Maroochydore, QLD

The Sunshine Coast's commercial heart — a wide surf beach at the mouth of the Maroochy River with reliable waves year-round.

Live AI Coastal Briefing

Monday 12 October is shaping up to be a great day here at our beautiful coastal destination, with a wide surf beach and reliable waves year-round. The morning is already warm, with a current temperature of 22C and a mostly cloudy sky with 67% cloud cover. We're expecting a top temperature of 31C today, so it's going to be a warm one.



Out in the ocean, the wave height is currently sitting at 0.58m, which is perfect for beginners, and the water temperature is a warm 22.4C, making it ideal for a dip in your boardshorts. The tide times for today are 08:44 am for high tide, with a height of 2.2m, and 03:07 pm for low tide, with a height of -1.9m. With these conditions, it's going to be a great day to get out and enjoy the water.



If you're planning on getting active today, the conditions are looking good for a range of sports and fitness activities. Surfers will love the reliable waves, while runners and cyclists will enjoy the warm weather and scenic coastal routes. Anglers can try their luck in the river or out in the ocean, and paddleboarders will have a great time exploring the calmer waters of the river. With a 50% chance of rain, it's a good idea to pack a rain jacket, but overall it's shaping up to be a fantastic day to get outdoors and be active.



As we head into the afternoon, we're expecting a shower or two, but with plenty of sunshine in between, it's still going to be a great day to be out and about. With low UV levels, you don't need to worry about special protection, but don't forget to slip, slop, slap as you normally would. It's going to be a wonderful day here at our coastal destination, so get out and make the most of it – and we'll catch you back here tomorrow with another update on the weather.

About This Coastline

Maroochydore is the Sunshine Coast’s main urban centre, positioned between an open surf beach and the broad mouth of the Maroochy River.

Here, the coast remains central to the identity of the settlement rather than sitting at its edge as a separate attraction.

The Vibe

The beachfront and river parks have an everyday local energy shaped by swimming, fishing, paddling and cycling.

Cotton Tree feels relaxed and leafy, while the town centre adds shopping, dining and civic life close to the coast. Food, exercise, family life and water activity overlap naturally, producing a rhythm that feels lived-in rather than staged.

The Local Anchor

Cotton Tree and the river mouth form the strongest local anchor, bringing camping, parkland and calm-water recreation together beside the ocean.

The changing sandbanks are central to how the area looks and functions. The strongest landmarks work as orientation points, but they also reveal how generations have interpreted and used the surrounding shore.

The Landscape

Maroochydore Beach faces open swell, while the river entrance introduces tidal channels and sheltered shallows that can shift after storms and floods.

Dunes, casuarina-lined parks and the river create a broad, open landscape despite the growing urban centre. Seen as a whole, the area is a mosaic of sand, rock, vegetation and water rather than a single uniform beach.

The result is a shoreline where natural conditions, community history and everyday recreation remain closely connected.