AUSTRALIA 29/11 - 03/12

NOOSA HEADS. 29/11 – 03/12

The day after our visit to the Test Match we decided to leave Brisbane and, rather than head South down the rather commercial Gold Coast, we chose to head North up the Sunshine Coast. We arrived in Noosaville which is about 100 km outside Brisbane and on the edge of a very unspoilt stretch of the coast, most of which is only passable in a 4x4 which we did not have as we had hired the equivalent of a Ford Escort in Brisbane. So we visited our old friends at the Tourist Information to try and find some quiet accommodation in a bush area close to the water.

Rather too sterile and large for our liking. Even the barbeque was contained within the building.

For once they let us down and we ended up in a brand new housing estate in the bush which had been built with so many ecological restrictions that you were not allowed to step off the tarmac road or driveway, and you had to observe the wildlife through large double glazed windows.

This car ferry was the only access to the 'housing estate'.

 It was a very comfortable house but much too sterile for us so we returned to the Tourist Information for a second attempt. Success. They found us a retreat out in the bush, beside a lake at Noosa Heads, which had been built by a couple in the sixties and was still run by the family. They are all artists and the whole place was very original with all the cottages or cabins built in a different architectural style and given quirky names. We stayed in a cabin by the lake named 'Gentle Jane' and it was perfect for us being very basic but comfortable with lots of wildlife and walks on the doorstep.

The Newths have arrived at 'Gentle Jane'. All very relaxed as you can see from the message on the left of the board.

Fran looks out over the lake from the 'Gentle Jane' balcony.

The view she was looking at through the rain. 

The only thing about the Sunshine Coast is that it is misnamed, or it was for that week. It poured with rain most of the time and the sun made very few appearances. However we had a peaceful few days and it was a good way to end our time in Australia.

 

This canoe came with the cottage but we never had the opportunity to use it as the wind was too strong and the water too rough.

This fellow was a frequent visitor - not much meat on the Bush Turkey so it should survive the festive season.

In training for the 2012 Olympics. This nearby beach was miles long with beautiful sand and completely deserted.

 Fran discovers a Paper Bark tree during a local hike. 

Incidentally it has been so unusually wet in parts of Australia that Lake Eyre, the lowest point in Australia and usually just a dry bed, has filled with water. This is such an unusual event that it has become a major attraction for Australians who are flying into the interior in their thousands to see it.

I had high expectations for Australia and I wasn't disappointed. Fran was indifferent before our visit but has now fallen in love with the country and the people, who in general we found very friendly and genuine. We hardly scratched the surface of the tiny piece of the country we visited and both felt strangely emotional when we departed Australia from Brisbane airport for Christchurch, New Zealand.