We were without kids a couple weekends ago and it was a typically hot January day in Brisbane. While we contemplated the million things that needed doing around the house, while sitting in our own pools of sweat, we decided to hit the beach. This time north to Alexandra Headlands on the Sunshine Coast.

Alexandra Headland is situated just over 100 kilometres north of Brisbane and sits between Mooloolaba and Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. It was named in honour of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII in 1901.

By the time we got the car packed and on the road it seemed like everyone else in Brisbane had the same idea and we were caught in a traffic jam on the highway. It was so hot we got sunburnt in the car! When we arrived the temperature on the beach was definitely quite a few degrees cooler and a great place to be.
On this particular day there was a junior lifesaving carnival on and NO SURF! I took the board, just in case but we made good use of the waves for body surfing and cooling off. The water was crystal clear and the perfect temperature. Just right for swimming.
Surf here is normally pretty good I’m told even though I’ve never surfed here. I’ve really only ever tried out the surf at the Gold Coast beaches but am told the Sunshine Coast has a lot to offer on a good day. The best surfing spot is the break off Alexandra Headland. It works in a moderate to high swell and can provide some good right-handers. There are also beach breaks all the way up to the river mouth to Maroochydore.
After a good couple of hours, it was time to pack up and make the trek home to soothe the sunburn. The pine trees in the background were planted in the 1950s and are synonymous to Alexandra Headland.