Cloudy Days on
the Sunshine
Coast...
the Sunshine
Coast...
On the beach in Noosa.
In the town of Noosa.
On my ferry ride along the river.
December 16, 2006
I had a bit of extra time that I could spend however I wished on my way from Airlie Beach to Brisbane.
Almost everybody I spoke to told me that I had to go to Fraser Island. This is a place that many guys are into as they get to put
the 4WD into action on the sandy beaches. I heard, however, that this is really only fun for the driver. Since I have no idea how
to drive one of these things, chances were that my head would be banging against the roof in the back of the vehicle. There was
reason #1 why it didn’t appeal to me.
Reason #2 was that it felt like a real life ‘MTV Road Rules’ trip. Eight different people are paired up and everybody has to find
some compromise. I hadn’t talked to one person that didn’t have some issue within their group of people. This seemed like a
risky way to spend three of my days.
Reason #3 was that I am not very much a ‘camping’ girl. I had heard how sandy and dirty a person gets by the end. It was ‘an
experience’ that many had done…but had also said they wouldn’t do again.
And the last reason why I didn’t go was that even if I opted to do a one-day bus tour, what was the point of having some bus
take me around from sight to sight and pay $169 Australian dollars? Just so that I could say ‘I have seen it’? I have other
things I would love to spend that money.
Only one person had told me that I wouldn’t be missing that much by skipping it.
My decision was made up. I was skipping Fraser Island.
I was told by a few people that a town called Noosa would be a good place to stop for a day or so. I really wasn’t told much else.
Oh, actually there were a couple other things. There was a beach. And the Australia Zoo was nearby.
If I were to play a game of word associations, ‘Noosa’ would remind me of ‘moose’ which would then remind me of ‘the
wilderness’. So, in a weird way, that was what I came prepared for.
I could not have been in for more of a surprise. A good surprise, that is.
I arrived into Noosa before check-in time at the hostel. This gave me a bit of time to explore the town. Hastings Street (their
main street) made me more than happy that I decided to stop off here. It reminded me of a contemporary Carmel. Maybe a
cross of Carmel and Redondo Beach? In any case, while it was going to be hard to afford things here, it was going to be easy to
entertain myself by looking around. Oh. And there would be no 'zoo' for me. Why would I go to a zoo when I am in a town this
charming???
At around 1pm I went to the hostel to check-in and I met my ‘roommates’ for the evening. There was a set of twins from
England, Kim and Carly, whom I instantly became friends with. The other girl was fine albeit a bit high-maintenance and
selfish. I was okay when she decided to use my bed as her drying rack for her laundry but it got under my skin a bit when she
unplugged my computer in the middle of the night so that she could charge her phone…meanwhile there was an empty socket
right next to the one I was using. Oh well. The beauty of hostel life, right?
It wasn’t long before I headed back into town…this time heading in the opposite direction towards the Noosa National Park. I
opted for the ‘coastal route’ in lieu of the other routes that go through (what I call) the wilderness. Even though it was
completely cloudy out (which was sooo wrong as this is considered ‘The Sunshine Coast’) I couldn’t help but admire the coast
the entire time I was walking. The only exception was when I was looking up above. No, I wasn’t looking at the sky. I was
looking up in the eucalyptus trees as koalas are known to lurk around in this area. Sadly, I came up empty-handed with regards
to koala sightings.
I decided to splurge on afternoon tea at a restaurant that looks onto the beach. I left in a knick of time as there was a huge
storm (complete with thunder and lightning) that started about five minutes after I got back to the hostel. Now that I knew I
was going to be staying in for the night, I decided it would be a good time to do some laundry. Words can not express the
happiness that occurs within me when I have a suitcase full of clean clothes. It’s really the little things I tell ya…
I stayed in for the rest of the night and hung out with Kim and Carly. We had a mutual excitement going on as they were
excited to meet somebody from San Francisco (as that is the last place in their around-the-world trip and they were going to
have questions about what to do/where to go) and I was excited that they were going to San Francisco (since I love being able
to give information on my city).
December 17, 2006
Not only does Noosa have a great coastline; it also has a river that runs through it. This morning I took advantage of this by
buying a ticket to take the ferry down to Tewantin – the stop at the end of the line at the Noosa Marina. Every Sunday there’s
a market with local products and crafts, in addition to cafes and restaurants. A great thing about this little area was that prices
were drastically lower than in town. I got an excellent grilled sweetlips with my choice of sauce for only $7 at the fish market.
The fish market also could make fish ‘n chips out of any fish imaginable. I don’t even like fried food but, damn, it looked good!
Wouldn’t it be just my luck that it was raining nearly the entire time I was out there? I have to say again that I am having a
very hard time believing that this is ‘The Sunshine Coast’.
Finally on my ferry ride back to Noosa Heads (the area I was staying) I saw a few clouds starting to break. Would it actually be
sunny when I got back into town??? The answer would be ‘yes’! I walked along the beach during this rare bout of sunshine. I
only had a couple hours left in Noosa at this point. Really sad as I would have loved to spend more time here.
I even decided to do a bit of Christmas shopping while I was here. Who would I do Christmas shopping for with only one week
to go? The answer is simple. Me! I figured it just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t have something to open on Christmas morning. I
have solved this problem. In the meantime, I am going to try to forget what I bought myself…
All I can say is that I couldn’t be more thrilled that I came to this town! I can’t think of one of my friends who wouldn’t have
instantly loved it. I know this will be a place that I will return to in the future.
My bus leaves in a few minutes for Brisbane. I hung out with Kim and Carly a bit longer before leaving. I am hoping to see them
when I get to Brisbane as it seems like our paths are going to cross for a day…
I had a bit of extra time that I could spend however I wished on my way from Airlie Beach to Brisbane.
Almost everybody I spoke to told me that I had to go to Fraser Island. This is a place that many guys are into as they get to put
the 4WD into action on the sandy beaches. I heard, however, that this is really only fun for the driver. Since I have no idea how
to drive one of these things, chances were that my head would be banging against the roof in the back of the vehicle. There was
reason #1 why it didn’t appeal to me.
Reason #2 was that it felt like a real life ‘MTV Road Rules’ trip. Eight different people are paired up and everybody has to find
some compromise. I hadn’t talked to one person that didn’t have some issue within their group of people. This seemed like a
risky way to spend three of my days.
Reason #3 was that I am not very much a ‘camping’ girl. I had heard how sandy and dirty a person gets by the end. It was ‘an
experience’ that many had done…but had also said they wouldn’t do again.
And the last reason why I didn’t go was that even if I opted to do a one-day bus tour, what was the point of having some bus
take me around from sight to sight and pay $169 Australian dollars? Just so that I could say ‘I have seen it’? I have other
things I would love to spend that money.
Only one person had told me that I wouldn’t be missing that much by skipping it.
My decision was made up. I was skipping Fraser Island.
I was told by a few people that a town called Noosa would be a good place to stop for a day or so. I really wasn’t told much else.
Oh, actually there were a couple other things. There was a beach. And the Australia Zoo was nearby.
If I were to play a game of word associations, ‘Noosa’ would remind me of ‘moose’ which would then remind me of ‘the
wilderness’. So, in a weird way, that was what I came prepared for.
I could not have been in for more of a surprise. A good surprise, that is.
I arrived into Noosa before check-in time at the hostel. This gave me a bit of time to explore the town. Hastings Street (their
main street) made me more than happy that I decided to stop off here. It reminded me of a contemporary Carmel. Maybe a
cross of Carmel and Redondo Beach? In any case, while it was going to be hard to afford things here, it was going to be easy to
entertain myself by looking around. Oh. And there would be no 'zoo' for me. Why would I go to a zoo when I am in a town this
charming???
At around 1pm I went to the hostel to check-in and I met my ‘roommates’ for the evening. There was a set of twins from
England, Kim and Carly, whom I instantly became friends with. The other girl was fine albeit a bit high-maintenance and
selfish. I was okay when she decided to use my bed as her drying rack for her laundry but it got under my skin a bit when she
unplugged my computer in the middle of the night so that she could charge her phone…meanwhile there was an empty socket
right next to the one I was using. Oh well. The beauty of hostel life, right?
It wasn’t long before I headed back into town…this time heading in the opposite direction towards the Noosa National Park. I
opted for the ‘coastal route’ in lieu of the other routes that go through (what I call) the wilderness. Even though it was
completely cloudy out (which was sooo wrong as this is considered ‘The Sunshine Coast’) I couldn’t help but admire the coast
the entire time I was walking. The only exception was when I was looking up above. No, I wasn’t looking at the sky. I was
looking up in the eucalyptus trees as koalas are known to lurk around in this area. Sadly, I came up empty-handed with regards
to koala sightings.
I decided to splurge on afternoon tea at a restaurant that looks onto the beach. I left in a knick of time as there was a huge
storm (complete with thunder and lightning) that started about five minutes after I got back to the hostel. Now that I knew I
was going to be staying in for the night, I decided it would be a good time to do some laundry. Words can not express the
happiness that occurs within me when I have a suitcase full of clean clothes. It’s really the little things I tell ya…
I stayed in for the rest of the night and hung out with Kim and Carly. We had a mutual excitement going on as they were
excited to meet somebody from San Francisco (as that is the last place in their around-the-world trip and they were going to
have questions about what to do/where to go) and I was excited that they were going to San Francisco (since I love being able
to give information on my city).
December 17, 2006
Not only does Noosa have a great coastline; it also has a river that runs through it. This morning I took advantage of this by
buying a ticket to take the ferry down to Tewantin – the stop at the end of the line at the Noosa Marina. Every Sunday there’s
a market with local products and crafts, in addition to cafes and restaurants. A great thing about this little area was that prices
were drastically lower than in town. I got an excellent grilled sweetlips with my choice of sauce for only $7 at the fish market.
The fish market also could make fish ‘n chips out of any fish imaginable. I don’t even like fried food but, damn, it looked good!
Wouldn’t it be just my luck that it was raining nearly the entire time I was out there? I have to say again that I am having a
very hard time believing that this is ‘The Sunshine Coast’.
Finally on my ferry ride back to Noosa Heads (the area I was staying) I saw a few clouds starting to break. Would it actually be
sunny when I got back into town??? The answer would be ‘yes’! I walked along the beach during this rare bout of sunshine. I
only had a couple hours left in Noosa at this point. Really sad as I would have loved to spend more time here.
I even decided to do a bit of Christmas shopping while I was here. Who would I do Christmas shopping for with only one week
to go? The answer is simple. Me! I figured it just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t have something to open on Christmas morning. I
have solved this problem. In the meantime, I am going to try to forget what I bought myself…
All I can say is that I couldn’t be more thrilled that I came to this town! I can’t think of one of my friends who wouldn’t have
instantly loved it. I know this will be a place that I will return to in the future.
My bus leaves in a few minutes for Brisbane. I hung out with Kim and Carly a bit longer before leaving. I am hoping to see them
when I get to Brisbane as it seems like our paths are going to cross for a day…
