Sometimes there is more to little country towns than first meets the eye. About three kilometres from the Bruce Highway, 28 km west of Noosa Heads and 125 km north of Brisbane, Cooran is one country town that offers more than you might think. Close to the Sunshine Coast towns of Pomona, Nambour, Cooroy and popular surfing beaches at Noosa, Cooran is a pretty hamlet in a lush valley. Mount Cooran is a very distinctive peak in the landscape.

Cooran is a country township of about 1600 people. The township of Cooran is filled with character and a main street that has preserved its historic buildings. Hinterland Restaurant on the main street is a must to visit. The name Cooran comes from guaran, meaning tall trees or Moreton bay bush.

Cooran was a heavily timbered town that drew timber getters in the 1870s, and selectors followed. The Six Mile Creek and a lagoon provided a convenient stopping place on the road to Gympie, and an inn was built there in about 1875. A primary school opened in 1890, the year before the North Coast railway line was joined at Cooran, completing a through route from Brisbane to Gympie. Pugh’s Queensland directory (1902) recorded about 30 selectors, five timber getters and the Railway Hotel at Cooran.