A Natural Choice

The Sunshine Coast draws delegates and their families for meetings that mix business with pleasure.



It is perhaps inevitable that comparisons are constantly made between the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane and the Gold Coast to the south. However, there’s no real competition. They are, as the saying goes, like chalk and cheese. The Sunshine Coast, which begins at Caloundra – one hour’s drive from Brisbane – and stretches north along 100 kilometres of coastline to Cooloola, has a more relaxed ambience, with a little less glamour but no less comfort.

What the two destinations share, however, is the sense of excitement they engender in delegates lucky enough to hold their conferences there. The Sunshine Coast has always been a family-friendly destination, and meetings generally have a high component of accompanying partners and families.

The main focus of meetings on the Sunshine Coast is often Noosa, which in recent times has become a luxurious boutique getaway complete with day spas and fine dining restaurants. There are many fine hotels, resorts and conference centres well equipped to handle even the most demanding of business programs. Resorts outside the Noosa area, such as the Hyatt Regency Coolum, Novotel Twin Waters Resort and Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser Island, have the added bonus of being self-contained, with delegates never wanting to leave the resort boundaries.

>> Conference & meeting venues in Sunshine Coast, QLD

Green and clean
The Sunshine Coast is a place where nature is never far away. The volcanic towers of the Glasshouse Mountains are some of the better-known natural attractions, plus there are many national parks, including the World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world.

Getting to the Sunshine Coast is easy. Sunshine Coast Airport, five kilometres north of Maroochydore, has direct daily flights to Sydney and Melbourne with Jetstar and Virgin Blue, and a twice-weekly service to Adelaide. In addition, Brisbane International Airport is just one hour’s drive south for delegates from other parts of Australia or from overseas.

One of the Sunshine Coast’s most famous residents, television star and operator of the Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin, was given special recognition at this year’s Australian Tourism Awards for his outstanding contribution as an ambassador for Australia.