1. Mooloolaba esplanade to Mooloolaba Spit
Last visit: 15/5/2021
Rating: 10/10
Difficulty: 1/10
Duration: As long as you make it!
Forgetting how early the sun goes down in Brisbane, I had just dragged myself from an afternoon nap (no judging, I was on holidays!) and half-way through my stroll down the path, bore witness to the sun setting over the ocean in magnificent shades of orange. I loved my little walk so much I decided to repeat it the follow day as a run and it didn’t loose its appeal!
What you need to know
· There is a well-formed footpath that hugs the coastline all the way from the esplanade to the Mooloolaba spit. Nearby is Mooloolah River and several other tracks on the opposite side of the river I wasn’t afforded the time to check out and unfortunately there is no short way to get to the other side of the river. As its not officially a hiking track, there is no set point to start from. Pick a place and start walking!
Also, you can’t get lost (ideal for me!) Just follow the track all the way until you reach the large rock wall.
The distance I walked was only about 2km each way. The footpath is completely flat and well-lit when the sun went down. There are plenty of places that would be perfect to stop and have fish and chips for dinner whilst watching the sun go down.
The sun goes down early in South Queensland. I did this walk in May and was in darkness by 5:45 so factor this in if you want to be there for sunset.
Don’t rush the walk-> there are gorgeous photo opportunities every few meters.
2. Mooloolaba Esplanade to Cotton Tree
Last visit: 15/5/2021
Rating: 10/10
Difficulty: 1/10
Duration: 2hrs
Faced with a day of no plans in front of me, what better opportunity to do one of my absolute favourite things and follow some more coastal tracks and walk from Mooloolaba to Cotton Tree? This walk forms a section of the Coastal Pathway which covers 90km of walking track from Bells Creek through to Tewantin. Most people undertake this walk in segments and I couldn’t find much information to suggest people do the whole thing in one hit, although if the opportunity presents, I might be up for it someday if this section was anything to go by.
What you need to know:
The official walking maps state this walk is 4.4km one way, but my total walking distance was 10.8km which is obviously more than the predicted 8.8km.
It doesn’t matter where you start the walk, just pick a spot on the Esplanade. I do think this probably adjusts the distance walked but you will be having too good a time soaking up the views to care about the couple of extra kms!
The first stop on this walk is Alexandra Headlands. If you do nothing else whilst in Mooloolaba, make sure you walk to the headlands, which is less than 20 minutes away. Sunrise, midday or sunset, this overlooks the gorgeous beaches of Mooloolaba and Alexandra Headlands. Grab a coffee and watch the surfing schools in action before continuing on.
If you want to maintain the beautiful beach views, get ready to trudge through sand and follow the beach north. Otherwise stick to the path where you will momentarily loose premier beachfront view. Don’t fear, this doesn’t last long and not a bad opportunity to check out local shop fronts, cafes and apartment complexes on the opposite side of the main road going through Maroochydore.
Follow the footpath along where you will have a caravan park on your right and children’s play grounds on the left.
Again, choose wherever you want a sandy walk across the beach or continue to follow the path until you reach the next suburb, Cotton Tree. There is a massive caravan park that somewhat cuts the track, and I originally thought this must end the segment of the walk I had set out to do. I walked around the caravan park (despite seeing several people walking through the caravan park) and was greeted by a vibrant blue body of water. Some call it a beach, others a river, but whatever it was, it was stunning. I saw a couple of people swimming and had to quickly remind myself the locals here don’t face the same fear of crocodiles as us Far North QLDer’s do!
Cotton Tree is another beachside suburb surrounded by cafes and boutique shops. If time is on your side, spend some time wandering around or grab some brunch or a coffee to fuel up for your journey home.
Its not even unfortunate that this track isn’t a circuit as the views are so good you won’t mind doing them again!
Total walking time: approximately 2 hours.
Make sure you wear a hat, sunnies and sunscreen. There are lots of sections with little shade.
Plenty of cafes and eatery’s dot this walk. There are numerous opportunities to sit back, relax and take your time enjoying the views.
Whilst most of the track treats its walkers to beach front views, I still think sections of the walk like this part are absolutely beautiful.
The beautiful vista of Cotton Tree. It was so serene and beautiful. Great place to hire a paddleboard from one of the nearby shacks renting the out or take a tinnie out and soak up the serenity.
Cotton Tree caravan park-> plenty of people walked through it, but you can (and should) walk around it)
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