Noosa Everglades

The Noosa Everglades is a pristine wetland system within the Noosa Biosphere Reserve and Great Sandy National Park in Noosa Shire, Queensland, Australia. Recognised as one of only two true everglades in the world, alongside Florida, it features slow-moving tea-tree stained waterways, paperbark forests and diverse birdlife. Accessible primarily by kayak or canoe, it offers wilderness paddling, camping and nature observation near Lake Cootharaba and the Noosa River.

Visitors can expect a tranquil wilderness of narrow, mirror-like waterways stained amber by tea-trees, fringed by paperbark forests, reeds and wildflowers. Access is almost entirely by water via kayak, canoe or guided boat tour from Elanda Point or Boreen Point. There are no shops or developed promenades; the experience is nature-based with birdwatching, photography, swimming at designated spots and camping at remote sites such as Harry's Hut and Fig Tree Point.

The Noosa Everglades lies within the Noosa Biosphere Reserve designated by UNESCO in 2007 and forms part of Great Sandy National Park. The waterways of the upper Noosa River have remained largely undeveloped, preserving an ancient wetland system. Historic sites such as Harry's Hut, a former timber-cutters camp, reflect early 20th-century forestry and fishing use of the area.

The Everglades and Noosa River system lie within the traditional lands of the Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) people, who have long cultural connections to the waterways, wetlands and surrounding forests. The area is valued for its natural heritage and conservation significance within the Noosa Biosphere Reserve.