Noosa Qld 4-11 September 2019

Noosa Qld 4-11 September 2019

We're not really camped in Noosa, we are really in Tewantin about 10km up along the river, but as everyone does here, I'll call it Noosa because it's 'cooler'.

For example, Noosa Marina isn't in Noosa, its right here in Tewantin, and a fine place it is too. We discovered that the Harbour Wine Bar situated right on the deck of the marina, has happy hour from 4:30 to 5:30 and they serve glasses of chilled Prosecco for $5 a pop. Add a cheese and antipasto plate, sit back and watch the ferry come and go. Nice.

Another example is the Noosa Show. Now, this is actually at Pomona and has been since 1908. Pomona is a tiny village 30 km to the west of Noosa, up in the hills. And a nice place it is too. We wandered up to have a look around and spend a pleasant hour watching the show jumping and eating snag sandwiches. Mind you the 'Classic Car Show' was about half a dozen tired old Holdens, and the current model Mustang of the fellow that works at the BP in front of our van park.

Noosa Show. Pomona Qld

Classic Cars. Noosa Show. Pomona Qld

And of course you couldn't come to this part of the world and not go to Berkelouw's Bookshop in Eumundi.

Eumundi Qld

Ah, yes, well, 'someone' also comes here to fight their way around the markets....

Eumundi Markets, Eumundi Qld

In years past I have participated in the Noosa Parkrun, which of course is at Tewantin, but this year I forwent the pleasure and went down to the Nambour Parkrun instead. Apart from collecting another Parkrun Tourist event, I thought that maybe it might be a bit easier than the Noosa one, which has a few steep sections.

The Nambour event is of course at Bli Bli, about 10km from Nambour, and about 30km down the Bruce toward Brisbane from Tewantin. It's in a National Park on the delightfully named Radar Hill Road, which reflects its WWII radar site heritage.

The first thing is that from the carpark it's an 800m walk, scramble, climb to the start, from which the track goes directly uphill for the first 100m or so. The whole course is run on fire trails and seems to go continuously uphill, except for the bits where it drops straight down! I made it around under 50 minutes but I was all-in. It makes the Noosa Parkrun look like a walk in the park.

Nambour Parkrun. Radar Hill, Bli Bli Qld

. Looking back down one of the many hills. Look closely and you'll see a small figure further down, just to give you some idea of steep and far it was. Nambour Parkrun. Radar Hill, Bli Bli Qld

One of my favourite places for morning walks is the Wooroi Day Use area in Tewantin National Park, which is 300m up the street from our front door. In the last few years its been taken over by mountain-bike riders for whom it is a fabulous playground, and so I have to get there early about 7am and even then keep my wits about me as I bolt around one of the many tracks.

Wooroi Day Use area trail. Tewantin National Park, Tewantin Qld

Random flower with a shaft of light on it.
Tewantin National Park, Tewantin Qld

Mind you, I stopped going there the day that Peregian Beach went up in flames. It was a bit spooky, but we had been at Peregian Beach only hours before the fire got started and so felt a connection with them.

Peregian Beach. Qld

View from Mt Tinbeerwah overlooking Noosa and surrounds.
That's the headland of Noosa on the left. Peregian Beach is on the far right. Tewantin is  on the bottom on the left.

We thought we had heard that The Big Pineapple at Nambour had been done up and reopened, so it was worth a look. Only problem was that it was closed and being gutted, still they did have a nice Big Pineapple, which may have been cleaned up since we were there last.

The Big Pineapple. Nambour Qld

We also went to Yandina, where The Ginger Factory is, but we went into Nutworks on the other side of the street, just for fun. It's basically a shop selling macadamia nut-related things and other tourist-trap items, such as Emu Butter skin cream, and The Nurse branded coffee beans, etc. They advertise out the front that they have FREE tasting and FREE tours. The tastings are macadamia nuts, from raw, through various cooking steps to chilli-chocolate coated nut crumble or some such. But, they were free. The factory tour was a walk past three windows which open onto The Roasting room, The Chocolate Room and the Factory Room. There was a lady in the Chocolate Room poking about with a big revolving drum, and one has to assume she was coating macadamias with chocolate as there was a tray of them on the other side of the room.

Chocolate Room. Outworks, Yandina Qld

Drove into the quaint little town of Yandina itself and had a coffee before poking about taking some snaps.

Yandina Qld

Original lifting crane at Yandina Station.

Yandina station, opened in 1891.

And just for fun, after last drinks at the marina, we drove down into Noosa itself and did the obligatory Hastings Street walk, but at night, just to be different.

Hastings Street. Noosa Qld

For a last snap, I'll put up a picture of the Noosa Longboards neon sign. Now here's the twist, when we came here in 1999, Noosa Longboards was located in Noosaville, so at least they have now got it right! It's also where a certain young lady, who was 15 at the time, bought herself a nice pair of thongs with a lovely plastic flower. Very trendy.

Noosa Longboards Co. Noosa Qld