Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park Sunshine Coast

Take a refreshing dip at Seary's Creek or sit back and let the creek sounds relax and unwind you. Photo credit: © Queensland Government

Four-wheel drive past towering coastal sand cliffs and coloured sands in the paradise of Cooloola Recreation Area. Photo credit: © Tomek Z Genek

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Searys Creek boardwalk

Meander along a boardwalk through paperbark woodlands to a tea-coloured creek for a cooling dip and some wildlife spotting.

Journey type
Walk
Distance
200m return Start and finish points are the same and the traveller must return via the same path
Time suggested
Allow 30min walking time.
Grade
Grade 2 walking track

Accessible by

  • Conventional vehicle
  • Trail bike

Journey facilities

  • Picnic tables
  • Toilets (non-flush)
  • Walking

From Seary's Creek day-use area, wind your way through a woodland of paperbarks to a creek surrounded by coral ferns. Refresh in the tea-coloured creek waters that have been filtered through the sands of the Cooloola sandmass. Look for flashes of blue and red of the ornate rainbowfish that live here. Also spot long-finned eels and freshwater catfish searching for shrimp and small fish on the creek bottom.

Admire the splashes of colour of wildflowers in bloom from late winter to early summer. Look for pink-flowering boronias, white-flowering  blueberry ashes and golden banksias and wattles. Take your binoculars and spot friarbirds, kookaburras, honeyeaters and willy wagtails.

Refer to the Cooloola and Inskip recreation areas discovery guide (PDF, 4.2MB) for a map and more details.

Getting there and getting around

Seary's Creek boardwalk is in Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park, on the Sunshine Coast between Noosa Heads and Rainbow Beach (155–240km north of Brisbane).

  • The boardwalk is on the northern section of Cooloola and starts from the Seary's Creek day-use area, near Rainbow Beach
  • The boardwalk and day-use area are accessible by 2WD.

Getting to Rainbow Beach

  • From Brisbane, drive about 160km north on the Bruce Highway towards Gympie. At the southern edge of Gympie, turn onto Tin Can Bay Road and drive 42km, then turn right onto Rainbow Beach Road.
  • From Maryborough, drive 57km south on the Cooloola Coast Road, then turn left onto Tin Can Bay Road and drive 3.5km, then turn right onto Rainbow Beach Road.

From Rainbow Beach

Wheelchair access

There are no wheelchair-accessible facilities.

Before you visit

Opening hours

Seary's Creek boardwalk is open 24 hours a day.

Check park alerts for the latest information on access, closures and conditions.

Visiting safely

For more safety information see Visiting Cooloola Recreation Area safely and Walk with care.

View all park alerts