Noosa

We arrived at Noosa Heads yesterday (Sunday), only about a 45 min trip. The weather was nice & sunny, although a chilly wind was blowing. Today we were going to the famous Hastings St on the main beach, but the weather turned wet & it is pouring rain, so we gave it a miss.  We met for lunch with Graeme's cousin Pam, her husband David & Pam's brother Graham, Graeme hadn't seen them for many years, they moved up here 30 years ago. Noosa's vegetation is very tropical, & a lot of water everywhere you drive as the river & lakes meet the sea. They don't seem to have many straight roads as a result, which makes it interesting. There are stacks of restaurants, clothing shops & gift shops, & the amount of accommodation choices is huge. Tomorrow we are meeting up with an old workmate of Grae's for lunch. We leave on Wed, not sure where to though!

 Views from lookout above Noosa Heads

Grae, David, Graham & Pam

W

Calounra day trip

Last Saturday we visited Caloundra, not far from where we were staying. Like many QLD coastal spots, hundreds of apartment buildings & resorts, but the beach areas were beautiful,lots of picnic spots, playgrounds toilets etc, all maintained perfectly.  We had lunch at the local street market

Views of Caloundra, looking back to the Glasshouse Mountains (see previous blog)

Bribie Island in the distance

The Big Pineapple, actually not all that big!  More like the stumpy pineapple.

Glass House Mountains

Today we had a great day visiting the Glass House mountains, about half an hour away. On the way there we stopped at Australia Zoo. We didn't visit the zoo itself (maybe tomorrow), but I did visit the wildlife hospital, very interesting. We had a picnic lunch at the lookout, then drove around the tourist drive with the most spectacular views we have ever seen.  A real highlight of our trip.

These are not real giraffes!

Operating theatre in the animal hospital

Intensive Care- a bit hard to see, but there is a koala in the cage

I love this photo- a recovering koala lying on a pillow on the floor, medication chart next to it. I thought it was a toy, till I noticed it breathing

A bit hard to see, but a koala on the table with IV drip & oxygen mask

Animal nursery

Sculpture outside hospital

Dramatic views of the mountains

Views from lookout

Quick video-press play button in centre

Views from other side of national park, hard to see in these photos just how far we could see

Maroochydore

Caravan park at Buderim

Military escort

Stopped for lunch just past Brisbane, massive Army truck next to us carrying amphibious tank

Ballina

Hi everyone, we arrived in QLD yesterday, after 4 nights in Ballina NSW, which is 25 kms south of Byron Bay. We had a day trip to Byron Bay, which we loved, then onto Tweed Heads, which we hated, very overdeveloped with massive apartment blocks. Byron Bay was not as big as I thought, & still has a bit of a hippy feel. We are now at Buderim, which is in the hills behind Maroochydore & about 100Kms north of Brisbane, & 50 kms south of Noosa Heads, on the Sunshine Coast.  We will be here for 4 to 5 nights. Not a lot of sunshine though, pouring rain, but still humid & mild. Our VW is wonderful, although a man came up to Graeme at Brunswick Heads, a bit " under the weather",  & told Grae off for driving " a f***ing Nazi car, & they lost the war!" He then added that at least the Nazi's make good cars! I am enjoying looking at the different scenery around us, as I have never been here before. Lots of sugar cane, macadamia plantations, & palmtrees & ferns, very dense.

Lighthouse & lookout at Byron Bay

Caravan park at Ballina

Our site at Ballina

We had a nice afternoon in the sunshine at the beach