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Published: January 26th 2015
2015 may have been less than a month old, but the new year had swooped me up like a hurricane, and I had been riding the storm. All about me was non-stop change and activity. The Australia Day long weekend was an opportunity to take a breath, so I took myself on a chilled out solo retreat to Noosa. I had never been before and heard rave reviews from others. It only took me a few hours to fall in love with the place too.
My accommodation (very nice, but vastly overpriced) was nestled up on the hill on the outskirts of the main street and surrounded by National Park. I arrived on a Friday night after work and went for a wander up the main street, Hastings Street. Being a sucker for sparkly things I fell for the fairy lights in the trees lining the road. The restaurants and bars were lively and buzzing, people were relaxed and friendly and there was a holiday atmosphere. I was already hooked. I quickly found the beach, which was broad and wide, with golden sand which stretched forever or so it seemed. The sound of the waves lapping the shore was the
perfect antidote to the chaos back in Sydney.
Waking on Saturday to the sounds of birds was just the tonic I needed. I already felt relaxed and refreshed. Those birds certainly weren't chilling out though. I had been for a run along the beach and the estuary and was relaxing with a coffee in one of the plethora of restaurants when a cheeky little bird hopped on to my table. He was very pretty, with an iridescent blue head, and after a second of two of admiring him I grabbed my phone to take his picture. However before you could say cheese he had grabbed the sugar sachet from the saucer and was back in the trees above me to share the spoils with his friends.
The weather when I first arrived was hot but stormy, so I confess I got a little distracted by the shops in Hastings Street. It's a really groovy little shopping centre which focused, not surprisingly, on things to do with the surf and sun. The weather soon cleared up though and by the afternoon the sun was out.
On the way back up the hill to the hotel I spotted a
sign to a lookout. It was only 1.2 kms and I had time before my afternoon activity (well if you can call a facial an 'activity') so I headed that way. I don't know what I was thinking. I had shopping bags in one hand and a coffee in the other, I was wearing an impractical summer dress and flimsy sandals. I know that 1.2kms isn't far away but it was 30 degrees, 85% humidity, and I had momentarily forgotten that lookouts are almost always located at the top of large hills. I headed up in my blissful holiday cloud, all of the practicalities forgotten. It may not have been a long walk but it was straight up - up countless stairs and winding paths, up, up and up! I arrived in a giant sweaty heap, hair stuck to my neck, rivulets of sweat streaking down my face. Once there though, it was I admit, a very good view, and the perfect spot to enjoy the coffee!
The next morning I headed into Noosa National Park. Yes, apart from the beach there is also a National Park right on the doorstep to keep busy with in Noosa (facials and
massages aside). There are numerous walking tracks, ranging from 15 minutes to 5 hours. I took the Coastal Track up to Hell's Gate, around 1hrs 15 return. I had been told by locals that koalas are often spotted in the trees, and to be on the look out for dolphins and turtles. The animals were clearly on holiday too, as I didn't see anything. However I thought the views were gorgeous enough on their own.
All too soon, the weekend was over and it was back to Sydney. It had been the perfect weekend though, with beautiful beaches, nature walks, fantastic restaurants and even some retail therapy - Noosa was just what I needed to rest and recharge.
For anyone looking to visit, I can recommend the following:
Locale - a great little restaurant with room at the bar to eat
Rococo - another delicious Italian restaurant
Bistro C - right on the beach, good for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Miss Moneypenny's - bar with great food
Wonderland - good coffee place, as long as you're not in a rush. It's not speedy!
Stephanies Ocean Spa - for pampering, a definite treat place
De Lanty or
Uncle George for inexpensive retail therapy.
Now blogging at
www.beautycharmadventureonline.com - check it out!
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Jackie
non-member comment
Yes this looks like a suitable place for a holiday. We have never been there. Still hot over here which is great as now we are townies water comes out of a tap. Ruby is staying for a few days dropping her off on our way to Auckland for the Karaka sales and Paul Simon and Sting concert on Friday night. If you have a buying order I am sure that Tom would be happy to oblige.