Pitch-perfect: picturesque camping spots on the Sunshine Coast  

From elegant glamping to family friendly holiday parks, here’s where to camp or glamp on the Sunshine Coast.

Being in the great outdoors has never felt so liberating. From glamping under canvas with all the luxuries you’re used to, to pitching your own tent at a family-friendly holiday park that offers a range of fun activities, here are some of the top spots for camping and glamping on the Sunshine Coast.

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Kookaburra Park, Cambroon

Practise a bit of morning laughing yoga at Kookaburra Park and you may well be accompanied by the cackling of kookaburras. A stay at this Mary Valley property, which doubles as a sanctuary for rescued animals, is very therapeutic. The park has camping and caravan sites, tiny homes, cabins, luxury camping, tee-pees and fairy gardens. Kids will love meeting piglets Bangers and Mash and watching a movie under the stars.

Like a Caravan park, with a bit more glam…

Ingenia Holidays Rivershore, Diddillibah

Ingenia Holidays Rivershore isn’t any old holiday park. In fact, the ingenious set-up leans more toward resort accommodation. Yes, there’s the prerequisite camping and caravan sites, swimming pool, jumping cushion, water slide and camp kitchen. But the park, nestled on the banks of the Maroochy River in Diddillibah also has safari tents with king-sized beds and claw-foot baths, and a fully licensed onsite restaurant, Driftwood.

Ingenia Holidays Rivershore serves more than holiday memories.

Kenilworth Homestead, Kenilworth

With its vintage cabins, spa cabins and camping options, this privately run homestead has the feel of a holiday summer camp. Kenilworth Homestead has a BMX track, horse yards and farm animals on the property and is located on the banks of the Mary River, home to platypus and turtles. Plan to stay on a weekend when Terra Firma Dining presents a traditional Argentinian asado barbecue.

Kenilworth Homestead is still one of South East Queensland’s premiere family campsites.

Habitat Noosa Everglades Eco Camp, Elanda Point

Habitat Noosa Everglades Eco Camp, located in Elanda Point on the banks of Lake Cootharaba, has a range of activities for eco-minded travellers: hire a paddleboard or canoe; enjoy a wilderness cruise; or tour through the everglades. While solar-powered camping sites are available, there are also paperbark camps, wilderness tents, and waterfront sites where kangaroos hop around at dusk. Did we mention there’s an onsite microbrewery?

Take a break and enjoy a holiday in a relaxed and natural setting.

Starry Nights, West Woombye

There is more than enough space to relax and stretch out at Starry Nights in West Woombye, in the heart of the hinterland. Pour yourself a bath, pluck away at your ukulele, listen to the chorus of birdsong at this pretty glampsite where you can immerse yourself fully in nature. In winter, you’ll find a roaring fire in the guest lounge where you can relax after dinner and swap tales with fellow travellers over a glass of local wine.  

Starry Nights is nestled in the tranquil forests of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

Kanimbia Luxury Glamping on 50acres, Obi Obi

Kanimbia Luxury Glamping on 50acres was one of Airbnb’s Host Awards Finalists for Most Unique Stay in Australia in 2021. Everywhere you look, there are moments of magic. The hosts have brought glamping to the Obi Valley and spread the four safari-style tents out so that you can wake up to stunning views and birdsong in peace and solitude. The safari tents have flushing toilets, a claw-foot bath and wood-burning fireplace.

Kanimibia – where romance meets luxury.

Noosa North Shore Retreat, Noosa

You’re read Around Australia at 80Ks by Meredith Schofield and embarked on the road trip of a lifetime with your teacup poodle and you’re looking for a place to camp on the Sunny Coast. The Noosa North Shore Retreat draws a diverse demographic of travellers who want to holiday with their pets. Pull into a powered pet-friendly site and enjoy amenities such as a pool, showers, tennis court, corner store and laundry facilities.

Noosa North Shore Retreat places you steps from Beach Road Nature Reserve.

Big4Caloundra Holiday Park, Caloundra

Parents who pitch their tent at the Big4Caloundra Holiday Park on the water’s edge of Pretty Pumicestone Passage will almost certainly get to put their feet up. Bring the kids bikes and skateboards to the family-friendly park and watch them do a few hot laps before bouncing on the jumping pillow and in and out of the pool. Although there’s free wi-fi, you won’t need it; #keepthekidsquiet at the kids’ club and onsite pizza bar, too.

For a holiday packed full of family fun, you’ve found the ultimate destination.

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Noosa Tableland Escape, Cooran

If you do a search for ‘most picturesque camping spot on the Sunshine Coast’, Noosa Tableland Escape pops up faster than it takes to pitch a luxury eco tent. Good news is, you don’t have to: the hard work’s been done for you at this luxury glampsite for couples so you get more time to kick back in your fluffy robe admiring those views over the Glass House Mountains, which rise dramatically from the coastal plains.

Glamp in the tablelands.

Teewah Beach Camping Area, Cooloola

Hardcore campers who like to get off the well-trammelled beach paths will appreciate Teewah Beach Camping Area in the Great Sandy National Park. The beach is only suitable for high-clearance 4WDs so it keeps numbers down, making for a much more intimate camping experience.  It’s an easy walk to the beach where you can extend your walk at low tide and you may spot whales in winter.

Well-trammelled beach paths in Teewah Beach Camping Area.

Cotton Tree Holiday Park, Cotton Tree

Cotton Tree Holiday Park offers the best of both worlds with direct access to both the Maroochy River and stunning Maroochydore Beach. This is urban camping at its very best, so walking down the main street for ice cream is a must, as is rambling down to one of the local restaurants for dinner. Capitalise on this prime location by hiring an ecoTekk electric bike and cycling along the Sunshine Coast coastal pathway.  

The best of both worlds awaits you at Cotton Tree Holiday Park.