March 15, 2024


Day 24: On to the Sunshine Coast

 


In my mind, Qantas Airline has always seemed to hold a certain mystique. From the iconic kangaroo that graces its tail piece, to the moraable scene in Rain Man with Dustin Hoffman ("Qantas never crashed"). Well today I got to take my first Qantas flight, Melbourne to Moorochydore, or the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. This is the last leg of our vacation, and we will spend five days in Noosa. Noosa lies 150 km north of Brisbane. And true to form, my Qantas flight was fine, left on time and arrived at the Sunshine Coast airportt around 11 AM. As we stepped off the plane, and walked down the steps, the heat and humidity hit you immediately. And as an added bonus, my bag was first onto the carousel!




Noosa is a resort, beach area, known for its surf, sand, and sub tropical; climate. We are fortunate to stay in a lovely place just above the beach area, courtesy of family. After going to Coles (an Australian Loblaws) to gather food and drinks, we arrived at our stay and ate lunch. While some went to the beach, I decided to stretch my legs and explore part of the town. 


My walk took me through a slightly wooded area that paralleled the beach. You walk thru coastal pines, palms and what I now know are pandarus trees. It's incredible to see trees that are so foreign to my Canadian eyes. I also ran into the Australian turkey, known as the Brush Turkey. The white face herons can also be found near the waters edge.

Pandarus tree or Tahitian Screw Pine


Various Palms





Brush Turkey








White Faced Heron


After enjoying the cool shade of the forest, I came out to the beach. The surf and sand is brilliant in the sunshine. I just enjoyed the sound of the surf crashing against the shore and the sun on my face. Not a bad way to spend my first day in Noosa. 







Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, I hope to venture to Noosa National Park , and hopefully visit Tea Tree bay, and get a glimpse of the koalas.

















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