John Kerr,87,was found unconscious on a path along the beachfront at the northern end of Hastings Street at Noosa Heads about 6am on June 18.
Police said Kerr had suffered serious head injuries consistent with an assault.
Bystanders assisted the elderly man before paramedics arrived,but he died at the scene.
A 27-year-old man was taken into custody about 100 metres away on the beachfront a short time later.
Investigators believed the two men were not known to each other.
The Gympie man was charged with murder and was set to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
Police late last month released security camera footage of three vehicles and a person seen in the area at the time of the incident.
– AAP