Noosa

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Although the morning air was rather brisk, the skies were clear and it was supposed to warm up on our first day in the Noosa area. Noosa is a relatively small upscale beach resort with mostly lower rise hotels and high-end homes. We set out for the Noosa Heads National Park, a coastal rainforest. After stopping in at the small visitor center, we decided to take the Coastal Hike which would occupy us for 1.5-2 hours, or longer depending on our return route. Immediately after walking out the door, we looked up and saw a Laughing Kookaburra (right next to a Gum Tree, no less!). We got a couple of decent pictures of it before it flew off. The Kookaburra is the largest of Australia's 14 Kingfisher birds.

The Coastal Trail followed the contour of the coast along the Coral Sea. The first part of the trail had quite a few Gum & Eucalyptus Trees, which occasionally have koalas in their upper reaches. None had been spotted recently and we didn't have any luck finding the little guys. They tend to be very high up feasting on the new growth leaves that contain more water. Koalas can go months or even a lifetime without drinking water.

The views along the trail varied from the occasional sandy beaches tucked in little coves, to rugged granite spits taking a pounding from the surf, to dramatic cliffs with views of Nelson Island. The coast was so nice that we decided to return on the same route instead of heading up into the bush and looping back to the car park.

We spent the afternoon on the perfect beach of Noosa. The sand was a nice consistency and the waves lapped the beach with enough force to grab a body surf, but not so strong as to thrash you in the rinse cycle. Ivy and Theo went to the pool afterward and Geddy went to the room to chill. We had a nice Indian dinner before turning in.

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