Noosa

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After the somewhat dull towns of Hervey Bay (a retirement community) and Rainbow Beach (just small) I was looking forward to getting to a town with more character. It’s somewhat hard to find here in Australia. Probably because the culture here is not that different from that of back home. But I found what I was looking for in Noosa. I arrived in the late afternoon so most of the day was already gone but the hostel was advertising for a cheap evening river cruise so I bought a ticket. The cruise wasn’t for a while and I needed some groceries since mine were either thrown away or stolen when I was on Fraser Island. Bummer. So I booked it over to the supermarket and back. But then I was sweating like crazy so decided to jump in the shower and rinse off then head for the cruise boat.


Now, the guy at the hostel told me it was about a 10 minute walk. Once I realized how far away the boat was I got worried that I was going to be late so I picked up my pace. Now, I know I’m not the fastest walker ever but I don’t think I’m particularly slow either but it took me a good 15 minutes walking at a fast pace. Anyway I was just in time for the cruise, thank goodness.


So we had a two hour cruise up and down the river. We got to look at all the fancy vacation homes and some that weren’t just vacation homes. I guess Noosa is a place that Aussies visit on holiday, too. It was a nice sunset since there weren’t so many clouds that it blocked out all the color. After the cruise I couldn’t be bothered with cooking the food I just bought so I stopped for a delicious fish ‘n’ chips meal. Since I’m in this terrible habit of going to bed too early and waking up too early I am tired by about 8 and definitely ready for bed by 9 so I just read and went to sleep.


The next morning the weather was brilliant. There was blue sky and a promise of sunshine. So I headed out for the trails through Noosa National Park. I walked along the coast for a few miles watching the waves crash along the rugged coast line and every now and then coming up to a bay where surfers were trying to catch the waves. I had a nice lunch (well, OK just PB&J and an apple) overlooking Alexandria Bay. Turns out there were a bunch of old men walking around naked there. I felt weird so I didn’t stay on the beach, nor did I face that way during my lunch. Anyway, I continued on my way to Sunshine Beach. The weather was still beautiful and it was now past noon so I was hot and a little tired. So I rested on the beach and swam in the jellyfish laden waters. Don’t worry; they’re not the kind that can kill you. Ha!


Eventually I got tired of rubbing sunscreen and sand all over my skin and it was getting somewhat late so I headed back the way I came and was going to take an upland route through the eucalyptus forest back to town. On my way up a massive flight of stairs I started talking to this old guy about climate change and blah blah. While we were talking the clouds started rolling in and eventually the sky was dark! So much for nice weather. It started raining; we’re still talking. I think he felt a little bad that he kept me from getting on with my hike so he offered me a ride back to town so I could catch the bus. I was thankful for that but a few minutes after he dropped me off it started pouring rain again. Eventually I made it to the hostel, soaking wet. But thank goodness for hot showers and dry clothes.


The weather report for Noosa was rain and showers the next few days but the next morning I reserved a kayak (for free!) from the hostel. Of course it then started raining. I decided to wait on the rain a bit and see what happened. The clouds sort of lifted and there was a speck of blue sky and sunshine so I decided what the heck. I’m going to get wet anyway in the kayak and if it rains then I’m just really wet. So I packed a lunch and a book and was on my way.


I cruised up the river a little ways and everything was fine. The water was pretty calm, the winds were low and the paddling was easy. Then all of a sudden I was near the outlet to the ocean and I was getting carried away in the current! I had to paddle like hell to get back around a tiny spit of land away from the current. OK, maybe it wasn’t THAT bad but I’m not experienced and it was kind of surprising to me. Anyway I needed a rest after that so I just lounged on some beachy area for a while. I remembered seeing a small park area while on my river cruise so I decided to head towards that. I spent a while there and ate lunch (another PB&J and apple), snoozed, and read. Then I realized that I was on a spit of land separating the river inlet from the ocean so I walked along the beach a bit then back to my kayak. I wasn’t ready to go back yet so then I walked to town and browsed the shops. It was getting sort of late now and the sky was getting more cloudy so I thought I better head home. As soon as I got in my kayak it started sprinkling. Never did more than that until I got back to the hostel. Again, I was lucky enough to squeeze in an activity between the rains.


I enjoyed Noosa very much and now wish I had stayed there at least another day. It was one town in which there actually was a lot of free stuff to do during the day. I've been in Brisbane now for 4 days and I will stay another few days. At that point a friend of a friend is going to pick me up and I'm going to spend the weekend with her a bit farther down the coast and maybe catch a bit of a surf competition. Should be good to have someone to pal around with for a few days. If you're reading this, Thanks Jenny!

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Photos

Noosa Sunset
I saw this sunset on a sunset cruise on my first night in Noosa.

Tree Lizard
I spotted this little guy running across the trail on his back two feet! He actually stayed still on the tree for a long time and let me get close enough for a good picture.

Alexandria Bay
Secluded Alexandria Bay where the dry eucalypt forest meets the beach.

Sunshine Beach
I relaxed on Sunshine Beach for several hours after my trek along the coast.

Kayaking on the River
Enjoying the view from a kayak on the Noosa River.