SUNSHINE COAST OPEN HOUSE 2025: WHAT’S ON
Get ready as Sunshine Coast Open House 2025 opens the doors to architecture, heritage, design and stories of home.
Whether you’re an armchair architect, a curious local, or someone who loves poking around behind the scenes, this year’s program is packed with events to delight, inspire and connect!
The theme? Resilience. From lived memory to future-forward design, home is more than four walls – it’s identity, adaptation and belonging. So let’s dive into what you can’t miss in 2025!
What is Home #2 Forum: Fri 10 October, 6-9pm
Kicking things off in style is What is Home #2, a storytelling forum held at the Coolum Civic Centre.
This isn’t your typical architecture lecture – it’s a warm, communal evening of stories. Seven speakers from diverse backgrounds will each bring a lens to “home”: as sanctuary, memory, culture, transformation. Together, they weave a richer picture of what home means when times shift.
Tickets are just $25pp and include pizza, a drink, a chance to share your own thoughts – and a lucky door prize or two.
Whether you’re building, renovating, reflecting, or just love a good night of stories – this is a heartfelt start to Open House Sunshine Coast 25 that’s not to be missed!
Walking Tours and Events: Sat 4 to Sun 19 October
From walking tours and urban sketching to architect events and design talks, get ready to step inside the stories of place and learn more about the design of the Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions.
Highlights include walking tours in Moffat Beach, Eumundi, Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens and more; the Lost in Palm Springs opening event and curator’s talk at Noosa Regional Gallery; Smart Infrastructure at Maroochydore City Centre; the Heritage Pubs Trail (don’t miss The Kin Kin Hotel’s pop-up exhibition by renowned Sunshine Coast artist Lauren Jones!) and so much more!
Planning on building or renovating? You’ll love the FREE Ask an Architect at ACE: the perfect opportunity to talk to and seek inspiration from an architect / landscape architect in a relaxed environment! Sat 11 October, bookings essential.
Plus don’t miss our EUMUNDI CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS event on Sunday 12 October at Tolly’s Eumundi – a magical afternoon celebrating the harmony of heritage, architecture, and community. Enjoy a welcome drink and sumptuous afternoon tea showcasing local flavours in the green oasis of Tolly’s Eumundi along with inspiring conversations in the company of fellow art, design and architecture enthusiasts. Hosted by IN Noosa Magazine and Hello Sunshine Magazine’s writer, podcaster and resident emcee John Caruso, enjoy inspirational insights from Eumundi historian Wendy Birrell; interior designer Sally Stent and architect Thomas O’Shea. This relaxed afternoon event blending interior design, heritage, architecture and food is not to be missed! $40pp. Book now!
See the full tours, talks and events line-up here and book quickly, as these are sure to sell out!
Open Buildings & Gardens Weekend: Sat 18 & Sun 19 October
This is the flagship of the festival: the Open Buildings & Gardens Weekend! Across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa, incredible homes, public buildings and gardens open their gates for you to wander, wonder and be inspired.
There are SO many fascinating places to choose from, but here are just a few of our highlights!
- The Wheel House Maroochydore: Sat, 11-1pm
- Wilson Beach House (Dicky Beach House): Sat, 12-3pm
- Bariya Rainforest House: Open Sat 9-12, tours Sat 9am and 11am
- Saltair Modular Homes: Sat & Sun, 9am-12pm (hot tip: enjoy a drink and ’20 cheers for 20 years’ at Peregian Beach Hotel!)
- Pan Pottery Studio: Sat & Sun, 10am-3pm
- Moon Mountain Sanctuary: Open Sun 1-4pm, tours Sat & Sun, 1, 2 and 3pm
- The Cooroy House: Sun 11am-2pm (hot tip – book lunch at Copperhead Brewery!)
- Round Hill Retreat: Sun 2pm-6pm
Special Mention: Alsahwa Estate: Sat & Sun, 11am-1pm
Step inside a world where nature, food and design flourish at Alsahwa Estate! They’re opening the gates for a FREE guided garden tour where you can wander landscaped grounds, towering palms and wildflowers, and get the inside story on what makes Alsahwa so unique. You’ll even sneak a peek at their new farm space where produce for ēthos is grown. And it would be rude to not book into ēthos for lunch or dinner, or stay for Happy Hour looking out over the water. Bookings essential! Read their story in our new issue here.
WHY NOT adore and explore the local arts scene at the same time with Queensland’s largest Art Trail Noosa Open Studios which is also running from 10-19 October, with more than 94 artist studios and galleries across four art trails. Plan your route, make a weekend of it and get ready to be seriously inspired!
Top Tips
– Bookings are essential for the forum, walking tours and some buildings.
– Wear comfy shoes, bring sunscreen, hat and water. You’ll be spending time outdoors, walking and exploring.
– Take a moment at each site to reflect: what choices were made? What stories are embedded? How might you bring little bits of that to your own home?
– Snap photos, talk with hosts, and take home inspiration!
– Take time out to also discover local artists as part of Noosa Open Studios – or recharge with local food and drinks at top restaurants, distilleries and breweries along the trail!
Let’s celebrate the art of place, the texture of home, and the resilient stories that make the Sunshine Coast shine. I can’t wait to stroll through doors and discover something new – how about you?!
Visit www.sunshinecoastopenhouse.com.au to book!
