Growing up in Brisbane, Mooloolaba has been a lifelong weekend beach destination for my friends and I. It’s a small town along the coast to the north of Brisbane, with the amazing strip of beaches referred to collectively as the Sunshine Coast. Mooloolaba has a nice swimming beach with flags in the middle of the sheltered bay, but my favourite activity is exploring the rock pools.
The volcanic rocks and millions of years of movement of the ocean and wind have created the most interesting hideouts for crabs, shells, small fish and other tiny sea life waiting to be discovered. At low tide, water is left behind in the holes and crevices while high tide puts on a show of waves crashing against & foaming over the slippery rocks.
Some hot tips from locals for walking on slippery rocks.
- Wear reef shoes to protect your feet from stonefish or broken rocks & shells
- Don’t put your fet where you can’t see. Say… under a rock where an eel might bite it.
- First timers seem to insist on stepping on to the highest flattest spot on a rock. This is the most dangerous place to stand and the worst place to fall from. Put your feet between rocks where possible provided you can see where your foot is going. These spots are more stable and your foot is less likely to slip causing you to overbalance and wack your shin bone on a sharp rock.
- Don’t take anything but photos. These are living shells, with living creatures inside. Don’t murder them. Take a photo. Take lots of photos. Don’t take a life.
- Mooloolaba beach is set in a sheltered bay with small waves suitable for swimming
- Mooloolaba rock pools are a great way to explore the sea
- Slippery when wet. Actually. All the time.
- Moss growing in the rocks at Mooloolaba beach
- Amazing sunsets from the beach or the many hotels along the esplanade
- Another amazing Mooloolaba sunset
- Footprints in the sand at sunrise. Is it raised or embossed?!
- The always booked out Mooloolaba caravan park, one of the last remaining beach front aravan parks on the sunshine coast
- Amazing low tide sunset at Mooloolaba beach
- Paddle boarding and other sports are popular in the calm waters of Mooloolaba beach
- Exploring the rock pools at sunrise
- More sunrise just because.
- The ever changing colours of Mooloolaba beach at Sunset
- Reflections
- The main car park off the esplanade
- Mooloolaba view from hotel
- Mooloolaba view from hotel to caravan park
- Mooloolaba Beach
- Mooloolaba Beach
- Mooloolaba Hotels have some amazing pools for when you’ve had enough of the sand!
- Mooloolaba view of sailboats on the water
- Mooloolaba view of sailboats on the water
- A frame for the spectacular artwork
- Mooloolaba’s Oceans hotel at Night
- Semo’s Menu – the most amazing Moroccan around
- A storm rolls in
- The bubbles in lava after erosion create these amazing shapes & patterns
- Oh look, the sun is rising
- Mooloolaba Beach
- Shadows at sunset
- Picnic tables along the beach make for a great sunset dinner spot
- Exploring the rock pools
- Surf Rescue
- Giant Sandcastle
- Rusty wreck
- Rusty wreck with surfers
- Rusty wreck
- Rusty wreck with surfer
- Rusty wreck
- Mooloolaba Beach north of rocks
- Rusty wreck
- Shell
- Layers of rock from lava
- Lava bubbles
- Lava bubbles
- Mooloolaba north
- Panorama of Sunset