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Published: October 12th 2016
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Wonderful and chilled out Noosa is just what I needed at this stage of the game making my way north up the east coast of Australia. So far from Sydney up to here has been a mixed bag but immediately upon arrival in Noosa I was made to feel right at home by my wonderful hosts Tom and Emma and their flatmates Samone and John. It was so nice to have a room in a house and to be out of the hostel/backpacker circuit. In a strange way I was like a local living in a great house just minutes from the beach. Yes, I had definitely found my spot to chill and unwind for a few days.
What a treat it was to see my old friends from back in Fiji. I really enjoy talking with Tom and Emma as they have completed what I am trying to do - travel the world and experience as many different cultures and adventures as possible. It's good to listen to their advice and pick their brains on some of the places I am heading. The house they are staying in is awesome. Complete with swimming pool and a short 5 minute
walk to the beach. Both of which I took advantage of extensively. Noosa is the opposite of Surfer's Paradise in that their are no large booming nightclubs and no hordes of drunken 20 year olds. The town is quite affluent so it weeds out the riff raff and sensible folk like myself can feel free to wander the near deserted beaches that surround the area sans techno beats.
Spending my days on the beach is precisely what I did here in Noosa. The weather was divine and the cool waters of the Pacific were just what was needed to wash of the heat of the day. Samone was also gracious enough to lend out her stand up paddle board for Tom, Emma, and myself to try out one day on the river. I've always kind of knocked the paddle boarders as a kind of reject surfer but when I actually tried this sport I really enjoyed it and can see why it has such a large appeal to the masses. Paddling down the river was very relaxing and good for a core strength type work out testing my balance and reaction to the wakes in the river. The million
dollar homes lining the banks were a nice companion to gaze upon whilst alone in my thoughts on my board. Definitely something I would like to try again as I continue onwards.
After a long day of hanging out at the beach and paddle boarding it was time for a proper Aussie BBQ - with an American twist of course. I was in charge of marinating and cooking the pork and beef ribs, and sausages, steaks, and an arrangement of fresh salads were on order as well. I really love these nights cooking amongst friends and sharing stories of travel abroad and of life in general. Get togethers like these always bring me back in my head to my friends back home and it's nice to have the memories brought back to me of long summer nights back in the 5280.
My last day in Noosa was a solo trek on the bus to
The Australia Zoo (which suprisingly only cost me $5AUD return trip from Noosa) home to the late Steve Irwin aka "The Crocodile Hunter". The zoo is all about conservation and education about all things wild and with an emphasis on Australia'a unique evolution and biodiversity. It
bbq
Tom and I doing it up right. is also somewhat of a living tribute to the Croc Hunter's zest for nature. It really is tragic that such a champion for wildlife conservation was taken away before his time. The day itself was a lot of fun and all manner of animal - koalas, kangaroos, snakes, and of course crocodiles - were there to learn about. The zoo is very interactive and the animals live in open air enclosures living as close to being in the wild as possible. Most all of the animals are rescues so they would not be able to live in the wild if released. They have a good life.
My final night the girls of the house had to work leaving us boys (Tom, John, and I) to our own devices which of course turned into slabs of beer, gangster rap, and samurai swords. Good times for sure. Later the house was complete when Emma and Samone returned. A few hours of chatting and I was off to bed only to leave my adopted home behind the next morning for my flight up to Cairns. I was sad to go. I had such an amazing time in Noosa hanging with the crew
and exploring the outlying areas together. I hope to repay the kindness an generosity I've received someday when our paths cross again.
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