Coolum Beach: Swimming, Parking, Dogs and Things to Do

Coolum Beach is a patrolled surf beach on the Sunshine Coast, about 118 km by road north of the Brisbane CBD, with a surf club, a playground, a skate park, a coastal boardwalk and a stretch of sand where dogs can run off the leash. It is free to visit, and council calls it a family friendly surf beach.

Tickle Park, right beside the Coolum Surf Club, is the easy place to start. It has shade, barbecues, toilets and showers, and the local shops are across the road. Walk south along the Coastal Pathway and you reach the Point Perry lookout at Wilkinson Park.

Can you swim at Coolum Beach?

Yes, between the flags. Coolum Beach is patrolled year round: council lifeguards are backed by volunteer lifesavers from the Coolum Beach Surf Life Saving Club, whose members patrol on weekends and public holidays from the September school holidays to the Labour Day weekend in May. The lifeguard tower is at beach access 77, next to Tickle Park.

Always swim at a patrolled beach and stay between the red and yellow flags, as council and Surf Life Saving Queensland advise. Follow the lifeguards’ instructions, check conditions before you go in and never swim alone.

Coolum is a surf beach, so waves and rips change from day to day. Surf Life Saving Queensland says rips are a leading cause of coastal drownings.

Coolum North Beach, in front of the Coolum Beach Caravan Park (beach access 73), is a seasonal patrol. It is patrolled seven days a week from the September school holidays to the Easter school holidays, 7.30 am to 5 pm.

Tickle Park: playground, skate park and picnics

Tickle Park (1775-1779 David Low Way) sits on the beachfront and the Coastal Pathway, beside the surf club and the Coolum Beach Caravan Park. The playground has shade sails and equipment for a range of ages, including a double play structure, slides, a climbing net, a spiral pole and swings, plus a sand play area. The Coolum Beach Skate Park is next door, also under shade sails.

For a picnic there are shelters, barbecues, picnic tables and seating, plenty of natural shade and open grass for kicking a ball. The park also has public toilets, beach showers and a drinking fountain.

Accessible matting is available on the beach on weekends during the volunteer patrol season.

Is Coolum Beach dog friendly?

Partly. Dogs can be off the leash at all times on the northern part of the beach, from the Lions and Norrie Job Park at the north end of the Coolum Beach Caravan Park (beach access 72) to about 1 km north of Stumers Creek. Council lists that area as beach access points 67 to 72, and its current dog rules page describes the off-leash area as stretching about 3 km either side of the creek, so follow the signs on the day.

Elsewhere, dog access varies from beach to beach, and where there is no sign dogs must be on a leash. At Stumers Creek, keep your dog on a leash from the car park until at least 10 metres onto the beach, then follow the signs to the off-leash area.

• Dogs are not allowed in children’s playgrounds, picnic or barbecue areas, dunal areas, the Stumers Creek Bushland Conservation Reserve or Noosa National Park.
• Off-leash dogs must be supervised, respond to your voice and not bother people or wildlife. Pick up after your dog and have its council registration tag on.
• Stumers Creek Park, at the end of Stumers Creek Road (beach access 69), has a dog wash station, a children’s play area, toilets, showers and a shelter.
• Fines apply: $863 for an off-leash dog in an on-leash area and $345 for being in a prohibited area or not carrying a waste bag.

Coolum Coastal Boardwalk and Point Perry

The Coolum Coastal Boardwalk is a 350 metre suspended timber walkway above the Point Perry Foreshore Reserve. It joins Coolum village to Wilkinson Park at Point Perry and is part of the Coastal Pathway. From Tickle Park it is a walk of less than a kilometre.

Wilkinson Park, also called Point Perry Lookout, is on the corner of Coolum Esplanade and Scrub Road. It has a viewing platform with ocean views north and south, shelters, picnic tables, public toilets and an off-street car park. About 300 metres further south, Second Bay has a small lookout with a viewing platform, a picnic table and stairs down to beach access 83.

Planning your visit

• How long: a few hours for a swim, the playground and lunch; add the boardwalk and Point Perry for a half day.
• Best time: the full patrol cover is from the September school holidays to the Labour Day weekend in May, when club volunteers patrol on weekends and public holidays and the beach matting is out.
• Cost: free. Parking at the main spots is not metered (see below).
• What to bring: sunscreen, a hat, water, a towel and, if the dog is coming, a lead and a waste bag.
• Accessibility: beach matting on weekends in the volunteer patrol season; the small Second Bay car park is listed as wheelchair accessible. For anything else, ring Sunshine Coast Council on (07) 5475 7272.

Getting there and parking

By car, Coolum Beach is about 118 km by road from the Brisbane CBD, about 1 hour 40 minutes without traffic, so allow longer on weekends and school holidays. The beach runs along Coolum Esplanade (David Low Way), with beach access points numbered 68 to 81.

Parking is available at Tickle Park, at the Wilkinson Park car park and at Stumers Creek Park. Council’s paid meter zones are currently only Caloundra and Birtinya, so Coolum Beach is not one of them, but read the signs for time limits on the street.

By bus, Translink route 620 runs between Maroochydore and Noosa Heads and stops at Coolum Beach, including David Low Way at Coolum Beach. Plan your trip with the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30.

More detail is on council’s Coolum Beach page and Tickle Park page. Details can change, so check before you go.

Nearby

• Mount Coolum – the distinctive peak just south of Coolum Beach.
• Peregian Beach – the next beach north along David Low Way.
• Noosa National Park – coastal walks further north.
• Mooloolaba Beach – another patrolled Sunshine Coast beach, to the south.
• Eumundi Markets – a market day inland from the coast.
• Things to do on the Sunshine Coast – more ideas for the rest of the trip.

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