🌴How to get from Brisbane to Noosa
Can you get there without a car?
🟢 Yes, all the way
Yes, the whole way on a flat 50c fare. Sunshine Coast line to Nambour or Cooroy (~2 hr), then 631 bus through Eumundi to Noosa Junction.
The short answer
- 1🚆Sunshine Coast line to Nambour or Cooroy (~2 hr)
- 2🚌631 bus through Eumundi to Noosa Junction
The journey, end to end
2 legs, 1 change. Dashed lines are the parts that aren't public transport.
Hastings Street, the national park and a north-facing beach, at the far northern edge of what the 50c network reaches.
What is Noosa?
Noosa is the resort end of the Sunshine Coast, about 140km north of Brisbane. Noosa Heads is the part people mean: Hastings Street running behind Main Beach, with Noosa National Park on the headland at one end and the Noosa River at the other.
The beach faces north, which is unusual on this coast and the reason the water is calmer than almost anywhere else in south-east Queensland. Noosa Junction, up the hill, is where the buses run through and where the prices drop.
Why go, and what to see
Noosa National Park
The coastal track past Boiling Pot and Tea Tree Bay to Hells Gates, with koalas if you look up
Main Beach
North-facing and protected, patrolled, and gentle enough for small kids
Hastings Street
The restaurant and shopping strip, and priced accordingly
Noosa River and Gympie Terrace
Calmer, cheaper, and better for a picnic or a paddle
Eumundi Markets
Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the 631 bus passes straight through on the way
Every way to get there, compared
Including the ones that aren't public transport, because pretending the car doesn't exist helps nobody.
🚆 Public transport, 1 change
Our pick- 🚆Sunshine Coast line to Nambour or Cooroy (~2 hr)
- 🚌631 bus through Eumundi to Noosa Junction
Time
About 2½ hr each way, make a day of it
Cost
50c each way
Best for
Cheapest by a distance, and no parking to find
🚗 Drive
- 🚗141 km from the city centre, about 1¾ hr in normal traffic
Time
about 1¾ hr
Cost
Fuel and parking
Best for
Carrying gear, odd hours, or several people splitting the cost
Usually quicker than the train, and that is worth being honest about. What it costs you is parking, tolls and driving home tired.
When to go
Autumn and spring. Summer brings the crowds and school holiday traffic, and winter is still swimmable most days. If you are going by bus, Eumundi market days make a natural stop on the way rather than a detour.
Worth knowing
This is a genuine long day, roughly two and a half hours each way. The train only reaches Nambour or Cooroy and a connecting bus does the last stretch, so work out the last bus back before you commit to a late swim. Getting stranded at Noosa Junction is an expensive taxi.
Last service home →
Check your cut-off before you go, not after.
Anything disrupted? →
Live delays and closures across the network.
Live departures →
Times from the station you change at.
See it on the map →
The route drawn across South East Queensland.
More trips like this
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Getting to Noosa: quick answers
Can you get to Noosa from Brisbane without a car?+
Yes, on a flat 50 cent fare, but allow around two and a half hours each way. Take the Sunshine Coast line to Nambour or Cooroy, then the 631 bus through Eumundi to Noosa Junction. Driving is roughly 45 minutes quicker, so the train wins on cost and on not driving home tired rather than on speed.
Is there a train to Noosa?+
Not to Noosa itself. The Sunshine Coast line stops inland at Nambour and Cooroy, and a connecting bus covers the last stretch to the coast. There is no rail line to Noosa Heads, which is why the trip takes longer than the distance suggests.
How do you get from Brisbane to Noosa without a car?+
Sunshine Coast line to Nambour or Cooroy (~2 hr), then 631 bus through Eumundi to Noosa Junction. Allow about 2½ hr each way, make a day of it. Every leg on the TransLink network is a flat 50 cent fare.
How long does it take to get to Noosa from Brisbane?+
About 2½ hr each way, make a day of it, door to platform to door, depending on how the connection lands. The planner on this page works it out from where you actually are rather than from the city centre.
How much does it cost to get to Noosa?+
A flat 50 cents each way on the TransLink network, however far you travel.
What time is the last service back from Noosa?+
It changes by day and by line, and it is the thing that catches people out on a long day trip. Check the last service home tool before you head out so you know your cut-off rather than guessing at the end of the day.