We left the Gold Coast to head north to Brisbane. On the way we did a detour to Tambourine National Park as it was recommended via a friend being full of wildlife of the creepy kind (i.e.: poisonous spiders and snakes!). So, off we went in search of these critters, to be sadly disappointed! Another beautiful national park with wildlife but I’m guessing they are more nocturnal or more scared of us! However, we did see a lot of Bearded Dragons which are related to the Iguana family.
We trekked down to the Curtis falls and visited the glow worms which are only native to Australia and New Zealand. This was pretty cool, tiny things and their bums glow brightly! The older they are, the bigger their glow! As we entered the cave we had to switch our phones etc off as the bright light can kill them. It was pitch black inside apart from the red light which apparently they cannot see. The whole cave was lit up with thousands of these guys!
We then headed to Brisbane which was about a 70km drive, so not too far. We rocked up at the Newmarket Caravan site which is actually the closest to the centre of the city. You can see the skyline as you drive in which is pretty modern and built up as you would expect. We got the bus into town and started exploring. A mix of old and new although the old buildings aren’t that old! The Treasury building (Brisbane Council) and City Hall are quite nice buildings, including the Albert Street Uniting Church which are in amongst the sky scrapers which offers a great contrast. You can hop on the City Cat which is the fast ferry service but we opted to walk over the bridge to South Brisbane and the South Bank area which have great views of the city skyline. The South Bank is a nice entertainment area with restaurants, bars, the Wheel of Brisbane (like the London Eye), arts buildings, galleries and a man made pool/beach which was packed. A great place to cool off with the skyline in the background. Reminded me a lot of Dubai Marina.
As we drove north towards Noosa, we stopped off to spend a day at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. i had watched his famous animal and Croc wildlife documentaries on TV and couldn’t wait to go. The park is very spacious, laid out well and has a good focus on animal conservation. The memory to Steve is evident throughout the park and we were lucky enough on the day we were there to have his wife Terri, his son Robert and daughter Bindi, doing a show live at 12pm on the animals in Australia including the Crocs. The show was entertaining and dangerous in parts, especially in the water with the huge crocs! One lady in front of me borrowed a $5 note from me and the next thing you know a huge parrot is flying up to her arm and takes my note away! Luckily I got it back. A great zoo, lots of Australian wildlife and other animals from around the world. Got up close and personal with Koala’s and Kangaroos again and closer to some of Australia’s most poisonous snakes etc than I care to remember!
Next is was further north to the beautiful area of Noosa. I had come here about 15 years ago but could only remember I loved it and needed to come back. I now remember why! It’s a fairly affluent area with beautiful clear beaches, lovely restaurants, chic boutiques, a great marina and a stunning National Park all within a few kilometres of each other. We rocked up at the campsite and it was probably the best we had stayed in. We went to the camp kitchen and quickly got chatting to a great couple from Essex, England who were also traveling and doing a similar route. One hour turned in to a few and the next thing you know the lights are going out! I guess that was our call to go!
The next day we got up and ventured to Noosa National Park a few kilometres away. We parked at the Sunshine Coast end and walked to the map that showed the four different trekking routes we could take. We chose the ‘coastal path’ to start which takes on the winding paths down the coast and through the forest. I found this a much cooler option with the sea breeze! There are several different stopping points such as Hells Gate, Dolphin Point, the Fairy Pools and Alexandra Beach, the latter we happened to find out quickly it was a nudist beach when a guy came out the bushes full frontal in front of us! The beach was pretty much deserted with sand like glass and crystal clear waters. If I would have had a towel and swimming shorts on I would have jumped in! There are a few picnic spots along the route too which is great and the view is awesome. The national park is also known for having wild Koala’s there. I had seen them in Australia Zoo and at the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie but really wanted to see one in the wild. As we made our way through the national park, I turned the corner and several people were looking up into the Eucalyptus trees. One lady from England said there’s a Koala and there it was! So camouflaged I wouldn’t have actually seen it but I was so thankful she pointed it out to me. It was a great moment!
In the evening we went out for dinner with our new friends from England, to Gympie Street which is full of great restaurants on the sea front. However, the start was quite eventful as we were about to get in the car, we spotted a huge Huntsman Spider on the back window….INSIDE the car! Being the wimps we all were, we were terrified and talked for about ten minutes on how to get it out! After we got it out, we nervously hopped in to the car and headed in to town.
Our last day in Noosa was spent on the rivers, lakes and estuaries that surround the town as we hired a small boat out from the main marina. It was actually quite reasonable, about $75AUS for 2 hours for a small propeller boat that could sit 2-4 people. You could have a more basic or swanky one if you preferred. After a quick safety briefing we were given a map and headed out. The first hour we went north and headed up past Sheep Island, Goat Island (no idea why the names!) and past Makepeace Island which is Richard Branson’s private island here. It’s pretty nice! We googled it after and you can rent the island or the home/rooms for a hefty amount as you would expect. There’s a small car ferry that goes from one side of Noosa to the other and holds a few cars that you have to wait for it to pass the narrow stretch of water. It on a chain so needed to make sure we didn’t hit it! We headed back south and the second hour was spent going around Noosa Heads. The houses here that line the shores on both sides are like something out of Miami and Palm Beach….huge, modern and very swanky! I won’t lie, I was a little bit jealous, it’s such a beautiful area.
Next stop, the worlds largest sand island, Fraser Island. I have a two day, one night tour booked so looking forward to this!
