Kawana Beach

With clean white sand and tumbling surf, beautiful Kawana Beach has one of the Sunshine Coast’s most idyllic shorelines. This unspoilt stretch of coast has excellent surfing breaks, a patrolled area for swimming, beach fishing and rock fishing off Point Cartwright.

Bask under the sun during a day of relaxation at one of the longest beaches on the Sunshine Coast. Bring your favourite book or guitar and settle in for a day by the water. Swim or body board in the surf, take your surfboard out to the break or head into the water with your fishing rod to try your luck in the rip holes or the deeper longshore troughs.

Savour the oceanside calm with a walk along the beach. Then follow a winding path to Point Cartwright Lighthouse. Near Point Cartwright on the Parrearra Channel is the pretty La Balsa Park which has picnic and barbecue facilities. Point Cartwright also has excellent rock fishing opportunities.

The area around the beach is well worth exploring. Enjoy lunch at the restaurant in the Kawana Waters Surf Lifesaving Club or have a drink in the bar where top local and national musicians play. See a live show or sporting game at the Sunshine Coast Stadium, located in the Kawana Sports Precinct.

Pick up gourmet food and fresh produce from the Saturday Kawana Waters Farmers Market and browse locally made arts and crafts.

Behind the beach, on the opposite side of Niklin Way, are the Kawana Waters. Here you can canoe on the canals, play water sports, fish and swim. You will also find one of the biggest shopping precincts on the Sunshine Coast.

Kawana Beach is an 80-minute drive from Brisbane. It connects to Point Cartwright in the north and Currimundi Creek in the south. At 9 kilometres (5 miles) long, it is one of the Sunshine Coast’s longest beaches. Be sure to swim between the flags and in the patrolled area, as this coastal area is known to have hazardous rip tides.