Visit the Coloured Sands from Noosa — one of Queensland’s great coastal adventures

Noosa is famous for beaches, restaurants, the Noosa River and its magnificent national park, but one of the region’s most memorable natural attractions lies a little further north.

The Coloured Sands of the Cooloola coast rise above the beach between Double Island Point and Rainbow Beach, forming spectacular layers and swirls of differently coloured sand.

Getting there can be every bit as memorable as the destination.

From Noosa, travellers can cross the Noosa River at Tewantin, enter Noosa North Shore and follow one of Queensland’s great coastal routes north through the Cooloola Recreation Area.

For visitors with a suitable four-wheel-drive — or those joining an organised tour — it can turn a visit to the Coloured Sands into a genuine Noosa day adventure.

What are the Coloured Sands?

The Coloured Sands are part of the extraordinary dune landscape of the Cooloola Recreation Area in Great Sandy National Park.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service identifies the eroded sand cliffs between Rainbow Beach and Double Island Point as one of the best places to observe the area's multi-coloured sand formations.

The colours can range through shades of cream, yellow and orange to deeper reds and browns.

They are not painted cliffs or a tourism creation.

They are part of a natural landscape formed over an immense period of time as minerals and organic processes produced different colours within the sands.

Wind, rain and coastal erosion subsequently exposed the layers, creating the remarkable patterns visible today.

It is effectively a geological artwork stretching along the Queensland coastline.

The adventure starts at Noosa

There are two quite different ways of approaching a visit from Noosa.

Visitors travelling in an ordinary vehicle can drive inland to Rainbow Beach and explore the area from the northern end.

But for suitably equipped travellers, there is a much more adventurous alternative.

The Cooloola Beach Drive extends from Noosa North Shore along Teewah Beach, past Double Island Point and towards Rainbow Beach.

It is one of those rare Australian journeys where the beach itself becomes part of the road.

From Noosa, head towards Tewantin and the Noosa North Shore Ferry.

After crossing the Noosa River, the landscape changes remarkably quickly.

The restaurants, shops and busy streets of Noosa are left behind and visitors enter a much wilder coastal environment.

That contrast is part of the experience.

Along Teewah Beach

The journey north takes travellers onto Teewah Beach and through the Cooloola section of Great Sandy National Park.

Instead of lane markings and traffic lights, there is ocean on one side and dunes on the other.

Double Island Point provides another landmark along the journey before the route continues towards the spectacular sand cliffs closer to Rainbow Beach.

The Queensland Government describes the Cooloola Beach Drive as extending from Noosa North Shore along Teewah Beach, past Double Island Point and then along Rainbow Beach towards the township.

It is an extraordinary reminder of just how much wilderness exists immediately beyond Noosa.

You need a proper 4WD

This is not a conventional scenic drive.

Beach driving requires a suitable high-clearance four-wheel-drive, appropriate preparation and an understanding of sand-driving conditions.

A vehicle access permit is required for the Cooloola Recreation Area beach drive.

Visitors should also check tides, weather, park alerts and current beach conditions before leaving.

The condition of the coastline changes.

Sand movement, erosion and exposed rocks can affect access, particularly around the northern sections of the journey. Queensland Parks specifically warns that Mudlo Rocks near Rainbow Beach and erosion between Rainbow Beach and Double Island Point can impede travel.

This is therefore not a trip where travellers should simply follow an online map and assume the route will be passable.

Check first.

Don't have a 4WD?

That doesn't mean you have to miss the experience.

Guided four-wheel-drive tours operate from the Noosa area, allowing visitors to experience the Great Beach Drive without having to negotiate the beach themselves.

One local option is Great Beach Drive 4WD Tours in Tewantin.

For many visitors, a guided trip may actually be the better option.

A local driver understands tides, beach conditions and access requirements, leaving passengers free to concentrate on the scenery rather than wondering whether the patch of soft sand ahead is going to cause trouble.

Visit Noosa also identifies the Coloured Sands as one of the attractions on the Great Beach Drive and notes that visitors can either drive themselves or join a guided tour from Noosa.

Double Island Point

Don't regard the Coloured Sands as the only reason for making the journey.

Double Island Point is one of the great natural landmarks of this coastline.

The headland divides sections of the coastal drive, and the surrounding beaches and ocean create some magnificent coastal scenery.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service also highlights the Double Island Point lighthouse walk for its views.

This is why the journey works so well as a full-day Noosa experience.

There isn't simply one attraction at the end.

The road — or more accurately, the beach — is part of the attraction.

Continue to Rainbow Beach

If conditions and your itinerary allow, Rainbow Beach makes a natural extension to the journey.

The coastal town takes its name from the remarkable coloured sands for which the district is known and is itself worth exploring.

One of its standout attractions is Carlo Sand Blow.

Visit Noosa describes it as a 15-hectare mass of wind-blown sand overlooking the coastline, with views towards the Coloured Sands, Double Island Point, Inskip Point and K'gari.

Standing above this enormous sand landscape provides a completely different perspective on the Cooloola coast.

Visitors suddenly appreciate the enormous scale of the dune system they have been travelling through.

An alternative for conventional cars

Not everyone visiting Noosa has a four-wheel-drive, and hiring one simply for a day isn't essential.

Rainbow Beach can also be reached from Noosa using conventional sealed roads via the inland route.

It means missing the adventure of driving along Teewah Beach and past Double Island Point, but it provides another way of seeing Rainbow Beach and exploring the northern end of the coloured sand country.

That makes this attraction accessible to a much wider range of Noosa visitors.

The choice is essentially between the destination and the journey.

Drive inland and concentrate on Rainbow Beach and its surrounds.

Take the Great Beach Drive and the journey becomes an attraction in itself.

Respect a remarkable landscape

The Cooloola Recreation Area is a national park environment rather than an unrestricted recreational beach.

Visitors should stay within permitted areas, observe vehicle restrictions, avoid disturbing wildlife and leave the landscape exactly as they found it.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service also emphasises the long and continuing relationship Traditional Owners have with this country and asks visitors to treat the area with respect and care.

The Coloured Sands should therefore be photographed and admired rather than disturbed.

Their value lies in remaining there for the next visitor — and the generations that follow.

Make a day of it

For someone staying in Noosa, this can be much more than a quick sightseeing excursion.

An itinerary might include:

• crossing the Noosa River at Tewantin
• exploring Noosa North Shore
• driving Teewah Beach
• visiting Double Island Point
• seeing the Coloured Sands
• continuing towards Rainbow Beach
• visiting Carlo Sand Blow
• enjoying lunch or refreshments at Rainbow Beach
• returning to Noosa.

Exactly how much can be covered depends on tides, conditions, access and the route chosen.

That unpredictability is also part of the character of the place.

This isn't a manufactured attraction operating between fixed opening hours.

It is nature.

Another side of Noosa

Visitors sometimes think of Noosa as a relatively compact destination — Hastings Street, Main Beach, Noosa National Park, Noosaville and the river.

Those attractions deserve their reputation.

But look north and the character of the region changes dramatically.

Beyond the Noosa River lies an enormous landscape of beaches, dunes, forests and sand cliffs stretching towards Rainbow Beach.

The Coloured Sands provide an excellent reason to explore it.

You can have breakfast overlooking sophisticated Hastings Street and, not many hours later, find yourself travelling beside towering sand cliffs on a seemingly endless Queensland beach.

Few holiday destinations can offer that contrast.

The Noosa Times View

A visit to the Coloured Sands isn't simply a side trip from Noosa.

It is an opportunity to discover the wild coastline that begins almost on Noosa's doorstep.

Cross the river at Tewantin and the urban landscape quickly disappears. Ahead are Noosa North Shore, Teewah Beach, Double Island Point, the coloured cliffs and eventually Rainbow Beach.

For travellers with an appropriate 4WD and the necessary permit, the Great Beach Drive makes getting there part of the adventure.

For everyone else, an organised tour or the conventional road journey to Rainbow Beach provides alternatives.

Noosa is rightly celebrated for what is within the town.

Sometimes, however, one of the best things to do in Noosa is to head just beyond it.

Find out more. https://parks.qld.gov.au/parks/cooloola/journeys/coloured-sands-beach-walk