Noosa is spread across a few different pockets, Noosaville, Noosa Heads and Sunshine Beach, so where you’re staying actually changes how you get to your JOEY bus. Noosa has two JOEY stops depending on where you jump on. Here’s exactly where they are and how to get there from the main Noosa hostels.
JOEY’s main Noosa stop is Bounce Noosa at 14 Mary Street, Noosaville (GPS: approximately -26.3875, 153.0847), which is where southbound buses depart from and northbound buses finish. The second stop is Pardons Fruit Market on the corner of Cooyar Street and Lanyana Way, Noosa Heads (GPS: approximately -26.3936, 153.0906), used on the way through. Southbound buses to Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Byron Bay leave Bounce Noosa at 9:55am, so aim to be there 15 minutes early.
Bounce Noosa is JOEY’s recommended Noosa accommodation partner, so the stop is literally out the front of the hostel on Mary Street, a block back from the river foreshore. If you’re not staying there, you don’t need to go inside, just wait near the entrance. The Pardons Fruit Market stop is outside the fruit market on the corner of Cooyar Street and Lanyana Way in Noosa Heads, a well known local landmark. Either way, look for the colourful bus with the JOEY TRAVEL sign on the front, and check with the driver if you’re unsure which stop you’re at.
If you’ve never been to Noosa before, it’s easy to assume it’s one compact town like Byron Bay. It isn’t. Noosaville, Noosa Junction, Noosa Heads and Sunshine Beach are all separate pockets strung along the coast and the Noosa River, and walking between them takes a lot longer than it looks on a map. Always check which Noosa stop your ticket uses, and don’t assume you can walk from one side of town to your bus if you’re staying on the other.
If you’re staying at Bounce, you’re already at the stop. Just be out the front with your bag at least 10 minutes before departure. This is the easiest pickup on the whole JOEY network.
Halse Lodge sits just off Hastings Street in Noosa Heads, which puts it closer to the Pardons Fruit Market stop than to Bounce Noosa. Budget around 10 to 15 minutes on foot to Cooyar Street and Lanyana Way, heading away from the beach and up through the Noosa Heads village. If your trip uses the Bounce Noosa stop instead, you’re looking at a much longer walk of 35 to 40 minutes between Noosa Heads and Noosaville, so check your booking.
Nomads is also in Noosa Heads, a similar 10 to 15 minute walk to the Pardons Fruit Market stop on Cooyar Street. As with Halse Lodge, if your pass has you departing from Bounce Noosa in Noosaville instead, that’s not a reasonable walk, so plan on a short taxi or rideshare ride rather than going on foot.
Flashpackers is the outlier here, it’s in Sunshine Beach, a separate suburb south of Noosa Heads. It’s too far to walk comfortably to either JOEY stop, especially with a pack, so book a taxi or rideshare the night before. Give yourself at least 20 minutes in the car to reach Pardons Fruit Market, or longer again to reach Bounce Noosa in Noosaville. JOEY also has a promo code for Flashpackers if you’re booking your stay, so it’s worth asking at reception about transport options to your pickup point.
Check your JOEY booking carefully to see which Noosa stop you’re using, Bounce Noosa or Pardons Fruit Market, since they’re a long way apart. Arrive at least 15 minutes before departure, and remember JOEY’s drivers won’t come looking for you if you’re not there at the scheduled time, so a missed bus means a forfeited trip. Drop the correct stop’s address into Google Maps the night before so you know your real walking or driving time from your exact hostel, and if your plans change, you can move your booking for free up to the day before.
From Noosa, JOEY runs south daily through Brisbane and Surfers Paradise to Byron Bay, with selected trips continuing on to Rainbow Beach. The southbound bus leaves Bounce Noosa at 9:55am, picks up at Pardons Fruit Market shortly after, and reaches Byron Bay by late afternoon, with a short stop in Brisbane along the way. You can travel the whole route in one go or hop off anywhere and continue on a later bus with the same pass.
JOEY uses two stops in Noosa: Bounce Noosa at 14 Mary Street, Noosaville, and Pardons Fruit Market on the corner of Cooyar Street and Lanyana Way, Noosa Heads. Check your booking to see which one applies to your trip.
The daily southbound bus leaves Bounce Noosa at 9:55am and picks up at Pardons Fruit Market at 10:15am. Always check your booking in the JOEY app in case of changes.
Not comfortably. They’re separate parts of Noosa roughly 35 to 40 minutes apart on foot, so check which JOEY stop you need before planning to walk.
Bounce Noosa is the stop itself. Halse Lodge and Nomads Noosa, both in Noosa Heads, are roughly 10 to 15 minutes’ walk from the Pardons Fruit Market stop. Flashpackers Noosa in Sunshine Beach is too far to walk to either stop comfortably, so a taxi or rideshare is the better option.
Aim to be at your stop at least 15 minutes before departure. If you’re not there at the scheduled time, you forfeit your trip.
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