Noosa

Another long weekend brings another camping trip. Noosa the destination this time. We didn't camp in the heart of Noosa but in a more remote area called the North Shore. To get there we had to cross the Noosa River via a 10 car ferry. While we were setting up camp the sound of the birds in the trees was deafening. We soon became accustomed to the squawks of the lorikeets, cawing of the galahs and laughing of the kookaburras, and enjoyed watching them swoop and fly above us. It wasn't long after our arrival that a kangaroo bounded through the camp area. What a thrill to see a kangaroo in the wild up close. The kangaroo in the picture is a young one, it came along while we were getting ready to have a swim in the pool. It stopped to have a look at us before hopping away into the forest - a perfect moment to take a picture.

After we finished setting up camp we decided to check out the beach - we walked and the kids rode their bikes. It was a great walk alongside the road with wetland on either side which eventually led to North Shore beach.

The next day we headed back into Noosa to spend a day at the beach and hiking in Noosa Headlands National Park. We decided to do a longer hike so that we could see more of the park and hopefully get away from some of the crowds. The hike was about 8km and took us through coastal rainforest, open woodlands, wallum heath (type of plant) and sedgelands, and atop cliffs overlooking the ocean and beaches of the area. It was a beautiful hike and the kids did very well considering it was a hot day and we had very little water to quench our thirsts - it is amazing how good a motivator a chocolate bar can be!

We have been very lucky in that the drought in Australia has been broken (I guess we brought the west coast rains with us). The rains (there has been a lot in the last month!) have brought the forests back to life - they are lush, green and teaming with all sorts of plant(and fungi) life. I love the textures in the forest, I think I could take pictures of the bark on trees and the patterns of the plants all day long. Photography has provided an interesting vessel for me to explore my surroundings.

Well if all the sights and sounds were not reward enough for us, at the very end of the hike we were fortunate to see a koala. Both Ruben and Gemma have been waiting for this moment ever since we arrived. We have seen plenty (Gemma and Ruben have also held one) in sanctuaries. But that is too easy. We wanted to have the satisfaction of spotting one in a eucalyptus tree in the wild. We were at the end of the hike heading towards one of our favorite beach spots when we saw a crowd on the path looking up with cameras poised. This could only mean one thing- a koala was up that tree!

Koalas live up to their reputation as heavy sleepers - this particular koala did not move from its precarious perch in the tree the entire time we were at the beach nor during the heavy rain shower. Their need for sleep is the result of a diet consisting solely of eucalyptus leaves. These are very low in calories and the koala uses a lot of energy to detoxify the chemicals found in the leaves. There is no doubt in any of our minds that the koala is one of the dearest animals we have ever seen.

Dave and I like to think of ourselves as seasoned campers but for some reason we cannot quite seem to get it all together for our camping trips here - there is always something of importance left behind. Shortly after we had unpacked and set up camp we realized we had left our pots at home - we would not be able to cook our dinners we had planned. But there is always a bright side, now we had to eat out! We had our Sunday dinner at the Noosa Heads surf club (these clubs dot the Queensland coast and are always situated on the beach allowing for amazing ocean views). As we had our dinner, we were treated to a beautiful sunset and three dolphins playing in the bay! Now that made forgetting the pots worthwhile.

We just had to fit in one more swim and surf at the beach before heading home, so we stopped in at Sunshine Beach. We are lucky that even in winter the air and water are still warm enough. After a fabulous day and weekend it was time to brave the traffic heading back into Brisbane. The full moon rising over the horizon made this trip home much more bearable.

Until next time,
love Heather, Dave, Gemma and Ruben