Dicky Beach is a patrolled surf beach in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, named after the steamship SS Dicky that ran aground here in 1893. Behind the sand, Dicky Beach Park has a playground, skate park, showers, barbecues and picnic shelters, so it suits a family day by the water.
It is about 92 km by road from the Brisbane CBD, which makes it an easy long day trip or a stop on a Sunshine Coast weekend.
The beach and swimming at Dicky Beach
The beach is patrolled all year by the Dicky Beach Surf Life Saving Club, whose clubhouse and lifeguard tower are on Coochin Street. Swim between the red and yellow flags, and check the Beachsafe page for Dicky Beach for patrol times and conditions before you go.
Beach access points are numbered 262 to 271 along this stretch. Dicky Beach Park, at the Beerburrum Street end, covers accesses 264 to 267 and is on the Coastal Pathway.
Dicky Beach Park: playground, skate park and picnic spots
Dicky Beach Park has a play fort with a slide, climbing wall and sliding rails, with natural shade. Shelters, barbecues, picnic tables and seating sit on the grass beside it, and there is open lawn for a kick or a throw.
The skate park next door has a kidney bowl, a mini ramp, beginner-friendly hubbas and ledges, and a long round-down rail. It suits skateboarders, BMX riders and scooter riders.
The park has public toilets and beach showers. A viewing deck, finished in March 2024, has a telescope aimed at the spot where the SS Dicky wreck once lay, and interpretive signs and pieces of the wreck sit nearby. The park was redesigned under the council’s Dicky Beach precinct plan, which kept the skate park after a community survey and added the amenities building, picnic shelter and beach shower in 2021.
The story of the SS Dicky
The Dicky was a 226-tonne iron cargo ship built in 1883. In late January 1893 she left for Brisbane, but heavy northerly gales stopped her clearing Caloundra Head, and she was driven ashore on 4 February 1893 between Tooway and Bunduwah creeks. The crew all reached land, and the ship stayed where she lay.
The wreck stayed on the beach for more than a century, and the council began removing its visible parts in 2015. Today you can see a propeller from the ship in a memorial cairn in the Dicky Beach shopping area, a short walk from Beerburrum Street, and the park has a viewing deck with a telescope, interpretive signs and pieces of the wreck.
Dicky Beach Holiday Park
Dicky Beach Holiday Park is a council-run holiday park at the beach if you want to stay. A new amenities building with toilets, showers and wash areas opened there on 20 October 2026. Bookings go through the Sunshine Coast Holiday Parks website.
Is Dicky Beach dog friendly?
Only partly. Dogs may be off leash north of Ann Street, and a 50 m buffer near the Dicky Beach bathing reserve is a no-dog area. Dogs are also allowed at beach access 261. Follow the signs on the sand, because the council’s dog areas changed in July 2026. The council’s dog rules page links to the current access maps.
Planning your visit
- How long: one to two hours for a swim and the playground; half a day with a picnic and a look at the propeller.
- Best time: mornings for a quieter beach; warm weekends and school holidays are the busy times.
- What to bring: sunscreen, a hat, a towel and a picnic. There are cafes and takeaway outlets nearby.
- Cost: the beach and park are free.
- Accessibility: the park has an accessible parking space.
Getting there and parking
By car, Dicky Beach is about 92 km from the Brisbane CBD, about 85 minutes without traffic. Allow longer on weekends and school holidays.
Dicky Beach Park has an off-street car park on Beerburrum Street, including an accessible space.
Translink route 600 runs between Caloundra station and Maroochydore station and stops at Beerburrum Street at Dicky Beach, and on Cooroy Street near Coochin Street. Check the route 600 timetable for times.
Nearby
- Moffat Beach – the next beach south, with beachfront cafes and a headland walk.
- Kings Beach, Caloundra – the main Caloundra beach, a little further south.
- Currimundi Lake – calm, shallow water to the north.
- Point Cartwright – a headland and lookout further up the coast.
- Mooloolaba Beach – a bigger beach town with an esplanade.
- Things to do on the Sunshine Coast – more ideas for the rest of your trip.
- More coast: browse all Explore SEQ beaches or the Sunshine Coast page.
Quick answers
Where is Dicky Beach?
Dicky Beach is a beach and suburb in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, about 92 km north of the Brisbane CBD.
Is Dicky Beach patrolled?
Yes. The beach is patrolled year-round, and patrol times are on the Beachsafe website. The Dicky Beach Surf Life Saving Club is on Coochin Street.
Why is it called Dicky Beach?
It is named after the steamship SS Dicky, which was driven ashore here in a gale in February 1893.
Is Dicky Beach dog friendly?
Dogs may be off leash north of Ann Street, and there is a 50 m no-dog buffer near the bathing reserve. Follow the signs on the beach.
Are there toilets and showers at Dicky Beach?
Yes. Dicky Beach Park has public toilets and beach showers beside the beach.
Is there parking at Dicky Beach?
Yes. Dicky Beach Park has an off-street car park on Beerburrum Street, including an accessible space.
Can you get to Dicky Beach by bus?
Yes. Translink route 600 between Caloundra and Maroochydore stations stops at Beerburrum Street at Dicky Beach and on Cooroy Street near Coochin Street.
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