It rained for 24 hours! It was a good test for out tent. It leaked a little down one of the seams, but it says on the ‘problems and solutions’ tag attached to the tent (I love modern stuff) that we just have to spray tent sealer on it (available at all good camping stores – phony smile for more profit) .
We had two good days on either side of the rainy ones. On the first day we explored the local beach. We stayed out of the expensive Noosa centre, and were located at Peregian Beach. A pretty, relaxed place two minutes walk from a national park. We took some pictures, and you’re free to take a look here.
We spent some time walking around the Noosa National park and!! I saw my first ever ‘real live’ koalas. I’m still thinking they might have been robot ones. I’ve lived in Australia for 26 years and never seen one… and then, in front of a sign that says ‘look up and see a koala’ there was actually a koala sitting there… honestly. People were pointing at it. People from England, Germany and Australia. I was mumbling under my breath that it was a fake, but no body listened. They were too snappy happy to care about my skepticism.
Noosa National Park, for being so close to a major tourist strip, is just gorgeous. It has coves and rocks and cliffs and naked beaches (I mean, naked people on the beaches) and long walks and great surf. Really nice place. And even though its expensive, I think its worth it, to keep it from becoming over developed like the Gold Coast. (Interesting, the sunshine coast is about the sun and nature, while the gold coast is about GOLD in more ways than golden sands- just a little play on words for your reading pleasure).
On the other sunny day we had, we took a driving tour around the area. It took us all day, and we ended up, at sunset, at the look out for the Glass House Mountains. Named (in 1770) after memories of Lieutenant Cook’s home town of Yorkshire. Again, a pretty place and I think would even be more spectacular in the sun rise. If you get the chance, do it for the photos! (send me one if you have it already – would love to see it first hand). Click here for the Aboriginal story about the place.
We went to the eumundi markets. They were, as locals say, a bit expensive, but they were more authentic and buzzing than the ones in rocklea. We drove past the well advertised ginger factory, and stopped at Mapleton National Park.
On the way to the Glass House Mountains, we also stopped by for a drink at a rather charming little town with lots of cute shops called Montville. We saw an Indian shop there, selling items at an astounding rate(for people who remember it cost 150 rupees for a shirt (about AUS$ 5)). It made us discuss the possibility of becoming buyers … another job to put on Albert’s list in ‘Conversations on the Road’.
And during the rain??
Well, apart from seeing a rather silly movie (I’d had high hopes of it with Rupert Everett AND Colin Firth staring), eating two picnics in pouring rain (under cover of the many BBQ facilities to be found all over this great land – one of our great pluses as a country) , we slept long, wrote in our journals, loitered in bookstores admiring books we can’t buy (because we are nomads and must carry everything we buy), and drank lots of wine. And ate chocolate.
All in all we had a fun time and explored the northern side of Brisbane.
