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Published: November 2nd 2022
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The Sunshine Coast (aka Sunny Coast) definitely lived up to its name during our stay at Maroochydore Beach Holiday Park, located right on the main beach. The weather was perfect for a beach holiday. The marketing slogan sure hit the nail on the head in stating “Queensland is beautiful one day. Perfect the next”. Maroochydore lies at the centre of the Sunshine Coast, with Noosa at the northern tip, and Caloundra at the southern tip. We wanted to visit Maroochydore as it was one of the destinations where we stayed on our honeymoon forty years ago.
Our first port of call was the Eumundi Markets, which are purported to be Australia’s biggest and best Artisan markets, and they really did live up to their reputation. The stallholders are actively encouraged to “make it, bake it, sew and grow it”. The clothes, products and produce on offer were of a very high standard, not to mention all of the food stalls, many of which catered for those with food intolerances. Kim loved the opportunity to eat a tasty gluten free donut coated in a fruity flavour.
The Yandina Ginger Factory was our next stop, and we sampled a range of
different products and enjoyed a tasty lunch. Across from the Ginger Factory lies the Nut Factory, and their specialty was Macadamia nuts, which are sourced from the many local plantations. Naturally we had to sample some of their products, and purchase some supplies. It was a short drive from Yandina up onto the Blackall Range, heading for the dairy town of Maleny. We had seen Maleny Dairy products all across Queensland, and wanted to see the area. As we were driving across the range, we came across the small town of Montville, which is a historic village perched on the edge of a mountain looking over the Sunshine Coast and out to sea. We were very impressed with the character of the town and the range of unique shops. The town was so popular with tourists, it was difficult to find a parking spot.
By the time we reached Maleny, it was later in the afternoon, and we were shopped out. Still, we liked the streetscape and range of shops, which had retained their heritage look and feel. After leaving Maleny, we stopped off at Gardners Falls to wet our feet, being a hot day. The views from the
Blackall Range westward towards the Glasshouse Mountains were spectacular as we drove back to Maroochydore.
We had never visited Noosa, and the next day we set out to do so. Unfortunately, it was the day of the Noosa Triathlon, and the town was crazy busy. After trying for some time to find a parking spot, we abandoned our efforts and headed for Coolum Beach, where we enjoyed lunch and a swim at the beach. After lunch we headed back to Maroochydore, and still being hot with perfect blue skies, we walked down to the beach for a swim to cool off.
Queensland does foreshores really well, and the Sunshine Coast foreshore is no exception. We set out to walk to Mooloolaba Spit the next morning, walking 10.2 kms return, enjoying an Acai Cup along the way. We wanted to revisit Mooloolaba Breakwall, which was the location for Kim catching a large bream on our honeymoon. Once again it was a hot, perfect sunny day, and we headed to the beach to cool off after our long walk. To celebrate forty years and our last night on the Sunny Coast, Kim chose her favourite, Thai food, and Thai Lotus
in Mooloolaba was a great choice to cap off our stay. On a walk along The Esplanade shops, we spied a Maleny Dairy Gelato shop, and enjoyed tasting a few of the products from the town we had recently visited.
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