Things to do in Mooloolaba, Queensland

Things to do in Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast include whale-watching cruises and twilight kayaking tours. Other Mooloolaba activities include swimming with humpback whales, visiting the Sealife aquarium and Mudjimba Island snorkelling cruises. But Mooloolaba is really all about swimming and surfing at its long, photogenic beach.

Mooloolaba is one of the most popular holiday towns in Queensland. 97km north of Brisbane, it’s a family-friendly place with lots of apartment hotels and a fabulous long beach.

That beach is long enough to have sections that are good for surfing and relatively safe swimming.

With Mooloolaba Beach being the unquestioned focus of this Sunshine Coast town, it’s tempting to just pitch up on the sand every day and eat at the Mooloolaba Surf Club. That’s what a lot of people do. But there are a few things to do in Mooloolaba away from the red and yellow flags.

Things to do in Mooloolaba: Sealife Sunshine Coast

The biggest single Mooloolaba attraction is Sea Life Sunshine Coast. This large aquarium offers experiences such as feeding the penguins and swimming with seals. But given the wealth of aquatic life off the coast, it seems a little odd to go to an aquarium instead.

Between May and October, it is whale-watching season in Mooloolaba. The migrating humpback whales pass along the Sunshine Coast, and whale-watching cruise operators head out to see them.

Mooloolaba whale-watching cruises are available with Whale One, costing from $75 for adults.

It’s also possible to swim with the whales. Whale One and dive specialist Sunreef offer swimming with whales tours from July to October, departing from Mooloolaba Wharf. It’s one of the few places in the world where this is allowed, and is the single best reason to visit Mooloolaba.

Mooloolaba attractions: Mudjimba Island snorkelling cruises

For the rest of the year, Sunreef runs PADI dive lessons, diving trips to local reefs and a snorkelling cruise to Mudjimba Island opposite Mudjimba Beach. In the waters around Mudjimba Island, you can usually find reef fish, crayfish, turtles, rays and wobbegong sharks.

Once you’re certified, you can go diving on the wreck of the HMAS Brisbane.

Mooloolaba Canal Cruise proudly boasts that it has been running cruises on Mooloolaba’s canals for longest. These take place aboard the historic timber ferry, the M.V. Mudjimba. The $25, one hour tour past the fancy waterside homes and comical pelicans should be enough of a taster.

Coastal Cruises Mooloolaba focuses on Mooloolaba Harbour, plus the river and canals. The main two options are a 90 minute seafood lunch cruise and the evening sunset cruise of the same length.

Things to do in Mooloolaba, Queensland: Fishing charters

Sunshine Coast Afloat has a concentration on fishing charters – winter is a great time to catch snapper on the Sunshine Coast. But it also offers river and canal cruises of varying lengths, including one that serves up tea and scones. During the humpback whale season, it also offers whale-watching cruises.

For a more unusual tour, however, try a Sunshine Coast submarine cruise with Down Under Submarines.

Mooloolaba kayak tours

Perhaps more of interest to active types, however, will be Sunshine Coast Afloat’s range of kayaking tours. Options include a twilight paddling safari, a guided fishing by kayak tour and self-guided kayaking along the Mooloolaba waterways.

Early morning walks along the coast are also something of a ritual in Mooloolaba. A 20 minute stroll to Alexandra Headland should be enough to shake away the cobwebs.

Mooloolaba accommodation

If that’s enough to make you want to stay for a few days, Mooloolaba accommodation options include apartment-style Mantra Mooloolaba and the beachfront Landmark Resort.

From Mooloolaba, it’s also easy to do day trips to Kings Beach in Caloundra, Noosa, Queensland’s best beach town, or the huge Eumundi Markets. Buderim Falls, meanwhile, is a ten minute drive away. If there’s time to kill on the two hour drive from Noosa to Brisbane, why not stop in Redcliffe, where a street is devoted to the Bee Gees?