New Residents

Welcome from the Mayor

It’s my pleasure to welcome you to Noosa. 

Picture of Mayor Clare Stewart

Clare Stewart, Noosa Mayor

We enjoy a sub-tropical climate, and with superb beaches, mountains, national parks, lakes and a river system all within our shire, ours is an enviable lifestyle.

You won’t see too many big-city symbols such as traffic lights, high-rise buildings and billboards thanks to deliberate efforts by our community and successive councils to keep Noosa special and retain its village feel.

But that’s not to say you’ll miss out on creature comforts. We are proudly home to world-class restaurants, quality shops, a vibrant arts scene and a wide variety of thriving sports clubs.

While tourism is an important driver of our local economy, we’re also developing new technology-based industries.

Entrepreneurs and start-ups are choosing Noosa – with its many lifestyle benefits – as a base from which to serve clients all over the world.

Our Digital Hub at Peregian Beach is helping nurture some of these start-ups, encourage collaboration and equip young people with skills and mentors to develop business ideas.

We have around 7000 small businesses in Noosa Shire, from sole traders through to larger operations with staff. Council is pleased to work with our chambers of commerce, business associations and business operators directly, to support local business.

There is much to see and do in Noosa, including exploring our natural environment.

Noosa is the land of the Gubbi Gubbi, also known as Kabi Kabi, first nation people.

Our beautiful National Park is home to eucalypt forest, melaleuca wetland, colourful wallum heathland and pockets of dense vine-strewn rainforest, which all help to make it one of the most visited parks in Australia.

It’s as big as it is thanks to the efforts of our community, in years gone by, to see the park expanded.

Indeed, community spirit is alive and well in Noosa. We have around 300 community groups all contributing to the vitality and social fabric of our shire. Among our many groups are those dedicated to ensuring anyone doing it tough always has somewhere to turn.

In fact, it’s in some of our darkest times that our community spirit shines brightest.

The devastating bushfires of 2019 and the current COVID-19 pandemic have brought out the absolute best in our community as we pull together to help one another.

It’s all of this combined that makes Noosa such a special place to call home, and why so many newcomers before you have quickly fallen in love with our patch of paradise.

On behalf of Council, and all of our residents, welcome! I’m confident you’ll be glad you chose to live here.

- Clare Stewart, Noosa Mayor

 

Checklist for New Residents

 

Community