Noosa -

A Winter Escape

When looking for a place to get away from the Canberra Winter, city life , work or just detox from the city rat-race, you often think that the most remote location is the most attractive. In my case this is no longer possible whenever I want.

With a little Champ of my own and a wife who does not want to camp out for 2 weeks at a time, I had to find somewhere that offered my taste for nature and adventure coupled with culture and relaxing options as well.

Thinking it was impossible, I did some research and found the perfect place - Noosa on Australia's Sunshine Coast. It boasts beaches, nature, luxury and cosmopolitanism all in the one place

David B - Editor, Champ Magazine

Places to Stay

We excitedly (and hurriedly) got onto Wotif.com and we booked the best hotel we could find - the 5-star Sheraton Hotel Resort and Spa. Maroochydore airport is quite a long way from the hotel and you will need to get into Noosa by a shuttle or car. We paid for a car so our little Champ could ride in style and safety in a baby seat.

We were very excited to arrive at the hotel and found it to be, well, a very mainstream hotel that was probably amazing in the 1990s but just passing 5-stars by today's standards. The hallways were decked out in an "under-the-sea" theme in a loud turquoise blue. We wondered whether the room would be so bright? The room we paid for was upgraded courtesy of our very good hosts (staff at the hotel were great) and we were relieved to find it was a nice, clean, standard hotel room suite with a great view.

As you can see from the view on the right, we had a great view of the Noosa River and we enjoyed that most of all.

In hindsight, we would have stayed in one of the abundantly available modern, stylish luxury apartments, for around the same price, nearby lovely locations like Little Cove. Places like the Cove Noosa, seemed to be more the thing we were after. There was such a wide range of places to stay, it was amazing. You have so many options, you should spend more time than we did finding the place to stay that is right for you.

20-20 hindsight is a wonderful thing; I hope readers now know a little more about what is available.

I will show you more of the nature around Noosa Heads and into the Noosa National Park later in this article - I'm sure you will like it as much as we did.

River FIshing

What would a trip to the ocean be if it were without fishing. Not to mention a location where a freshwater river and mangrove wetlands meets the ocean? Fishing was a must, not just a thought.

I picked up a few flyers in the Sheraton to see what was on offer and I was thoroughly excited to find numerous options. I went with the most flash looking boat and biggest trophy shots and organised a deep sea fishing safari for the next morning. Overly excited and ready to fish at 5:00am I waited and waited and waited...After finally getting in touch with me after the event that particular charter company was one I would never waste time on again. While I will not list the charter with whom I has a bad experience, I will list the guys who took me out the day after and showed me a great fishing trip.

Noosa Deep Sea and River Fishing Safaris were professional, knew the waters and gave me a great, fun experience fishing the Noosa River and seeing the wetlands of the Sunshine Coast.

As we headed inland we met with this stately pelican. He led us inland but would he find us the fish?

The morning was cold and crisp and with the evaporation and wet air, I was glad that I took my wife's advice and brought a rain poncho. I was picked up from a peer near to the hotel by a boat-load of other tourists and what looked like King Poseidon himself! Karl, the fishing guru who took us out, was obviously as hard as nails and a true Aussie bloke. In a flanelette shirt, stubbies, bare feet, a big beard and a ready smile, I knew I was going to get on with this guy. I was worried about a rain poncho and he didn't care for shoes...A great character, light-hearted and very helpful.

We headed down river, looking for fish and we made conversation. A Tasmanian guy on the boat relayed his fishing story from the day before where he caught a Shovel Nose. He whipped out a plastic bag with the little beast in it and we both agreed something far more edible and attractive was what we wanted on the menu tonight. The Noosa River delivered.

Karl had eyes like a hawk - "I've spoted some weed beds off the bow" he said. Those weed beds would yield some great fishing for the whole boat.

Back to Noosa

The day out fishing was great. I had some points to make up with the family so I took my wife and son out to the famous Hastings Street. It is like Noosa's answer to Rodeo Drive.

Hastings Street has all of the prestige brands like Hugo Boss and Rodd & Gunn and the surf labels like Billabong and Quicksilver. It was a blend of style, beach culture and cosmopolitanism.

While it was busy enough , Hastings Street is usually alive with people and atmosphere. In Winter it wasn't overly busy but I can imagine in Summer it must be pumping.

What I wasn't expecting to find were the abundance of art galleries that exhibit local art including some amazing glasswork, sculptures and paintings. Even if you aren't into art, the galleries are small and worth looking at.

The galleries are but one reminder that Noosa has been a retreat for the artistic and "green" thinking people for some time. One such person was Nancy Cato who has a restaurant and local park in Noosa named after her.

Dr Cato was a writer, environmentalist, indigenous advocate and free thinker and speaker of the people. She left her mark in a very positive way, with her legacy carrying on in the conservation and "green" council agenda that keeps Noosa green and protected from too much progress, while being commercially viable. Love her work. After reading about Nancy Cato and her work in the Information booth on Hastings Street, we decided to walk through one of the National Parks she had a role in designating and protecting - Noosa National Park.

The Trek from Noosa Heads to Sunshine Beach

The walk we would take was a 20km return trip from Noosa Heads to Sunshine Beach. I set off with my wife and my Little Champ on this walk. With food, water and my precious cargo, I had a 20kg load which made it a humid walk with some hill climbing to get the heart, lungs and legs pumping. For exercise alone I enjoyed this walk. But there was far more to it than that, as you will see.

The path from Noosa Heads to the National Park would take us through through forest on a series of wooden walkways. You pass through the lovely Little Cove - an location of sorts built into the side of forest-clad hill, overlooking the magnificent Pacific Ocean. After a hill-climb on the track, we came down a hill into the National Park. It was well sign-posted and had a good carpark and amenities. A short walk from the entrance, my wife spied a koala in the wild - a first for us. I had seen koalas in enclosures before and in wildlife sanctuaries or enclosures but not up in the trees.

This Koala in the Noosa National Park was a tubby little fellow who was sleepy and stirred and scratched ocassionally. A rare find in the wild.

We enjoyed walking through the Noosa National Park, making our way along the path to see stunning seascapes from well set up lookouts.

through Suddenly, the hunter in me perked up (tongue in cheek) and I knew game was near. Alerting me to the presence of game, my son chortled away and we got near to a Scrub Turkey. .Seriously, though, the Scrub Turkey is quite common in the land in and around Noosa. It was a gift we could see many of them in their natural setting.

Hey Turkey! Lucky you are in the National Park! You could have made a good roast...

We pressed on toward our destination - Sunshine Beach. The walk ambled through the National Park land which was great. Reaching Sunshine Beach was a good feeling - the half-way mark. Sunshine Beach itself is another Touristy beach and wasn't as photogenic as I had earlier hoped. In Summer I am sure it is spectacular and full of life. But, as they say, it was the journey rather than the destination that made the walk from Noosa Heads to Sunshine Beach; a "must-do" for those who go to Noosa.More interesting was this photo of my son who had enjoyed too much fresh air and excitement. It was a good herald to turn back and head to the hotel and end our trek.

My son had enjoyed too much fresh air and excitement on the trek to Sunshine Beach. On arrival at the headland to Sunshine Beach, we noticed he had nodded off. It was a good herald to turn back and head to the hotel and end our trek.

We headed back, passing many tourists and others enjoying the environment in all its splendour. Glancing off into the distance, I spied what appeared to be a whale breaching the surface?! Sorry, too slow on the camera. I can never be sure that it was but there will forever be a tale about the one that got away, well away from the camera that is.

Inspired to go for a mid-Winter swim on the way back from Sunshine Beach, the next day I went to Noosa Beach to get in and see what all those wet-suited nancy boys were on about. The water was a chilly 19 degrees that day and I felt it with nothing but some swimming trunks and a grimace. I warmed up body surfing for the next 3 hours. While not the most amazing surf beach, the rocks near the heads were great and offered some good waves. I snapped this shot of the surf school - amazing how many tourists were up for learning to surf in the middle of Winter. I saw some amazing near-drownings of a few Japanese girls I had seen talking with the surf instructor on the beach and some Noosa Heads shaftings near the perilous rocks. No-one needed saving but by the same token, no-one had any great success that I could see.

While warming up and drying off out of the water, I watched the valiant attempts by the score of newbie surfers in the water to catch but one wave. For an hour I watched and in that time I observed many valiant attempts. Some of the locals were having a great time and killing it. My only advice is that if you come to Noosa to learn to Surf, do it in the Summertime and spend more than a day trying. It is a hard discipline but well worth it when you stand up and catch a wave. While no expert, in my mispent youth, I learned to surf on a big Malibu style board and it was one of the best Summers I ever had.

Homeward Bound

After a great escape from Winter, our holiday to Noosa had come to a close. It was beautiful, green, progressive and cosmopolitan - what more could you ask from for a place? Perhaps flowers all year round? Well, it has that too - I will leave you with this shot of paradise, not lost but waiting for all of us to return.

David B - Editor, Champ Magazine

Our view of the beautiful Noosa River from our hotel room. With the sun setting, we enjoyed a drink out on the terrace and took in the fresh, cool air.

The Sheraton Hotel - a comfortable, mainstream hotel feel with suitable ammenities. What made it worthy of its 5-star rating was the service of its people.

No, this is not a 3D rendered image - it is the picture perfect pool and recreation area at the Sheraton. With a heated pool, spa, in-pool bar, gym and sauna, this was a hotel you could enjoy in Winter too.

On the Noosa River. It had that great tropical Queensland Mangrove Wetlands feel, flora and fauna. It felt remote and a very exciting, natural setting for fishing. I loved it.

One of the 3 Flatheads I caught - foot long and they make for good eating. Note the Reactor Trident Watch on my wrist. It suffered some pretty bad knocks on the side of the boat and on the rod holder. It is no wonder it is the official watch of the Professional Tarpon Tournament Series fishing in the USA. No scratches, no broken face. All titanium and all tough.

The Billabong Surf Shop in Noosa is a bit of an institution. With a facade of tribal woodcarvings, it looks more like the shrine to the Hawaiian surf god than a shop. The big sale sign and brand remind you that this place is in business; huge range of surfing gear and Aussie beach culture clothing. Worth visiting.

Cato's Bar and Restaurant. Named after Noosa's best-known matriarch, Dr Nancy Cato, this place was great for a comfortable breakfast buffet, a light lunch and some of the best local produce and seafood I have had. Nancy would be proud.

Downtown Hastings Street is resplendant with native greenery and modern stylings. This sums up Noosa so well. Modern, progressively minded but focused on keeping nature as part of the ethos and in the hearts of the local culture.

With my new trekking budy, we made our way through the lovely tropical forests at Noosa Heads. Here we are between the Heads and Little Cove. This area offers beautiful forests and stunning views of the Pacific. The Kathmandu baby pack was fantastic - with the proper strapping and harnessing of a professional hiking pack, I can highly recommend it to any hiking parent. It enables you to get out into nature and experience things together.

This anonymous little sea bird eyed us with curiosity. The abundance of native birds was lovely but marred by what appeared to be an Indian Myna bird plague. The Mynas harassed and bothered the native species. I wonder how long this little guy and his kind will be around?

The truly placid Pacific Ocean as viewed from one of the lookouts between Noosa Heads and Sunshine Beach. The water was so clear you could see fish swimming in the water and what I think was a shark. Noosa's bay has shark nets out to the Noosa Heads. This is well beyond the Noosa Heads and does not offer the same protection in the water.

After our walk, and as the weather cleared, I was inspired to get to the beach the next day.

Me at the bottom-right of the shot -

"Mid-Winter swim anyone? No takers? I didn't think so...It will be me, myself and I then. "

There are some great places to stay along the Boardwalk at Noosa Beach. Realtors like Laguna Real Estate offer all manner of options to suit you. Again, we could have better aligned our accomodation to our needs had we looked a little harder. The sort of place, depicted above, is just what we were after. Ah, next time - we loved Noosa and certainly will return.