Cooroy: Hinterland Adventure Playground, Butter Factory and Cafes

Cooroy is a former timber town in the Noosa hinterland, best known for the Hinterland Adventure Playground, the Butter Factory Arts Centre and cafes along Maple Street. It is a calm stop inland from the beaches, close to Lake Macdonald and the Noosa Botanic Gardens.

The town was settled in the 1880s as a timber town. The name Cooroy comes from a local Indigenous word meaning possum.

Hinterland Adventure Playground

The Hinterland Adventure Playground, at 5 Maple Street, is the reason many families visit Cooroy. It is a nature-based, all abilities play space with water play, an inclusive flying fox, inclusive swings, natural and rock play areas, a sand pit, a sensory garden and tunnels. There are picnic areas and BBQs.

The site is fenced, with shaded areas, and children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. It opens from 6 am to 6 pm daily (6 am to 7 pm in December and January). Parts of the playground may close for cleaning or maintenance, and the site closes during floods.

The toilet block has accessible toilets and a parent and carer change room. A Changing Places room with a hoist and adjustable table needs an MLAK key to enter.

Butter Factory Arts Centre

The Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre is at 11 Maple Street, in the old butter factory. It has a gallery with changing exhibitions, an Artisan Store and a pottery studio with courses. Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm and weekends from 9.30 am to 2.30 pm, and it is closed Mondays. Check the Butter Factory website for the current exhibition and any closures between shows.

The arts centre is in the Mill Place precinct, which also takes in a library, Cooroora Woodworkers and the historic Lower Mill Site.

Cafes and food on Maple Street

Cooroy’s cafes and bakeries are mostly along Maple Street and the streets around it. Cooroy RSL, at 25 Maple Street, has a coffee shop with an all-day menu (see the RSL website). The town also has galleries, boutiques, antiques and vintage shops, a boutique brewery and a few traditional pubs.

Check each cafe’s own page or social media for what is open.

Browse more cafes across South East Queensland.

Lake Macdonald and Noosa Botanic Gardens

A short drive from town, the Noosa Botanic Gardens sit on the shores of Lake Macdonald, with native and exotic gardens and a Greek style waterfront amphitheatre. Nearby Jabiru Park has the Fearnley Bird Hide on the Noosa Bird Trail. You can launch a boat or canoe from the park next to the gardens, but Seqwater says swimming is not allowed at Lake Macdonald, which is part of the drinking water supply.

Is Cooroy dog friendly?

Yes, with limits. At the Hinterland Adventure Playground dogs must be on a leash, kept away from the play equipment and out of the water play area, and cannot be left unsupervised.

Planning your visit

• How long: 2 to 3 hours for the playground, the arts centre and a coffee.
• Best time: mornings, when the cafes are open and the playground is cooler. The Butter Factory is closed Mondays.
• Cost: no entry fee is listed for the playground. Check the Butter Factory website for any gallery entry fee.
• What to bring: swimmers and a towel for the water play (children in nappies need aqua-nappies), a hat and water.
• Accessibility: the playground is designed for all abilities, with inclusive swings and flying fox, accessible picnic seating, disabled parking bays and a Changing Places room.

Getting there and parking

Cooroy is about 110 minutes by car from the Brisbane CBD (about 137 km) and is reached on the way from Noosa Heads. Disabled parking bays are listed at the playground, but council does not describe general parking, so look for street parking around Maple Street and check the signs.

By train, Cooroy station is on the Sunshine Coast line. Check times on the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30. For the playground, see Noosa Council’s Hinterland Adventure Playground page.

Nearby

• Noosa Hinterland – more country towns and lookouts.
• Eumundi Markets – the famous hinterland market.
• Noosa Farmers Market – Sunday produce stalls.
• Tewantin – the Noosa River town.

Browse more of Noosa.

You might also like

• Noosa National Park – the coastal walk.
• Stones Corner (Brisbane)
• Nundah (Brisbane)

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