Monday, 22 April 2013

Weekend Wanderings - West Island (aka Australia!)

Well, it had to come.  If you live out here eventually you have to visit the big brother, our nearest neighbour, the country that seems to attract a huge number of Kiwis, more or less permanently.

And we had an added reason. We have Australian friends, Bob and Trish, who have known Roy since the mid 70s when Bob and Roy were shipmates aboard HMS Juno.  These lovely friends have been to stay with us a couple of times in the UK; we've met up with them in London and the west country; they've even been to stay with us out here in Auckland.  So finally, we made good on our promise to go and visit them!

Fortunately Bob and Trish live in Noosa - or one of the Noosas anyway.  That's Queensland.  East coast.  A couple of hours north of Brisbane.  Just 3 hours flight from Auckland.  And three hours behind.  So we leave at 7 am - and arrive at 7 am.  Two breakfasts, if you've a mind for that sort of thing.  An early start anyway (3.45am), but definitely worth it.

March, a bit of a rainy season, but nothing to deter. We haven't seen rain here in New Zealand for 10 weeks, so it's rather refreshing - and warm....   A hire car gets us up the coast, and we arrive at their house near the Sunshine Coast just after 11 am, as planned.  It's Friday, so we have most of the day, all of Saturday and Sunday, and most of Monday before our flight back in the evening.  That feels good.

We are both rather tired, so the break is most welcome.  And our friends are great hosts.  It's the perfect blend of easy, relaxed, gentle and genial.  When we tell friends in St Heliers we're spending the weekend in Noosa there's much nodding of heads - 'you'll love it', 'oh, it's a great place to go'.  We soon see why.  There are three Noosas - Noosaville, Noosa Heads and Noosa itself.  They are each different, but each complies with the original concept for the area - low rise, no big blocks of apartments or hotels, no traffic lights (though there are now one or two).  The result is charming :)

Every picture tells a story ....   We spend the weekend:

walking along the river Noosa


(the boys)  preparing a BBQ breakfast on the public BBQs available in the park, free!
eating our BBQ breakfast by the river, under cover

watching the surfers and paddle-boarders in competition

watching the DOG surfers, also in competition. Yes, really!

buying prawns (that's Trish)

EATING said prawns

visiting Eumundi market nearby

viewing beautiful beaches (tho I have no photos of the nudist beach we had to negotiate as part of our walk, luckily!)

(another one - wonderful Pacific rollers)

going to dinner by boat along the river

admiring the sunset

enjoying dinner at Ricky's - that's a smoked salmon rose, not a tomato :)

loving the variety of eucalyptus - this one....

and the paper eucalyptus, whose soft bark was used for centuries as .... paper

enjoying some local music

admiring Brisbane

strolling along another river, this time mid-city (the River Brisbane, apparently the longest 
river in Queensland)

comparing the Brisbane Eye to its London equivalent (it's MUCH smaller)

visiting the Art Gallery, and viewing an eclectic mixture of art

(see what I mean?)

and occasionally enjoying the odd glass of wine/beer!


Quite amazing how much you can do in such a short time and still feel really rested and refreshed :)

PS  I also swam in the breakers and for the first time in many years I got my head and ears wet!  Ended up diving under the waves like a kid, actually.....   Must be the Australia effect.








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