Sunshine Coast Region

The beaches run long here, Caloundra down south, Mooloolaba in the middle, Noosa's calm at the northern end, each with its own pace but none of them in a hurry. Behind them, the Glass House Mountains rise straight out of flat farmland, sharp volcanic peaks that look almost too dramatic to be real. Climb higher still into Montville and Maleny, hinterland villages built for long lunches and longer views. Meet the Irwins' crocodiles and tigers at Australia Zoo, one of the country's best-known wildlife parks. This is the coast people start missing before they've even left.