Five must-sees when visiting Noosa

1. Noosa National Park

Start with the coastal walk from the Main Beach end of Hastings Street. The track threads out through pandanus and tea-tree, past Boiling Pot and Tea Tree Bay, and — if you keep going — all the way to Alexandria Bay on the far side of the headland. It's an easy three-hour round trip at a wandering pace.

Take the first hour slowly. Wallabies rest in the shade of the ferns, bush turkeys scratch through the leaf litter, and on a still morning you'll almost always spot dolphins working the point below Boiling Pot. Between June and November it's one of the best land-based whale-watching spots on the east coast — bring binoculars.

2. Hastings Street & Main Beach

Coffee at the north end, a swim between the flags, a long lunch on the sand. Hastings Street is unashamedly the tourist heart of Noosa, but the north-facing beach is one of the few on the Australian east coast that stays calm most of the year, which makes it a good beach for children, nervous swimmers and long, unhurried mornings in the water.

Go early if you want the beach to yourself, or late for the last of the light and the walk back along the boardwalk. Book dinner if you're planning to eat — the good rooms fill quickly, especially in the school holidays.

3. Lake Cootharaba & the Noosa Everglades

A short drive north of the farm brings you to Boreen Point, a sleepy lakeside village on the edge of Lake Cootharaba. From the jetty you can look across to the Cooloola sand dunes and out to the mouth of the Noosa Everglades — one of only two everglade systems in the world, the other being in Florida.

You can paddle the everglades yourself in a hired kayak, or join a half-day guided trip up the "river of mirrors" — a stretch of water so still it doubles the sky. Bring a hat and sunscreen; there's very little shade on the water.

4. Eumundi Markets (Wednesdays & Saturdays)

Twenty minutes from the farm, and one of the largest artisan markets in Australia. Local growers, makers and food stalls set up under the old fig trees on Memorial Drive. Saturdays are the bigger day; Wednesdays are quieter and easier to browse.

Come early — the car parks fill by mid-morning — and bring a bag or two for produce to take home. If you're staying with us, we'll happily point you to the growers we buy from.

5. The hinterland loop — Kin Kin, Pomona and Cooroy

The short loop through the hinterland villages is a lovely half-day. Coffee and a pie at the Kin Kin General Store, a wander down the main street of Pomona under Mount Cooroora, and a stop in Cooroy to see the Butter Factory Arts Centre — a small but well-programmed gallery in the old dairy co-op building.

If you have the legs for it, the climb up Mount Cooroora above Pomona is short but steep and rewards you with a view straight back over the hinterland to the coast. Home for a swim and a late lunch on the deck.