Day 223
Tuesday
8 August 2017 –
Eumundi – Mt Tinbeerwah – Noosa – Castaways Beach – Kunda Park
– Marcoola – Coolum Beach
So the sounds of the highway weren’t as soothing as I had
hoped and I had trucks rattling through my head for the majority of the night,
lucky for me I sleep through most things and once my brain has sussed the noise
out and decided it doesn’t need to keep it on alert I sleep, Paul on the other
hand was scrambling for the ear plugs which successfully managed to dampen the
noise for him.
After spending to early morning snuggled into the doona, the
days are beautiful but the early mornings and evening are cold, we emerged
ready to take on the day. We had put together a rough plan yesterday and just
after 9.30am we got on with it.
Our first stop was Mt Tinbeerwah National Park where there
was a lookout. We parked at the bottom and then made the track up the side of
the mountain. Having not done much walking up hill of late, I was feeling a bit
tight as we made it to the top. There were a couple of spots to stop along the
way where large, metal eyelets had been drilled into the rock, signs that
abseiling was popular.
At the lookout we had great 360° views of the hinterland and
the coast, Noosa and the Noosa River stood out below, along with a number of
coastal lakes.
After soaking up the warming sun and the views we drove on
to Noosa National Park. We found it difficult to find a parking spot, having to
duck up into the hillside suburban streets before locating something suitable.
We left the car and made our way to the boardwalk that
provides good views over the water that was crystal clear. There were plenty of
fitness freaks using the track for their training, so many buff men in no shirt
showing off their muscles and their ridiculous number of tattoos, which just
looks disgusting, usually trailed by some bronzed bimbo wearing barely there
workout gear.
We found a sign indicating various lookout points and opted
to head to Hells Gates, 2.7km along the track. Along the way we admired the
view at Boiling Pot and Dolphin Point. I loved seeing the colour of the water
go from the mint green in shore to the aquamarine and blues.
There were a few bays, including Granite Bay that looked
like lovely place to hang out and a number of surfing beaches, though there
wasn’t much surf to speak of today.
We eventually made it to our final spot, checking out the
large, volcanic rock structures and cliffs as well as Alexandria Bay. By now it
was a fair bit warmer and we were both beginning to think about lunch. We made
the return trek, passing the Peterborough couple and their doctor son who were
on out whale watch tour. We enjoyed a chat with them before continuing on our
way.
Once back at the entrance Paul went off to the loo and came
back reporting that there were a couple of bungarra lizards hanging about the picnic
tables. We then returned to the car and followed the road out to the Eastern
Beaches, stopping at Castaways Beach for lunch.
After enjoying our salad rolls we were off to Kunda Park to
check out Sunshine Coast Brewery. We thought that we weren’t going to be in
luck as the brewery was closed, but Simon the brewer was on site and was happy
to let us in the door and to share the beers with Paul, who of course was happy
to oblige.
Paul went through the full range of ten and of course by the
time he was done the keys were handed to me. I drove us out towards the coast
passing by the Sunshine Coast Airport where a Jetstar flight was coming into
land, passing no more than 50m above our head. A small hotel sits at the end of
the airport and I wondered how many unsuspecting guests book in to only find
out they are in serious risk of having a plane land in their bedroom. The noise
must be deafening.
We stopped briefly at Marcoola Beach and took some photos of
the high-rise settlement further south, we presumed it was Maroochydore and
then continued up the coastal strip eventually ending at Coolum Beach. We
parked near a coastal lookout to check out the beach strip. It was nice to see
long, white, sandy beaches that were being well used by the locals and tourists
alike.
We picked up our daily sunlight quota while checking out the
view we even saw a turtle swimming about. The water was so clear you could
easily spot him even when he dived below.
We walked the coastal strip to the main beach and shopping
precinct before returning to the car and making our way back home. The
cloudless sunny day now meant the coolness of the evening could filter in and I
was searching for the warm stuff.
After putting on the photos and Paul writing he review, we
took off for the Imperial Hotel in town for dinner. I opted for an indoor table
as it was too cool even with heaters. We ordered up and then waited patiently
for our meals. They were worth the wait and went down well, so did dessert.
We were left with a riddle given to us by the on duty
manager – Can you think of a completely grammatical English sentence in which
five ands are placed in a row? I’ll leave it with you and give you the answer
tomorrow.
Once back at the van, I loaded up all the photos to date on
the blog, if you have been waiting for the whales ones from Saturday they are
now there.
Once done it was off to bed to keep warm and continue
reading my book, which I am really enjoying thought he subject matter makes me
cringe every now and then.
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