The day started as all the others so far in January with Andy up early to do his 10k run around Noosa Heads and out to Dolphin Point Lookout.

After showering, breakfasting and then packing we left Chez Noosa Motel and made our way in land to the infamous Eumundi Market, a proper institution in these parts.

The place opened at 7am, however we arrived at a more palatable 9am and grabbed a coffee before starting our tour of the hundreds of arty stalls and food stations.

We’d been warned that being summer holidays the market might be busy, but due to some early rain and cooler temperatures the place wasn’t too crowded and we managed to navigate around the numerous stalls selling everything and anything associated with Art Australia!

When we first arrived, Michelle’s sunglasses, bought in China, gave up the ghost with a handle breaking off, so we went in search of a replacement pair.

A stand out stall, selling didgeridoos, a wind instrument played with by vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone. It’s most famously developed by Aboriginal peoples dating back over 1,000yrs.

Another favourite at the market is the Lemonade which we’ve tasted before and is a treat in the heat.

After walking around for an hour or two, we stopped to admire one of the local artists singing cover songs to the masses. Max James was a great singer and had an amazing voice – we think he’s destined for big things….

On from the main market we found our way to Matso’s Sunshine Coast Brewery. The place was packed selling wood fired pizzas, beer tasting paddles, cocktails, along with a huge grassed area for big and small kids to roam and lounge.

Following our visit to the morning’s market, we returned to Noosa and made our way to the Yacht Club. From there we decided to walk along the Noosa River up to Noosa Spit, an hours jaunt providing some of the best views of the cream of Noosa real estate.

Amongst the many interesting things we saw, the Big Pelican stands out as one of the more unusual and eye catching. Affectionately called ‘Pelican Pete’ by locals, the pelican sculpture was created in 1977 to be part of the Council float in the Festival of the Waters street parade.

Our next stop was a return to the Boathouse, a truly unique experience, floating on the Noosa River across three levels. Here you can begin your day with artisanal coffee at Little Boaty, indulge in the local’s favourite takeaway fish & chips before savouring a la carte offerings. We went for plain old take-out coffee!

Along Noosa River there was an array of palm trees and numerous expresso bars and restaurants – it’s a place like no other.

Looking out over the bay we were mesmerised by the boats bobbing up and down the river, along with kids jumping in and out of the sea from the numerous bridges criss crossing the waterways.

After walking for almost 90mins we arrived at the Spit only for the rain to arrive. Fortunately tiredness out trumped the rain and Andy was soon snoozing as the sun returned.

We returned to the Sofitel Hotel and the boarding point on the river for the Noosa cruise. We last went on the ferry boat about 8yrs ago and intend to revisit tomorrow for the sunset cruise.

Late afternoon we booked into our latest apartment in Noosaville, a wonderful place with pond views and lots of space to relax. Added to this we have a washing machine and a dryer so we quickly took advantage.

After dinner, we went for an early evening river walk. The night’s sky was filled with thousands of bats out for their evening feed. It was an incredible sight as we watched them circle and dive in perfect unison.

Michelle stopped for a photo on the waterfront and it was only afterwards that we noticed just how many bats were flying over us. It felt like an invasion, such was the scale and number.

Within minutes the sun was setting and an orange glow took over us and created a mesmerising sight.

We found our way to Noosa Marina and stopped for some chips and a drink and watched the river cruise boats come and go. A relaxing way to spend a Saturday night in this special place on the Sunshine Coast.

Tomorrow we plan to visit one of the nearby Farmers Markets before moving on to the Main Beach at Groyne for our last day, before we drive on up to Hervey Bay.