Leave Noosa's main street, Hastings Street, and head up the hill past the luxury apartments and secluded holiday homes to the car park of Noosa's National Park. This car park is quite small and there is no street parking in this quiet cul-de-sac, so if you arrive after 11am, be prepared to drive back to Noosa's Main Beach to park your car.
There are two main tracks available in the park, and these are detailed on the notice board at the car park. These are the Tanglewood Track (which cuts up and over the headland) or the Coastal Track (which is easier and more scenic). Both of these walks originate at the car park, where there is also an information centre, toilet facilities, and a small picnic area.
Please be aware that this is a protected reserve for Australian flora and fauna and consequently some of its inhabitants can be a bit cheeky. For example, the picnic area is regularly patrolled by Goannas (a sort of monitor lizard), which can grow up to about 1.5 metres (just under 5 feet) and is not shy when hungry. The general rule here is to not feed or encourage them, but also, not to be aggressive with them. They may only be a lizard, but if challenged, they will defend themselves!
On the coastal track, the first beach is Tea Tree Bay - an ideal spot for bathing if you have young children, particularly as there are toilets within easy reach. Next is Boiling Pot - a formation at the base of the cliff which spouts water. Further around the headland you will find the infamous Granite Bay - so called for the huge granite boulders which are strewn on this beach. This beach was for many years a nudist beach during the turbulent Bjelke-Petersen years of Queensland Government. During this time, gambling, prostitution, and all forms of public nudity were illegal and were severely punished by the Puritan State Leader. Granite Bay became to some a haven, to many a spectacle, and to most a symbol of Queensland's hypocritical bureaucrats during the 1970s.
On leaving Granite Bay, you skirt further around the headland to finally reach Hells Gates - so called as two formations of rock push out to sea. Walking back to the car park, it is recommended to head inland and ultimately skyward as you pass over the highest point. From here looking west, you can easily see the Glasshouse Mountains - a collection of volcanic plugs, standing silently as they silhouette against a hazy horizon.
From this point, one can either turn left and head down to Alexandria Bay, a wide sweeping beach of pure white sand, or continue straight and on to the car park.