Rainbow Beach 4×4 Permit – Blemish Beach and Cooloola Beach are best explored by 4WD vehicle. Despite the colorful cliffs, there are several things to do along the beach, including short walks.
Cooloola Beach, part of Big Sandy National Park and most famous for its Rainbow Beach, is an hour’s drive north of the Sunshine Coast.
Rainbow Beach 4×4 Permit
For anyone visiting from Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast, this is the perfect weekend getaway to explore the vibrant sands. Of course, you can go longer than the weekend.
Rainbow Beach Family Holiday Itinerary
Great Sandy National Park is really more than a sandy beach. In fact, Black Sea Beach is actually located between the Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area, Fraser Island and Cooloola Recreation Area. All three areas are very popular destinations.
In some ways, this isn’t really surprising given the endless beach fun that can be had here.
I’m not a big fan of driving to the beach just for the sake of it (I’m just worried about the environmental impact), but luckily there’s plenty to do near the beach, so you don’t have to drive all day anyway.
You will need a 4WD vehicle to explore Rainbow Beach, Double Island Point, or Teewah Beach. There are some places like Carlo Sandblow that can be reached without a 4WD, but not all will be possible.
Lot Sizes, Housing Footprints, Landscaping And Vegetation Retention
The Cooloola Recreation Area, like Rainlemgoshar Beach, is a large area that stretches north of Noosa to Rainlemgoshar Beach (town). This includes Teewah Beach on the eastern (ocean) side and the area around the Noosa River and Noosa Everglades.
If you want to approach Rainforest Beach by driving from Teewah Beach, take the car ferry across the Noosa River at Tewantin. It’s a small wheeled ferry that takes about 30 seconds. From there, just follow the road and at the third intersection (= entrance) you will enter Teewah Beach.
The beach is so flat and wide that driving across it is like driving on a highway – at least from the passenger’s point of view! Take the sandy Leisha Road, which joins Twin Island Point and Blemish Beach almost at the end of the sea.
A driving permit will be required to drive to either Rainbow Beach or Teewah Beach. A license must be arranged before driving on the beach.
Wd Beach Driving On Rainbow Beach, Fraser Coast
Some parts of the Cooloola Recreation Reserve (notably Harry’s Hut and Poort’s Point) do not require a permit. Review the questions to find out where you can drive without a license.
If this is your first time sand boarding, check out the Queensland National Parks Sand Safety Guide.
If you’re going directly to Rainbow Beach or Inskip Point, take the Tin Can Bay Road from Gympie. After the Tin Can Bay roundabout, it becomes a busy coastal road, but you really can’t miss it.
Or, if you want a more comfortable ride in the country, take a trip to Pomona and Keene. Follow the signs to Rainbow Beach.
Local’s Guide To Rainbow Beach, Sunshine Coast
You can’t camp directly on the beach, but if you want to have a beach camping experience, you can camp at Teewah Beach (no facilities, you can set up a toilet) or around Inskip Point.
Instead of camping right on the beach, we stayed at Sweetwater Campground. At the weekend, we have some relaxing time apart from the constant, nightly traffic of cars coming to use the toilet and shower facilities. Considering that Teewah Beach attracts around 2,000 campers and has no amenities, I can only imagine how crazy the traffic is during the school holidays!
Another option is to camp at Harry’s Hut, but it only makes sense if you want to cycle along the Noosa River or explore the area.
Finally, if you want to be close to the beach (playa beach) or make the most of the amenities, you can always book one of the commercial caravan parks in Rainy Beach (city).
A Guide To Rainbow Beach (great Sandy National Park)
You can easily spend 2-3 days at Rainbow Beach. In fact, most of my ideas came from not just one visit, but several visits to the Koloola area.
There is a lot to do in the Cooloola section of Great Sandy National Park, but I limited my list to things near the coast between Rainlemgoshore and Teewah (from north to south, ie from blemgoshore beach to Teewah Beach).
Blemgosar Beach is famous for its colorful sand, and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed. There are some nice rocks and sand, but I don’t think I would describe them as colorful.
The easiest way to see them, of course, is to drive from Blemgosar Beach (town) to Blemgosar Beach. Pay attention to the tides and check the tide times, you don’t want to run off the beach road or get stuck on the rocks at Mudlo.
K’gari Fraser Island 4wd Hire & Accommodation Packages
You can also walk from the beach entrance, but it’s a bit uphill, so I’m not sure I recommend it. Also, you have to be careful with cars along this beach, which is not “pedestrian friendly”.
To reach the sands, park your car in the Carlo car park (Cooloola Drive) at Rainbow Beach and walk the cogs to the side of the Carlo Sandblow. Approximately 600 meters from the start of the Cooloola Great Walk.
From there you can see Double Island Point to the west and Tin Can Inlet to the east.
At Double Island Point, you can walk steeply to the lighthouse at the top of the point. As I love lighthouses, it’s always nice to see one.
A Guide, Getting To Fraser Island
Here, you can see beautiful views of the coast, Teewah Beach, and Rainlemgoshar Beach. On a clear day, you can even see Fraser Island.
Around Double Island Point (on the coast of Double Island) it’s busy with people setting up gazebos all day (or as long as the waves allow). It’s a great place to fish, surf, or just hang out…
You can only go to Double Island Point at low tide, so check the tide chart to make sure you have enough time to get back. Cars get lost in the waves that come here every year.
What amazes me is that Queensland culture is on full display at Double Island Point: Queenslanders bring so many things to the beach! surfboards, gazebos, BBQ, camping chairs, jetskis, fishing gear… It’s a sight to behold and something I’ve never seen anywhere else.
Great Beach Drive Is An Experience Unlike Any Other Anywhere In The World
I’ve never been lucky enough to see one, but I’ve heard many stories of whale sightings off Double Island Point. Of course, if you’re here in the summer, your chances are slim. Come to see one during whale season (August-November).
You can also see dolphins and turtles here. There are several boat operators that will take you out to see the dolphins. I think it would be really cool and if I was more confident in my swimming skills I would definitely give it a go (but unfortunately not).
If you’re camping at Sweetwater Campground or just enjoying hiking, you can hike the Sweetwater Lake Trail (1.8 mi return). A track leads through an open forest to a small lake.
This ride doesn’t make sense and it’s not the most exciting thing about it, but if you want to get some exercise, it’s definitely possible.
K’gari (fraser Island) Camping Tips For First Timers
You can also combine it with the Sweet Water Circuit (5 km circuit) for a sweeter ride, but apart from seeing a small snake, nothing too exciting happened along the way.
Red Canyon is located on Teewah Beach, which I probably appreciate more than the colorful sands of Rainbow Beach. This area was once a meeting place for the local Aboriginal Gubbi Gubbi.
You can almost see the beach canyon and it’s just a little bit of climbing to get there.
The afternoon light was bathing the canyon in beautiful deep oranges and reds, it was beautiful. Colored sands are the result of iron-rich minerals that give the sand its yellow, orange, and red colors.
Discover The Best Queensland 4wd Driving
As you hike through Red Canyon, you’ll climb large sand dunes with spectacular views of Teewah Beach. Plus, it’s a lot of fun trying to get around!
Teewah Beach and Black Sea Beach are part of the Great Coastal Drive from Noosa to Fraser Island (Kgari). If you’ve never done it before, it’s an experience to drive on the flat and wide coastal road!
Driving from Noosa North Shore to Inskip Point (even excluding Fraser Island) is a big day. At the northern end of Teewah Beach is a short (0.8 km) walk to Double Island Point.
