Why is Hastings Street in Noosa the best shopping street in Australia?

Hastings Street in Noosa is arguably the best shopping street in Australia for several reasons. The quality and variety plays a major part, but the setting at the back of one of Australia’s top beaches helps too.

Noosa Longboards doesn’t seem to sell many longboards. Board shorts in riotous colours, and aloha shirts imported from Hawaii, however, it seems to do rather well with.

Neighbouring Gazman, on the other hand, does a fine line in loose-fitting linen shirts. They’re the sort a ridiculously handsome man might wear while yachting, and in every shade of pastel.

Further along, Nomade Moderne sells floaty colourful dresses and shamelessly bold leopard-print shoes, seemingly aimed at the recent divorcee after a toyboy in a cocktail bar market. And Alterior Motif offers swimwear from the likes of Zulu and Zephyr.

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Taste coffee and ginger, do rainforest walks, and visit the best lookouts on a highlight-packed hinterland tour.
Take a serene Noosa Everglades cruise along the mirror-like waterways – or canoe through the Everglades.
Learn to surf at a Sunshine Coast surf school – or try paddleboarding instead.
Combine sight-seeing and thrills on a fast boat tour.
Go e-mountain biking on the downhill trails of Tewantin National Park.
Kayak with dolphins as part of a beach 4WD tour.
Explore the Sunshine Coast from above on a seaplane flight.
Take an indigenous cultural tour – with bush tucker tasting.
Visit the region’s best craft breweries and distilleries on a drinks tasting tour.
Go jetskiing through the gorgeous Pumicestone Passage.
Taste wines, cheeses and chocolates on a hinterland food tour.
Watch migrating humpbacks on a whale-watching cruise.

Hastings Street in Noosa – it’s expensive

This is all very Noosa. Or, more specifically, it’s all very Hastings Street. Real estate here is notorious for being amongst the most expensive in the country – if not THE most expensive. The fight to be priciest changes regularly, but Hastings Street is always up there.

Given that this in Noosa, a small, somewhat disjointed Queensland town that’s about two hours’ drive from the nearest major city, this is pretty impressive. That a shopping strip in a town controversially capped at a population of 61,100 can compete with the major strutting thoroughfares of Sydney and Melbourne takes some doing.

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Cruise the mirror-like waterways of the Noosa Everglades – a glorious glide through stunning natural landscapes.
4WD along the beaches – AND kayak with dolphins on a day tour full of easy adventure.
Take a dolphin-watching safari down the Noosa River.
Have a go at kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding or waterbiking.
Take a tasting tour of the local craft breweries and distilleries – find out how the locals have devoted themselves to quality.
Get standing on your board by the end of a beginners’ surfing lesson.

Hastings Street, home of the Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort and Seahaven Noosa, sits just back from one of the most stunning beaches in Australia. Noosa Main Beach goes for seemingly miles in a slow, seductive curve. The golden sands host plenty of people sprawled out on towels between the lifeguard-patrolled flags, and the odd Noosa surf school.

If I can do just one thing in Noosa, what should it be?

The Great Beach Drive – a four wheel drive adventure up Teewah Beach towards Double Island Point – is fantastic on its own. To go kayaking with dolphins as part of the same trip makes for a genuinely superb day out.

Take it as a massive personal recommendation – the Great Beach Drive plus Kayaking With Dolphins day tour should be at the top of your Noosa wishlist.

Fashion shopping on Hastings Street, Noosa

The clothing for sale on Hastings Street fits Queensland’s best beach town’s vibe rather well. There’s some surfwear, but always a class above your bog standard board shorts from Quiksilver or Ripcurl. Everything seems to be at a higher level of design, with extra detailing and more intricate, almost artwork-esque looks.

Hastings Street in Noosa is one of the most expensive shopping streets in Australia. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Elsewhere, there is menswear that simultaneously manages to be both relaxed and sharp. It’s very much aimed at guys who want to look good in the peak of summer, rather than those who’ll happily take shorts and a T-shirt and have done with it.

For women, it’s all about the bold colours, and phenomenally detailed dresses. Price tags may be hefty, but it’s immediately possible to understand why. The dresses come jewel-encrusted, in a thousand colours, but still somehow manage to maintain that effortless seaside floatiness.

Beyond the best shopping street in Australia

Noosa is at the top of the Sunshine Coast, a short detour off the drive from Brisbane to Hervey Bay. It’s more expensive than family-friendly Mooloolaba or rainforest-surrounded Montville, but there are still caravan parks in Noosa. Nature is a major part of Noosa’s appeal. You can take a cruise on the Noosa Everglades, go birdwatching in the Noosa Botanic Gardens or spot koalas in the Noosa National Park. The Noosa weather is at its driest in September.