Free Holiday Buses to hit the road this Christmas

Council’s full suite of Go Noosa Free Holiday Buses will be back for Christmas following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Queensland. 

The Go Noosa transport initiatives, including the popular Free Holiday Buses, are set to return for Christmas.

Subject to TransLink approval, travel will be free on TransLink services 626, 627, 628, 629 and 632 from December 12 to January 26.

Council’s Go Noosa Loop Bus will also return. Departing the Hastings Street bus interchange every 15 minutes from 7am to 7pm, it will service stops along Noosa Drive, Weyba Road and Noosa Parade. The service will run half-hourly from 7-11pm an hour later than last year.

“With restrictions continuing to ease in Queensland and the potential reopening of state borders by Christmas we’ve decided to again provide the free holiday buses to accommodate holiday makers from within Queensland, our own residents and potentially interstate visitors,” Mayor Clare Stewart said.

To accommodate parking demand from those who do drive in, Council will again offer paid parking in the Lions Park at Noosa Heads, managed by the Tewantin Noosa Lions Club.

“50% of the proceeds from the paid parking will go to Tewantin-Noosa Lions Club to fund its good work in the community.

“The Go Noosa Loop Bus will again service a park-and-ride facility at the Weyba Road AFL ground. From there people can ride in to town to avoid the traffic and the stress of trying to find a parking space,” the Mayor said.

Other park-and-ride locations includes the Noosa Junction transit centre and The J carpark.

The free buses service Sunshine Beach, Sunrise Beach, Peregian Beach, Noosa Parklands, Tewantin, Noosa Civic, Cooroy, Cooran and Pomona.

“This year we’ll be trialling two additional drop-and-go areas – one on Noosa Parade and one on Noosa Drive - unload the family and beach gear and then head off to park the car.”

Council is also encouraging residents to consider using the Noosa Ferry to beat the traffic, as the Ferry’s locals pass offers residents a 50 per cent discount when buying 10 tickets at a time.

Real-time video message boards will again guide drivers to park-and-ride locations and offer general parking availability information for the Noosa Heads area.

Cr Stewart said the initiatives would all help make getting around Noosa easier for both locals and visitors.

Councillors and staff met with stakeholders on Tuesday to discuss this year’s Go Noosa initiatives. Mayor Stewart, who called the round table, said it was it was imperative that Council meet with Tourism Noosa, Noosa Chamber of Commerce and the Hastings Street Association to seek their feedback.

“Local businesses have had an incredibly tough year with trading restrictions and closed borders so making it easier for locals and visitors to get out and about at Christmas will hopefully also go some way toward helping businesses bounce back from COVID-19,” the Mayor said.

Council’s Go Noosa initiatives aim to provide relaxed and fun alternatives to travelling around Noosa by private car.