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Best Things to Do with Kids on the Sunshine Coast: Family Activities and Attractions
From Australia Zoo to the Underwater World and the Eumundi Markets, here is the Sunshine Coast's complete family activity guide.
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The Sunshine Coast's family activity landscape is anchored by Australia Zoo, one of Australia's most powerful wildlife experiences, and supplemented by an extraordinary range of natural environment activities (whale watching in season, hinterland rainforest, pristine beaches) that make the Sunshine Coast one of Australia's finest family holiday and resident family activity regions.
Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo at Beerwah (30 minutes inland from the coast) is a genuinely extraordinary wildlife destination, with the Crocoseum's crocodile and wildlife shows, the free-ranging kangaroo paddock, the Cambodian temple zone housing the Asia animals, and the extensive African and North American wildlife sections providing a full day of genuinely world-class wildlife encounters. The zoo's scale (100 acres) and the quality of the animal care are remarkable. Australia Zoo is often cited as Australia's best zoo experience by visitors who have compared it across multiple facilities.
Underwater World Sea Life Mooloolaba, the SEA LIFE Mooloolaba aquarium (formerly Underwater World) at Mooloolaba has Australia's largest oceanarium tunnel (walking through while sharks, rays, and large reef fish swim overhead), the interactive touch pool, and the seal and otter presentations that are calibrated for families with children aged 3-12.
Whale watching, the Sunshine Coast whale watching season (June to October) sees humpback whale migrations pass directly offshore, with whale watching boats departing from Mooloolaba Harbour. Children aged 5+ typically find whale encounters genuinely thrilling, and the Sunshine Coast's proximity to the migration route makes sightings reliably frequent.
Eumundi Markets, the Eumundi Markets (Wednesday and Saturday, Eumundi village, 30 minutes inland) are Australia's largest artisan markets and include dedicated children's entertainment, face painting, and market food that makes a market morning genuinely fun for families with young children beyond the adult craft and produce shopping.
This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.