Cotton Tree is a small suburb on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, sitting on a narrow strip of land between the Maroochy River and the ocean just south of Maroochydore. It is low-key even by Sunshine Coast standards: a strip of cafes and small shops along the beachfront, good swimming and fishing at the river mouth, and a caravan park that fills up with families in school holidays. The beach here faces north, which means calmer conditions than many open-ocean beaches.
The Maroochy River estuary makes for pleasant kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. Cotton Tree is best treated as an extension of Maroochydore rather than a destination in its own right, but if you are staying on the Sunshine Coast it is a quiet alternative to the busier beaches further north.