Noosa: the very word itself has become iconic. Todays Noosa is a major tourist destination as well as a magnet for residents seeking a lifestyle that combines urban sophistication with natural beauty. In how it has managed its natural environment and maintained a low-key human footprint, Noosa is quite unlike other coastal Australian settlements.Many who visit or settle in Noosa fail to appreciate that its distinctive qualities were hard won. Most significantly, modern Noosa is the result of more than half a century of effort by one visionary community organisation - Noosa Parks Association. Immediately to the north of Noosa lies the massive wilderness area known as Cooloola. This is the mainland section of the Great Sandy National Park, notable for containing the largest vegetated dune system on the planet. Noosa Parks Association's role in rescuing this natural wonder is generally under-appreciated.With engaging text and magnificent full colour photographs, this book presents both the familiar and hidden worlds of Noosa and Cooloola, and is a glowing testament to one of the oldest and arguably most successful conservation groups in Australia.