Hot air ballooning over Glass House Mountains with Sunshine Coast Ballooning
With the New Year upon us, most of us have the best intentions to work out more, cut out the treats and hold on the margaritas. But allow us to let you in on a secret: we think the key to making 2023 your best year yet is to get out there, have endless adventures and make new memories!
So, to turbo-charge your 2023, we’ve rounded up the activities you MUST do to live your life to the fullest right here on the Sunshine Coast.
Take to the skies
Rise and shine and start your day in a magic way with Sunshine Coast Ballooning.
Hot air ballooning with Sunshine Coast Ballooning
This family-operated hot air ballooning company offers personal early morning flights over the Sunshine Coast so you can witness the natural beauty of our slice of paradise from the sky.
These bucket-list flight experiences include transfers, a traditional Champagne toast, breakfast and, of course, memories to last a lifetime.
Learn all about the Sunshine Coast from the experienced pilots as you soar through the air, if that’s not a sunshine moment, we don’t know what is!
Snorkel with turtles
You’ve surfed our point breaks and hiked through our lush Hinterland rainforests – but when was the last time you experienced Mother Nature from under the sea?
Snorkeling at Mudjimba Island with Sunreef
With Sunreef Mooloolaba you can Snorkel with Turtles off Mudjimba Island – a short boat trip off the coast of Mooloolaba - and trust us when we say, this is an adventure worth diving into.
An experienced in-water guide will introduce you to the reef’s residents, which as well as turtles, includes wobbegongs, rays, crayfish, cowrie shells and a vast array of wonderful reef fish. It’s a truly special location.
Dive with sharks
Swimming with sharks is one of those once in a life experiences.
And with a New Year upon us, there’s no better time than now to get up close and personal with Grey Nurse Sharks in the wild with locally-owned and managed Wolf Rock Dive at Rainbow Beach.
Located 2km off Double Island Point, Wolf Rock was classified as a marine sanctuary back in 2003 and is now hailed as Australia’s best shark and ray dive and the only known gestation site for these majestic ocean dwellers on the East Coast.
Check out these protected sharks as well as manta rays, leopard sharks, sea turtles, olive sea snakes – and in winter, humpback whales – as you explore this magnificent marine playground with qualified instructors.
Abseil at sunset
It doesn’t get more exhilarating than abseiling down 40m cliffs as the sun sets over the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
So, challenge yourself – and get your adventure and fitness fix at the same time – on one of Grabrock’s sunset abseiling sessions.
The super energetic and experienced staff have your back – literally – as you abseil down Mt Tinbeerwah, the incredible views providing the perfect backdrop.
Better yet, you don’t need to have any experience and you can reward yourself with a sunset picnic when you’re done. Bliss!
Take a water-based safari
Why not take a safari of the wet and wild kind and explore the tranquil waters of the Sunshine Coast on jet ski?
Caloundra Jet Ski Hire and Safaris in the Pumicestone Passage, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast
Operating from Bulcock Beach at Caloundra, Caloundra Jetski Hire and Tours offer a bunch of small group experiences.
We recommend jumping aboard their signature adventure, Sunshine Coast Jet Ski Epic, which will have you flying down the Pumicestone Passage, through narrow mangrove-lined marine channels and into the soothing Tripcony Bight before doing some splashtastic ocean-style riding at the southern end of the journey.
Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for resident dolphins, dugongs and turtles during your spin!
Skydive Noosa
Tap into your inner adrenaline junkie and take the leap from 15,000 feet on a tandem skydive.
Skydive Noosa
Don’t let your fears hold you back from this bucket list jump with Skydive Noosa where you can witness the sunshine-soaked beaches of the Sunshine Coast and brilliant blue seas from a whole new perspective.
Taking off from Sunshine Coast Airport, this life-changing plunge offers you the chance to jump from 10,000 or 15,000 feet, aerial views of our iconic mountains as your backdrop.
Freefall at staggering speeds of up to 220kms per hour before soaring like a bird over our sugar-white sands before landing on the picture-perfect Coolum Beach.
Now, THAT’S a jaw-dropping start to the year!
Fly N Dine
Toast a stellar start to the New Year in style with a glass of bubbles and some seriously sensational vistas by air with Oceanview Helicopters.
Oceanview Heli
Watch the sun set behind the rolling green hills of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland on their Champagne Sunset package or check out the magic of the Glasshouse Mountains on one of their scenic adventure flights.
We believe life is all about collecting experiences – not things – and these sky-high journeys will deliver that sunshine moment in spades.
Spot platypus on a dawn kayak
Yes you read that right. The Sunshine Coast is home to one of Australia’s most elusive creatures – the platypus – and we know exactly where you can find them.
There are a few ways to spot the camera-shy Mary Valley platypus, but we think one of the best ways is on a guided Dawn Kayak adventure with Ride On Mary.
Enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the golden hour as the sun rises over the surrounding valley and mountains of the Yabba Creek.
And if you keep your eyes peeled, you might just be lucky enough to spot the cheeky resident platypi playfully splashing around in the river bank. Magic.