When we were told we were going to Noosa, the wife and I wondered, "Noo-what?"
But our three-hour drive from Mount Tamborine to Noosa, in our lovely Ford Falcon XR from Hertz was pleasant and fun. Noosa is north of Gold Coast, along the Sunshine Coast. It is more chill and less in-your-face than Gold Coast, and the wife and I loved it.
We stayed at the Noosa Entrance Waterfront Resort, run by the friendly Brad and Judy. Our townhouse apartment faces the man-made canal that leads to the Noosa River, with views similar to this private residence, pictured above. You can fish and kayak on the canal right in front of your apartment.
By the time we settled into our townhouse, it was late evening. We had dinner at The Boathouse, a floating restaurant and bar on the Noosa River, very romantic. This bird (I mean a real bird) seemed to be waiting for some service at the Fish and Chips counter of the Boathouse but no one came.
The next morning, Judy took us to The Original Eumundi Markets, that open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The wife had a ball shopping at the stalls here.
The wife picked out some hand-blown glass jewelry and a cutting board from Nature's Cutting Boards, while I stuffed myself with giant strawberries. We also bought a handmade necklace made of amethyst and pearls for my mom, and a pendant for her mom. I bought Waterman's handmade Castille soap because they smelled so nice and are made of good stuff. I love good soaps and I have sensitive skin, so call me Metro Man.
You can also take photos with a real live snake, or take the children to the storytelling area.
I saw some cool banjo guitars made with cigar boxes, from the Bottleneck Blues stall too.
We wanted to lunch at The Spirit House in Noosa but it was fully booked. It a Thai restaurant located in lush bamboo surroundings and it has a cooking school inside.
You cannot go to Noosa without checking out their lovely beaches and the national park right at the beach. We got there at sunset and the view was splendid. People were surfing, jogging, fishing and just sitting in the sand. Like I said, chill.
Dinner was at Sirocco, a restaurant located at Gympie Terrace with a great view of Noosa River.
On Sunday morning, Judy took us to the Noosa Farmers Market, open every Sunday. It had farm-fresh produce and food stalls that sold everything from Japanese gyozas to German sausages.
I couldn't resist buying a bunch of roses from the flower stall for my Lady.
I didn't feel I got enough of Noosa but we had to drive back to the Gold Coast. I shall be back to spend more time chilling here. Maybe my next trip here, I shall try whale watching, barra fishing, and going to Fraser Island.
