Sunshine Coast Transport

The easiest and most common way to get around Sunshine Coast is by car, with numerous roads leading in and around the towns and villages comprising this area. Bruce Highway is Sunshine Coast’s main transportation infrastructure and runs from Brisbane to Cairns. There are several arterial roads that lead from the highway to towns and villages near and along the coast. Examples of which are the Cooroy Noosa Road, the Yandina Coolum Road, the Maroochydore Road, and the Sunshine Motorway which connects major coastal towns in the area.

The bus line Sunbus also use these sealed roads to transport visitors to and from their destinations. The bus line is especially useful in connecting suburbs and localities to major commercial centers like Caloundra, Noosa, and Maroochy. Sunbus follows the Translink system implemented in most of the southeastern part of Queensland. All buses bear their route number and destination information on their front part for easy identification. Main interchanges include the University of the Sunshine Coast, the Kawana Shoppingworld at Kawana Waters, Landsborough Rail, Caloundra Interchange, the Sunshine Plaza at Maroochydore, Nambour Rail, and Noosa Heads. Of particular interest is the free bus services offered by the Noosa Shire Council during the summer season from Noosa Heads to surrounding suburbs and vice versa.

Coaches are also available and cater mostly to tourists going to and from major tourist destinations like beaches and large resorts.

The whole area is serviced by the Sunshine Coast Airport, located in Maroochydore. There are several domestic flights to and from major cities like Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney. Maroochydore is the ideal place for an airport, since it is the geographical center of Sunshine Coast. From this town, visitors won’t have a hard time getting transportation to the town or resort they wish to spend their holidays in. Domestic airlines with regular scheduled flights to Sunshine Coast include the Tiger Airways, Jetstar, and Virgin Blue.

Another transportation option is provided by the Nambour and Gympie North railway line, operated by Queensland Rail Citytrain. Numerous interurban services are available for residents and visitors of this area, with the major express route between Bowen Hills and Caboolture train stations, with stops at Petrie and Northgate during off-peak season. The rail also connects bus routes running through the coastal areas. During off-peak season, the service runs one trip every two hours. During peak summer season, this is increased to two trips per hour in order to meet the demand of numerous tourists flocking to the areas. Beyond the Nambour station, the rail only offers service once or twice a day to the northern part of Sunshine Coast.

Being along the coastline, there are also several ferry services offered to both residents and visitors and provides another way to go around. This service has routes to and from Noosa Waters, Noosa Heads, Northside, Noosavile, and Tewantin. Apart from providing a good transportation option, ferry passengers do not have to contend with traffic and the views of the coastline and beaches are hard to beat.