The shire's tourism exponentially grew shortly after the Second World War. The beach at Noosa Heads started to gain popularity in the 1890s.
In the 1800s, Noosa's early wealth came from the timber and milling industries with tourism developing in the late 1920s. In this decade cafes and tourist accommodation was built along the beachfront. The town has been the site of many tussles between developers and those seeking to preserve the town. Since the seventies, people have continued to migrate from southern states.
