2 Best Sights in Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Queensland

Made famous by the late Steve Irwin, this popular, 110-acre park is home to all manner of Australian animals: koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes, Tasmanian devils, snakes, wombats, lizards—and, naturally, crocodiles. There are also otters, lemurs, tigers, red pandas, and a giant rain forest aviary. Daily shows feature crocs, birds of prey, koalas, and more. There are also plenty of extras that let you get up close and personal with the residents, including petting and hand-feeding red pandas (A$99), getting cozy with cheetahs (A$69) and rhinos (A$99), or cuddling a koala (A$49). Get around the park on foot or try the free hop-on, hop-off mini-trains. Private guided tours and Segway adventures (A$60) are also available.

The big attraction of this area is the twice-weekly Eumundi Markets—the best and largest street market on the Sunshine Coast, and one of the largest in Australia. More than 600 stall holders gather along Memorial Drive in the picturesque town of Eumundi to sell arts, crafts, clothing, accessories, and fresh and gourmet produce. Buses run to Eumundi from Noosa and other Sunshine Coast towns on market days, when the town swells to near-cosmopolitan proportions. Live musicians, poets, and masseurs keep the crowd relaxed.