Noosa to Bundaberg (via Sydney!)

Noosa – Byron Bay for Grown Ups

Chic boutiques set against a breathtaking beach backdrop, Noosa has the chilled vibes of Byron, but with more elegant, less hippy, overtones. 

Having (stupidly) arrived in the middle of the school holidays, Noosa was heaving, so we got up at sparrow's fart to beat the crowds and hoofed it around the Noosa Headland on a power hike to Hells Gate.  From the cliff top we spotted turtles frolicking in the waves, and as the day warmed, we took their lead and went for a glorious dip.  The water temperature was just divine.

Coastal walk to Hells Gate

Beautiful Moreton Fig Trees all around Noosa

A Dash Back Home in the Mother of All Storms

Being the devoted fan that I am, I left Steve in Poshville for a whirlwind trip home to catch my favourite Ska band, Monkey Spanner, and of course hang out with my best girls.   Unfortunately, I chose the worst possible day to fly out of Sydney, as the city was hit by near-hurricane conditions.  Midway through the flight, we were rerouted to Brisbane, and come midnight, the ground crew announced they simply didn’t have the resources to find accommodation due to the sheer volume of people affected.  They left us with two options:  kip on the floor in the airport; or find your own hotel 😒.  My only thought was how I would have the energy to stomp the night away the next day without some shut eye, so I sprinted (exaggeration) to the taxi rank like my life depended on it and managed to get myself a room in a very expensive hotel – praying that Jetstar would reimburse me (which they did 😌).

Spending the weekend with the girls was fantastic.  We squeezed in walks and talks and a lovely dinner.  Monkey Spanner was as epic as ever, and it was brilliant to see so many mates turn up (especially as I suspect some of them aren't really into Ska music).  Big thanks to Charlotte, Jayden, Kim, Corinne, Chris, Ali, Dave, Dita, Jon, Matt and Jacqui 😘xxx

Video credit to Corinne (I was right at the front)

Meanwhile, back at base, Steve, of course, made friends with the everyone in the caravan park, and entertained himself with a self-directed walking tour of the breweries and pubs in Noosa.  He also ventured into the Hinterland and discovered a quaint little town called Montville, and its famous cuckoo clock shop.

The Cuckoo Clock Shop

Holy S*** - Maryborough’s Cistern Chapel

En route to our next destination we swung by the historic city of Maryborough for some supplies.  Wishing to spend a penny, we were truly "blessed" to stumble across the city's divine dunnies!  This community certainly demonstrated their generosity and humour by funding these public conveniences, which boasted a golden throne in the ladies, celestial murals at the urinals and chamber music throughout 😇💩

Selfie before sitting on the throne

A loo with a view!

Mystery Craters

Cruising through the sugar cane fields of Bundaberg, renowned for its rum, we sang our lungs out to The Nips are Getting Bigger, by one of my favourite Ozzie bands, Mental as Anything.  We resisted the temptation to stop for a tasting experience.  Instead, we called into an intriguing site where, back in 1971 (what a great year that was 😉) a farmer stumbled across some bizarre rock formations on his property.  These 35, non-volcanic craters, believed to be over 25 million years old, continue to baffle geologists from all over the world.  There's a plethora of bizarre scientific and spiritual hypotheses about their origins—dinosaur footprints, an Aboriginal Dreamtime serpent, a meteorite impact...…)  I guess, they can be whatever you want then to be.

Van Life: Creature Comforts

Deciding to leave Heidi the Hound at home was a tough call, however, the flip side was that it freed up precious real estate on the back seat for our Thermomix and Air fryer.  It turned out to be a wise move, we have eaten like (healthy) kings and queens (just the one pie indulgence so far).  Also, another gadget Godsend has been the Aldi middle aisle mozzie zapper find.  Totally worth every cent of its $12!