A Noosa New Year

We took our first holiday outside of Victoria over New Year. It was all a bit last minute (as is our usual way) so there was not a lot left accommodation wise. We finally managed to find pretty much the last apartment in the whole of Noosa though and we booked our flights.

I still find it crazy that after a flight of nearly 2 hours we landed in the same country, if we’d have done that flight from the Uk we would have ended up in Italy!
Due to our disorganisation spontaneity the last apartment in the whole of Noosa was about 5k from Noosa Heads which is where Hastings Street and Noosa main beach is. At first I was a bit disappointed we were what I thought was really far away, but in actual fact I think we were in the right place given that we have the Bear. Hastings Street is lovely but it is not really a family place of a night. Also if we had been staying nearer to Hastings Street we wouldn’t have got to know about all the other cool things there are to do like get the ferry up the Noosa river.

That was really good and we did that the first day, I was a little apprehensive as I wasn’t ‘t sure if we would end up with a child overboard situation (which we very nearly did on the return leg if it wasn’t for my lightening fast reflexes), I did clock the pitying and some disdainful glances from the other passengers as we boarded the boat, that aside though, it was a really nice way of getting up to main Noosa and seeing all the little marinas and massive holiday homes and restaurants that you wouldn’t get to see otherwise. Serious bucks around there that’s for sure.
We spent the first day exploring Noosa Heads and on Noosa Main beach, although spending days on the beach are not what they used to be. No longer can we lie in the sun reading trashy mags while we bake. No, those days are long gone, now our beach trips consist of husb and I taking it in turns to chase the Bear when he makes his frequent dashes for freedom, and man that boy is fast! We only get a rest when we stop to beg him not to run off again, to which he turns giggles and sprints away. To think I was impatient for him to start walking in the early days!
By the end of the day there were droopy eyelids and a few tears, it had been a long day thats for sure.. . . .
Sorry?, what was that?
Oh you thought I meant the Bears eyes were getting droopy?
Of course not he was raring to go despite having had no afternoon nap, he is like the Duracell Bunny. No it was husbs droopy eyelids and my tears! We could have quite happily gone to bed right then and there! Instead we made do with the promise of alcohol and a nice meal and we headed out for something to eat. There were loads of restaurants around so plenty to choose from. Naturally then, with the vast array of restaurants on offer, husb and I managed to choose the only byo restaurant on the strip (having clearly not brought our own) and sat down to a mediocre meal accompanied by a ‘refreshing’ beer of the ginger variety. I consoled myself with the fact that it had the word beer in the title, husb was less consoled!

Over the next couple of days we headed up the coast to various beaches, some nicer than others. There are some really lovely parts but some bits had more than an inkling of the Costa’s about them. Coloundra was nice, it is a very good beach for kitesurfing, we stayed and watched and I took the Bear down to the rock pools for a little explore. We were about to go into the water when the Bear nearly stepped on this

jellyfish, I pulled him back just in time. I am not sure if it was alive or dead but wasn’t sticking round to find out.

We also took a day trip to Australia Zoo and it is awesome. it is huge and has excellent facilities and enclosures for all the animals there of which there are many. Australia zoo is also the home of ‘the crocodile hunter Steve Irwin’ of the Discovery Channel fame.

Steve unfortunately passed away in 2006 but his memory lives on at the zoo that he once worked at and his wife Terri still does. The zoo is pretty much a shrine to his memory and I mean that in the nicest possible way. The zoo is really built all around him and his legacy. There is a lot of emphasis on the crocs and we watched them being fed which was an amazing thing to see.

It really seems to be a family affair at the zoo, Steve’s wife Terri still works there and their daughter Bindi who must have been only 8 years old when he died is now 14 years old and has created her own little empire as Australia Zoos ‘wildlife warrior’ with a whole merchandising thing going on, there’s Bindi DVDs t-shirts, bottle holders dolls, books, stationary. She also has her own show at the zoo.Apparently she is massive here and over in the U.S too.

I actually liked the fact the Steve Irwin thing was everywhere you went both inside and ourside the zoo, (they have actually named a motorway after him too)

and when I was watching his daughter sing her song about him there was a collage of photos coming up of him and I was actually quite moved. He was a pretty great guy really and a properly cool dad to have.

It was great to be away and we really did land back in Melbourne with a bump. We starting planning next years Christmas holiday on the flight back.

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