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 All within 2 hours of the Sunshine Coast!

You don't need a fortnight and a full tank of diesel to feel like you've properly gotten away. Some of the best caravanning in Queensland is sitting right on the Sunshine Coast's doorstep. Hinterland valleys, beach side free camps, and forestry towns that are all under two hours from home. Perfect for a Friday arvo hitch up and a Sunday afternoon return.

Here's our pick of favourite weekend spots, plus a product we'd actually pack for each one.

Kenilworth 

Tucked into the Mary Valley, Kenilworth is green, quiet, and about as classic "hinterland caravanning" as it gets. Think dairy country, the Kenilworth Homestead, riverside camping along the Mary River, and a famous cheese factory for a Saturday morning wander. It's roughly an hour from the Sunshine Coast, making it an easy first stop or a relaxed weekend on it's own. 

Pack this: with river camps and shaded grassy sites, a portable fridge is a must. We'd take the MyCoolman CCP105 105L Fisherman Portable Fridge/Freezer, a rugged dual zone unit that will keep milk for the cheese tasting platter cold and drinks colder still. 

Rainbow Beach

Sweeping dunes, the Carlo Sandblow, turquoise water, and the gateway to Inskip Point and the Cooloola Coast. Rainbow Beach is a firm favourite for a reason, and it sits around two hours north of the Sunshine Coast. So it's very doable as a weekender, especially if you leave Friday after work.

Pack this: a sundowner around the fire is what Rainbow Beach evenings are made for. The ArcMate ArcPit Portable Fire Pit stores straight onto your spare tyre (with options up to 352mm), needs to assembly, and doubles as a BBQ, so you can go from dune walk to dinner by the flames in minutes. 

Tin Can Bay

Calm, sheltered water on the Great Sandy Strait side, famous for the wild dolphins that come in to Norman Point of a morning, and a much quieter alternative to Rainbow Beach while being right next door to it. Great for fishing, crabbing, and lazy mornings with a coffee on the water.

Pack this: if you're filling up from town or tank water out here the CleanOxide Water Treatment Tablets will sanitise water tanks for safe water drinking. They remove bad tastes and odours from stored water. 

Noosa North Shore & Cooloola Coast 

Cross the Noosa River on the barge and you're into 4WD beach and bush camping territory. With Teewah Beach, the Cooloola Great Walk trailheads, and camping right behind the dunes. It's an easy hour or so from the southern Sunshine Coast, but feels a world away once you're set up.

Install this: these are proper off grid, no powered site camps, so the Enerdive SP-EN190W 190W Fixed Mono Solar Panel is the difference between a great weekend and a flat battery on day two. 

Imbil & Amamoor (Mary Valley State Forest)

Mountain bike trails, the Amamoor Creek camping grounds (home to the Amamoor Festival grounds), and some beautiful state forest camping about 90 minutes from the coast. It's a favourite with families and bike riders alike, with shaded creekside sites and a laid back country pub in Imbil for dinner.

Pack this: forest camping means bugs. The Thermacell THMRCLC Scout Mosquito Repellent Camp Lantern keeps mosquitoes off the campsite with no open flame, no spray and no chemicals on your skin.

Glass House Mountains

You can see these volcanic plugs from half the Sunshine Coast, and camping right among them, with the peaks lit up gold at sunset, never gets old. Only about 45 minutes to an hour from most Sunshine Coast towns, it's the easiest "quick escape" on this list. With great lookout, cafes, and walking trails around Mount Ngungun and Mount Tibrogargan.

Install this: steep, winding hinterland roads mean towing safety matters. The Safety Dave Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, gives you real time check on all your tyres before and during the climb. 

Maleny & Montville (Blackall Range)

If you want hinterland views, cool nights, farm gate produce, and a proper "treat yourself" weekend, the Blackall Range towns of Maleny and Montville deliver. Rolling green hills, waterfalls (Mapleton Falls and Kondalilla), and a different climate to the coast, only 30 to 45 minutes inland.

Install this: nights up here get noticeably cooler than down on the coast. The Truma VarioHeat Eco Gas Heater Kit is a compact, efficient heater built specifically for caravans and motorhomes. 

Bribie Island

Sitting right at the southern end of the Sunshine Coast region, Bribie is an easy under an hour tow with calm Pumicestone Passage waters on one side and surf beach on the other. Great for a relaxed weekend with kayaking, fishing, and flat, easy walking and cycling tracks.

Pack this: whatever the coastal breeze is doing, the Aussie Traveller Anti Flap Kit PRO+ keeps your awning steady and lets you add walls for extra shade and privacy in the outdoor living space. 

The Suncoast Caravan Service Essentials Kit

Whichever of these spots you're heading to, a few things earn a permanent spot in the van, all available from Suncoast Caravan Service:

• Portable fridge, such as the MyCoolman CCP105, for keeping food and drinks cold at powered and unpowered sites alike.
• Solar power, such as the Enerdive SP-EN190W 190W panel, essential for Noosa North Shore, Cooloola, and any free camp.
• Water filtration tablets like the Water Treatment Tablets, for better tasting, safer drinking water wherever you fill up.
• Tyre pressure monitoring, such as the Safety Dave Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, for real peace of mind on the winding hinterland roads to Maleny, Montville and Kenilworth.
• Insect protection, such as the Thermacell THMRCLC Scout Mosquito Repellent Camp Lantern, non negotiable for creekside and forest camps like Amamoor.
• A portable fire pit, such as the ArcMate ArcPit Portable Fire Pit, stores your spare tyre and turns any of these stops into a proper campfire night.
• Awning and anti flap gear, such as the Aussie Traveller Anti Flap Kit PRO+, for comfortable outdoor living wherever the wind picks up.

Suncoast Caravan Service has been servicing Sunshine Coast caravanners since 1977, with a workshop team who can fit and service most of this gear as well as sell it. Handy if you'd rather have it installed professionally before your next weekend getaway.