Mooloolaba is the most developed of the Sunshine Coast's beach towns, a strip of restaurants, cafes, and shops along the Esplanade looking out over a calm, sheltered beach. The harbour at Mooloolaba is the region's main fishing port as well as a leisure marina, giving the town a working character alongside its resort facilities.
The Underwater World aquarium on the Esplanade has a good collection of marine life including sharks and rays in a walk-through tunnel. The beach itself is popular for swimming — it's one of the safest beaches on the coast, with a calm arc of sand protected from the worst ocean swells. Whale-watching cruises depart from the harbour from July to October, when humpback whales move through the area on their northern migration.