SEE + DO + EAT
Perfectly located for a relaxed beach getaway, Soul Beach House & Bungalow delivers miles of beach at the end of the street, plus cafés, restaurants, and parklands, while being nestled adjacent to Alex Forest Conservation Area in Alexandra Headland on the stunning Sunshine Coast, only 60 minutes drive north of Brisbane.
The Sunshine Coast is the ultimate holiday destination, offering some of Australia’s best beaches, outdoor activities, leisure destinations, not to mention internationally acclaimed food and wine.
With sparkling coastline dotted with stunning beaches, bustling coastal towns like Mooloolaba and Maroochydore on your door step, stylish internationally renowned villages like Noosa only 30 minutes north, and quaint hinterland destinations including Maleny, Montville and Glasshouse Mountains only 30 minutes inland from Soul Beach House & Bungalow, you will be truly spoilt for choice.
So whether you are here to explore the beach lifestyle, indulge in fine dining, enjoy organic fresh produce and unique offerings from the farmers markets, walk or ride the local trails around lakes, waterfalls, and National Parks, or wander the unique townships and stylish shopping on offer, Soul Beach House & Bungalow is your perfect holiday destination.
BEACH
Make the most of Soul Beach House & Bungalow’s location with Alexandra Headland Beach, known by the locals as Alex Beach, at the end of the street, directly accessed from a picturesque viewing platform, where you want to keep your eye out for frolicking migrating whales in the area in June to November.
Extending miles north and south is pristine coastline, white sandy beaches with iconic surfing on offer. Another 5 minutes flat walk gets you to the patrolled swimming beach in front of Alex Surf Club.
Then wander up the hill at Alex Headland for the best picnic spot on the Sunshine Coast, an absolute weekend arvo go-to for sweeping views from Alex up to Mount Coolum, and beyond.
See
BUSH + NATURAL WANDERS
Walk 300m from your front door at Soul Beach House & Bungalow to explore the hidden jewel of Alex Forest Conservation Area, a 5.7 ha native eucalypt and rainforest bushland with 1km of scenic walking trails leading you back to Alex Beach. Or get serious and hike or bike the natural wonders of the Glasshouse Mountains and Coolum Mountain. Explore the waterfalls and rock pools of Kondalilla Falls in Montville and Serenity Falls just up the road in the idilic Buderim Forest Park.
Or take the coastal boardwalks along Coolum Beach foreshore, Mooloolaba Spit, Caloundra Coastal Walk, or venture to Noosa National Park for easy walking trails and panoramic views. Explore the beauty of the natural water ways on the cruises, sailing and river tours that depar t Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Caloundra and Noosa.
FAMILY FUN
The perfect location for family fun, Soul Beach House & Bungalow delivers on all beach and river water activities being only a stones throw from Maroochy River and The Wharf Mooloolaba for boat hire, kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkling, scuba diving, jetskiing, kite surfing, fishing and more. Or sign up to surf lessons for the youngest of budding surfers. Hire an e-scooter, e-bike or normal bike and explore kilometers of bike paths, and for the skaters and bikers, you’re only 10 minutes flat walk to Alex Skate Park right alongside the beach. Hangout at Nelson Park at the end of the street with a gated fully equipped playground for the kids plus BBQs and picnic areas and a lake teaming with aquatic and birdlife and Suncity Tenpin Bowling on its doorstep.
Stay local and make an afternoon treat of ice cream on the beach or in the park, choosing from handmade Gelato at the end of the street at Fish ‘n Battered, or a bit further stroll to opposite Alex Surf Club at Cold Rock Ice Creamery with mix-ins to delight, a favourite of my boys.
FOOD + DRINK
Once again be spoilt for choice as you venture out from Soul Beach House & Bungalow to explore the foody destinations on offer, which luckily start at the end of the street, with Elliot’s Bistro for freshly brewed coffee and sumptuous breakfasts and lunches, French pastries and specialist breads from La Petite Souris French Bakery, dinner at Sangs East Asian Cuisine or fish and chips from Salt n’ Battered followed by a cone loaded with Italian gelato icecream or visit our latest addition, Banana Blossom, for the yummiest fresh salads to eat in or takeaway.
For the vegetarians like me and the vegans, be assured there is a diverse range on offer without having to go more than 10 minutes from Soul Beach House & Bungalow. In Maroochydore is Elixaba, a family favorite of ours, Café Nurcha in Kawana that will entise you for lunch or a morning or afternoon snack, plus Buderim’s Vie Cafe and Soul Kitchen Bakery, Forest Glen’s Kunara Café and Coolum’s New Earth Café.
Check out our Local Guide.
Eat
MARKETS
Uncover the freshest local produce or seek out eclectic arts and crafts from the array of local markets on the Sunshine Coast, all easily accessed from Soul Beach House & Bungalow. Eumundi Markets, my personal favourite, and Australia’s premium artisan open air market under majestic fig trees, has been a destination since 1979 and welcomes visitors every Wednesday and Saturday come rain, hail or shine or our own Alexandra Headland pop-up Collective Market right on the water by the skate park during school holidays.
There are also some great night markets. Close by at Mooloolaba, every Thursday, from 5pm to 9pm, you can stroll along the famous Mooloolaba Sunset Strip, while tucking into some epic street food at the Mooloolaba Sunsets Market. Or if you’re happy for a short drive over the Maroochy River, you can explore the Marcoola Markets a Friday night, from 4-8pm.
If it’s a farmers market you are looking for, you are spoilt for choice with Kawana Waters Farmers Market every Saturday oozing a real local community vibe. Yandina Market, also on Saturdays is my favourite go-to destination for plants, and on Sunday, Fishermans Road Market and Cotton Tree Market, both local staples, are well worth a visit.
SHOPPING
Treat yourself to a quick stint of retail therapy or a day out shopping, browsing for inspiration, looking for a fabulous new outfit, or a special gift, you will find plenty of unique options brimming with goodies to tempt you. Wander down to the Alex front for all your surfing and beach fashion needs. Or you are only 5 minutes from the key Sunshine Coast hotspots. Visit Cotton Tree with its boutique, homeware and specialist stores, or stroll Mooloolaba Esplanade for relaxed and upmarket shopping.
Maroochydore’s Sunshine Plaza with over 315 specialist stores and major Department stores will allow you to shop till you drop. Or venture to Noosa, Peregian Beach, or Coolum for even more chic stores.
PAMPER
Relax, unwind and rejuvenate at Soul Beach House & Bungalow aided by a treat to self at one of the Coasts tranquil day spas, from Ikatan in Doonan, (my personal fav) to Spa Anise and Maleny Beauty Rooms up on the Range, or Noosa’s Stephanies Ocean Spa and The Spa at Noosa Springs. Maybe an Ayurvedic treatment or detox at Sunshine Ayurveda is more your thing, simply indulge in a massage, cleanse with an organic freshly squeezed juice, and wander the beach or watch the sunset from Alex Headland.
CULTURE
Head for the Hinterland Arts Trail for a spot of culture, featuring the Blackall Ranges with its charming towns bursting with art galleries, boutiques, café’s and must more. Montville and Maleny will not disappoint for gallery gazing, while Noosa Regional Gallery at Tewantin and Caloundra Regional Gallery both showcase the strong local talent on the Coast.
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GOLF
It seems that everything is only 5 minutes from Soul Beach House & Bungalow, and a stroll on the fairways is no exception, with the Headland Golf Club just down the road. Under 15 minutes gets you to the stunning and challenging Twin Waters Golf Club and the newest course on the Coast, the prestige links course of Maroochy River Golf Club. Thirty minutes away is Pelican Waters Golf Club in Caloundra boasting a Greg Norman designed layout, plus in the opposite direction is Peregian Springs Golf Course. Within 45 minutes is the magnificent scenery of Noosa Springs Country Club, and Maleny Golf Club’s picturesque 9 hole course.