‘The sweet spot’: in the face of overtourism and housing crunch, Noosa keeps its magic

Noosa is a ‘really naturally beautiful destination – but it also has that air of exclusivity’, says Celeste Mitchell, a local travel writer. Photograph: Paul Hilton/The Guardian

Even in the teeming rain, even amid the broiling humidity and summer crush of tourists, Noosa retains its magic.

For some, it is found bobbing out past the sea of stripey cabanas on Main beach, gazing towards the sandmass hills of Cooloola, beyond the Noosa River. For some, it lies in a pandanus palm-fringed cove, carved out of the verdant headland that shelters calm waters most days – and produces long, curling waves on others.