afternoons; this is also whale season along the coast, roughly June to October. Spring, from September to November, brings wildflowers, nesting birds and a real sense of the bush waking up. The summer months from December to March are lush, green and alive after the rains, though warm and humid, so we begin earlier in the day to enjoy the cool hours and the rainforest at its most vivid. Whatever the season, the hinterland always runs several degrees cooler than the coast — a welcome relief on a hot day.
Cooee Tours acknowledges the Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) People and the Jinibara People as the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters of the Sunshine Coast and its hinterland, on which these tours take place. We recognise their enduring connection to this Country, its mountains, forests and waterways, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
The Glass House Mountains hold profound cultural significance, woven into stories that have been told here for countless generations. We share what is publicly known and appropriate with care and respect, and we are guided by the wishes of Traditional Custodians as to how these places are visited and spoken about.
Travelling gently
An eco tour should leave a place exactly as it was found — ideally a little better cared for. That principle shapes how we run these days from start to finish. We keep our groups small, both because it makes for a more personal experience and because fewer feet mean less pressure on sensitive tracks and quieter encounters with wildlife.
None of this gets in the way of a wonderful day — quite the opposite. Travelling quietly and respectfully is precisely what lets the forest reveal itself. The reward for patience and a light footprint is a richer, closer experience of the wild Sunshine Coast.
A little further off the track
The mountains, rainforest and coast are the backbone of the day, but the Sunshine Coast keeps its quieter pleasures tucked away, and we love folding them in when the route and the season allow. These are the kind of places that rarely make a postcard yet often become the part of the day people talk about afterwards.
The little ranges around Montville and Flaxton are laced with waterfall walks and look-outs that change completely with the light, while Buderim Forest Park hides a cool palm-filled gully and a waterfall barely ten minutes from the suburbs. Mount Coolum rises as a lone dome above the northern beaches, its slopes carrying a remarkable concentration of plant species, and the headlands of the Noosa north shore look out across an unbroken sweep of sand and sea. Inland, the dairy country of the Blackall Range rolls away in green ridgelines, dotted with the kind of small farm-gate producers that make a roadside pause worthwhile.
We also keep an ear to what the season is doing. In the wetter months the waterfalls run hard and the rainforest fairly glows; in the dry, the air clears and the long views across to the mountains and the ocean open right up. Wildflowers come and go, birds move with the food, and the whales arrive on their own schedule. Part of the craft of guiding is reading those rhythms and steering the day towards wherever the country is at its best on the morning you travel. No fixed timetable can do that — but a guide who has watched these seasons turn for years can.
Why travel with a guide
You could, of course, drive yourself to many of these places. Plenty of visitors do. But a self-drive day tends to become a checklist — park, photograph, move on — and the wild Sunshine Coast does not give up its best moments to a checklist. The pademelon at the forest edge, the bowerbird's display, the platypus on the lake at dusk: these arrive when you are still, patient and in the right spot at the right hour. Knowing where that spot is, and when that hour falls, is the whole value of a guide.
Our guides have spent years learning the texture of this country — which lookout catches the morning light, which track stays cool and shaded on a hot afternoon, where the birds are calling this week, and which sites deserve quiet and care rather than crowds. They carry the stories too: the geology that built the Glass House Mountains, the ecology that keeps the rainforest standing, and the cultural significance of the Country we travel through, shared with respect and care.
Just as importantly, a guided day takes the work out of it. You are not navigating, parking, watching the clock or wondering whether you have missed the best of it. You are simply present, free to look up, slow down and enjoy. We handle the logistics, the timing and the route, and we shape all of it around the people in the vehicle. For families that means keeping younger ones engaged; for seniors it means comfort and an easy pace; for keen naturalists it means lingering exactly where the action is. That flexibility, built on real local knowledge, is what turns a nice drive through pretty country into a genuinely memorable day in the wild.
How it works
Every Cooee Tours eco tour is privately guided or run as a small group, and tailored around the people travelling. You tell us who is coming, what you are hoping to see and how active you would like the day to be, and we design a route that flows naturally from coast to hinterland and back. We can build in extra time for photography or birdwatching, keep the walking gentle for a relaxed day out, or add a longer hinterland trail for those who want to stretch their legs.
We collect you from your Sunshine Coast or Noosa accommodation, or from a convenient meeting point, and travel in comfortable, air-conditioned vehicles with water and a first aid kit on board. Your guide carries local knowledge built over many years of showing people this Country — the kind of detail and timing that turns a pleasant drive into a genuinely memorable day.
| Tour style | Private or small-group, fully guided |
|---|---|
| Typical duration | A full day; half-day and custom options available |
| Departs from | Sunshine Coast and Noosa accommodation, or an agreed meeting point |
| Difficulty | Gentle to moderate; tailored to your group, longer walks optional |
| Best suited to | Families, couples, seniors, birdwatchers, photographers, nature lovers |
| Runs | Year round, with seasonal highlights including whale season |
| Includes | Guide, comfortable transport, water and first aid; national park access as relevant |
Tell us your dates and your wish list and we will shape the perfect day. Call us on 0409 661 342 or email contact@cooeetours.com.au to start planning your Sunshine Coast eco tour.
Good to know
Eco tours run year round. Autumn and winter, roughly April to September, bring cool clear mornings that are ideal for rainforest and mountain walking, with whale sightings possible off the coast between June and October. Spring brings wildflowers and active birdlife, while summer is lush and green but warm and humid, so we start earlier in the day to make the most of the cooler hours.
Most of the walking we include is gentle to moderate, on formed tracks and boardwalks suitable for anyone with reasonable mobility. We tailor the day to your group, so we can keep to easy circuits such as the Mary Cairncross loop, or add longer climbs in the Glass House Mountains for those who want more of a challenge. There is no requirement to attempt anything strenuous.
Wildlife is wild, so sightings are never guaranteed, but the Sunshine Coast is rich in native animals. On a typical day you may see red-legged pademelons, brush turkeys, goannas, an abundance of birdlife, and with luck koalas, gliders or a platypus at dawn or dusk. Your guide knows the quiet spots and the right times to look, which greatly improves your chances.
Yes. We design these days to suit families, seniors and mixed-ability groups. Tracks are chosen for comfort and safety, the pace is unhurried, and there is plenty of seating and shade along the way. Let us know the ages and needs of your group when you book and we will shape the route accordingly.
Comfortable enclosed walking shoes, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, a light rain jacket and a refillable water bottle cover most conditions. Bring a camera or binoculars if you enjoy wildlife and a warm layer in the cooler months, as the hinterland is several degrees cooler than the coast. We carry water and a first aid kit on board.
Light rain rarely stops us, and the rainforest is often at its most beautiful in misty drizzle. If heavy rain or storms make tracks unsafe we adjust the itinerary, favouring sheltered boardwalks, lookouts and indoor stops, or we work with you to reschedule. Your guide makes the call on the day with safety as the first priority.
We can accommodate most dietary requirements and a range of accessibility needs with advance notice. Several of the sites we visit have sealed paths or boardwalks that suit walking frames and many wheelchairs. Tell us about any requirements when booking and we will confirm which experiences will work best for your group.
A private tour is exclusively for your party, with full flexibility over the route, pace and stops. A small-group tour brings together a limited number of guests for a shared, lower cost experience on a set itinerary. Both keep numbers low so the day stays personal and gentle on the places we visit. Contact us on 0409 661 342 to choose the option that suits you.
Our standard eco tour focuses on lookouts, lower tracks and the cultural and geological story of the mountains rather than summit climbs. The peaks are steep and several hold deep cultural significance, so we keep to walks that are safe, respectful and accessible to most guests. Experienced walkers can discuss a more ambitious itinerary with us in advance.
We travel in small groups, keep strictly to formed tracks, observe wildlife from a respectful distance and never feed or handle animals. We carry out everything we carry in, support local conservation and community projects where we can, and brief every guest on simple leave no trace habits. Caring for these places is the whole point of an eco tour.
From the rainforest canopy to the volcanic mountains and the open coast, let Cooee Tours guide you through it gently. Family owned and operated since 1974.
Call 0409 661 342