@travellingwiththeateam

Another day in the sunshine and another 10km run completed resulting in a cool drink & coffee buzz at Andy’s namesake expresso cart.

It proved to be a day of exercise, with our 9am walk down the Esplanade passing Golden Beach and down to Keith Hill Park/Pelican Waters.

Michelle has proved to be a walking convert and set the pace as we headed along the coastline down to Pelican Waters. We eventually struck lucky getting to see a pelican in the waters near the Esplanade.

The surroundings and the natural beauty and local wildlife made us feel so fortunate to have stayed in such a beautiful part of Southern Queensland.

It’s certainly been hot today, with temperatures exceeding 30c, coupled with humidity levels meaning the need to stop for liquid refreshment at Chill Cafe 69.

This was a return visit for us, having stopped for coffee back in early January when we started our journey up the Sunshine Coast.

We took a detour on our way back from our walk going via Monash Park. The park provides a beautiful outlook over the water, large open grass areas, natural shade and a boardwalk with interpretive signage that meanders through the mangroves.

As we walked our way along the Esplanade, in mid afternoon we stopped for a smoothie at Kings Beach Bar and caught up with more reading & relaxing.

With today being our final one in this part of The Sunshine Coast paradise, we dipped into Kings Beach Beachfront Salt Water Pool, a real haven for local residents with shade and great views.

Andy managed a couple of laps up and down the pool, before moving back to the main beach for one last session before we waved our goodbye to Kings Beach and ‘retired’ back to our apartment.

We’ve loved our last week or so on Sunshine Coast, and have been fortunate to experience wonderful sunny weather.

Tomorrow it’s goodbye to Queensland, as we drive south beyond Brisbane and down to Kingscliff, with a detour via Burleigh Heads & Tweed Heads.

We moved just 5 miles down the road today, to stay on the beach front at Caloundra, close to Golden and Bulcock Beaches.

Andy went out in the morning heat and completed his daily 10km run ritual.

With today having been a cloudless bright sunshine affair, we spent most of it relaxing on the various beaches and enjoying the views out to Bribie Island.

After a relaxing breakfast at the Pavilion expresso bar, we settled in for another reading session and made plans to go for a coastal walk down to Bells Creek, a 14km round trip which we plan to do tomorrow morning before it gets too hot.

Early afternoon we checked into the Oaks resort hotel and took advantage of their pool facilities and sun loungers…

After settling into our new room, we took a walk to Happy Valley Beach and the sand bank linking to Bribie Island.

Being a Monday the beaches were deserted, meaning we had the sand banks to ourselves.

Despite it being quiet on the sands, it was good to see lifeguards around given how quickly the tides and surf can change.

We settled into another beach session and amusingly both fell asleep on the sand banks.

We’ve had another similar day to that of the last two, chilling at the beach and making the most of the glorious sunshine.

Tomorrow will be our last on the Sunshine Coast before we drive south and return to NSW where we are planning to stop in Kingscliff before moving on to Byron Bay and beyond.

This was truly a day at the beach, in fact a full 12 hours. We arrived at 6.45am and found the beach already busy with the early risers.

Andy went off and did his 10km jog along the Esplanade running to Murray’s Beach and back before 7.45am.

Michelle took the opportunity to catch up on her latest book purchase and got comfortable on Kings Beach.

With the run done and Andy showered on the beach, we got ourselves comfortable on the grass in front of the Pavilion and ordered our morning coffees.

Once we had refuelled, we got settled on Kings Beach, dipping in out of the ocean enjoying a spot of body surfing.

Michelle’s appreciation of her new book meant that she ended up reading on the beach and with her feet in the ocean.

After a few hours in the morning sunshine, we took a stroll into central Caloundra to check out an apartment for the next couple of days.

After arriving at the new Oaks complex, we managed to secure a great deal and have booked 2 nights as we both enjoy the vibe of Caloundra – great cafes, restaurants and friendly people.

Being a hot and sunny day, we took the opportunity to break from the sun and grabbed lunch in the shade at a cafe on the ocean front.

We’ve spent so long at the beach today, that we found ourselves doing coffee again in the early afternoon and provided Michelle even more chance to catch up with her reading and generally relaxing.

It’s been such a lovely day, although in truth we haven’t done a great deal other than chill out and make the most of being at Kings Beach.

Keeping with a theme we found ourselves back at the local surf club for dinner. It’s such a great spot with wonderful views out over the seawater pool and down across King’s Beach. You can’t help smiling when you look out.

Before leaving for the evening we managed to grab a photo of the sun starting to set and the incoming red sky at night.

Tomorrow we are moving a mere 6 miles to stay right next to the beach for a couple of nights, before we drive down to NSW for the remainder of our East Coast tour.

Last morning in Mooloolaba and Andy was up enjoying his final 10k run on a busy Saturday at 6.30am – only in Australia!!

After four very enjoyable days, we are moving down the coast to stay in Kawana, close to Caloundra.

In the interim we decided to return to the Glass House Mountain region for breakfast, followed by a hike.

First up was a visit to The Lookout Cafe facing out to Mount Beerwah, where kangaroos were munching on the grass – such an idyllic spot. We spent an enjoyable half an hour indulging in a pineapple cake and coffee combo.

We then drove on to Glass House Mountains Lookout, where we had stunning views of a number of these magnificent intrusive magma plugs. These were formed following a string of volcanoes forming 30 million years ago which as they became inactive, the remaining magna was pushed up into the old vents. As the surrounding land eroded over the millions of years, the plugs were left.

Lieutenant James Cook sailed along the coastline and observed ‘the hills lay but a little way inland, and not far from each other, they are very remarkable on account of there singlar form of elivation which very much resemble glass houses which occasioned my giving them that name .’

We took a short track around the bush from the Glass House Mountains Lookout, and became fully immersed in the landscape and natural beauty.

Our main hike, started a short distance away, from Mount Ngungun a 5km round trip from top to bottom.

It was a steep climb and the humidity levels made it a hot and sweaty affair but offering some magnificent aerial views across the bush and the other Glass Mountains in the park.

We then moved on to Montville, for a spot of lunch and also an opportunity to watch paragliding from the summit of Maleny Montville Road, close to the Balmoral Ridge.

The paragliding was amazing to watch and got us thinking we might give it a go before we leave Australia……

Late afternoon we checked into our new apartment in the inland lake area of Birtinya.

As it was Saturday night, we decided to go out for a meal and visited Mets on Kings, a great Surf Club sitting in front of Kings Beach. It was a return visit for us, having previously visited the restaurant some 17years ago with our daughter Amelia, when she was just 3 years old with our friends Paul and Naomi in Brisbane.

The food on offer was fantastic and Michelle tucked into a lamb shank, mashed potatoes and vegetables. Andy went for the more exotic Mexican fish tacos.

Following dinner at the surf club, we went for a relaxing walk along the Esplanade Headland and followed it to Bulcock Beach where the place was packed with Saturday night picnickers and bar revellers.

It was so good to be back in Caloundra after so long, and we plan to return again first thing tomorrow, both for breakfast and a day on the beach swimming, sunbathing and catching up with our reading. Happy days.

Another day of sunshine on the Sunshine Coast, who would have predicted it?!

Andy was up with the Aussies and out running along the esplanade at 6.30am, working up a sweat before cooling off in the ocean at the end.

Having decided to make the most of our stay at the Oakes hotel complex, we hit the pool at 9am and relaxed for a couple of hours, before a walk along the beach and a coffee at our local, the Alex Surf Club.

We are starting to be like the retired locals, with our daily stops at coffee hangouts having a cheeky cake and watching the world go by. We truly are in chilled ‘holiday mode’ and making the most of our last month or so in the sunshine.

Post caffeine it was time to take up a position on the beach and we got a good spot on The Bluff Beach where the lifeguards were on patrol and the surfers were out in force.

We returned to the apartment early afternoon and bumped into one of the ‘local’ lizards sunbathing on the path.

Feeling the need to work up a sweat (post another hour or two by the pool) we walked a couple of miles along the beaches down to the Mooloolaba Surf Club.

When we arrived at the surf club, there was a big crowd watching some inter surf club kids competition – we spotted the Noosa and the Sunshine Coast tents – there must have been a couple hundred kids taking part running up and down the beach and out into the surf.

After all that excitement and the fact it’s Friday, and almost evening, we decided to have another tipple, Michelle on the Prosecco and Andy on the Pale Ale, helped down with a not insubstantial plate of hot chips. What a way to start the weekend!

It seems we weren’t the only ones celebrating the start of the weekend, as we came across loads of locals picnicking on the grass looking out over the surf and enjoying a local musician playing some funky tunes. It’s that kind of vibe here, and one we absolutely love and appreciate.

Tomorrow we are back on the road if only for 30mins (!), as we move down the coast to Kawana where we are staying for the weekend. From here we can explore Moffat and Kings Beaches, both beautiful spots where we expect to see continued sunshine. In between the plan is to take a trip to Glass House Mountain for better views than the rain affected ones on Wednesday.

A mostly sunshine day, resulted in our spending long hours lazying on the beach.

Fortunately Pipes Beach is only 250m from our apartment, so after Andy’s morning run and a spot of breakfast we found ourselves on the sands by 9am.

After a couple of hours, we returned to the hotel to make use of their pool and comfy sun beds.

It’s been 6 months since Andy’s last haircut in Vietnam, so this morning he decided to wave goodbye to his surf shaggy hair and go for a buzz cut. He found a local barbers and the deed was done and like Samson his strength was gone, spending the next couple of hours snoozing by the hotel pool!!

Early afternoon we decided to head to Mooloolaba esplanade for a power-walk followed by a reward of a drink at the surf club.

Along the way, we stopped a local who kindly took some photos of us and showed us exactly what the camera phone is capable of!

After our 3 mile walk along the esplanade, we stopped off at the Mooloolaba Surf Club and enjoyed a cool beer looking out over the beach.

The afternoon beer meant Andy was soon ‘relaxing’ again on the beach and then snoozing away on the sand….

The afternoon sunshine proved to be stunning, and we stayed out until 5.30pm before slowly walking back via Coles for our dinner and a relaxing evening back at our funky apartment.

It’s been a lazy day all round, and one that we’ve thoroughly enjoyed. With another days sunshine predicted tomorrow we may end up pressing repeat…!!

We woke to a cloudy and overcast morning but decided to brave the beach first thing.

Before this Andy had already been out for his customary 10km run and returned to the apartment complex for a recovery swim in the pool.

Pipes Beach opposite was unsurprisingly quiet, with only a few foolhardy swimmers in the ocean. We caught up with some reading, before negotiating with the apartment managers to stay for an extra couple of nights in the knowledge that the sunshine is due to return tomorrow.

With the rain coming in, we headed to the hinterland and revisited Montville before moving on to Flame Hill Vineyard and a spot of cellar door action.

It’s been a month or two since we last found ourselves trying NZ wine in Marlborough, this time it’s Queensland’s finest.

Andy picked out his 5 wines for tasting, with a combo of whites and reds – Cab Sav, Shiraz and Sav Blanc – all great tasting and fab value at just 12 dollars.

After our session we went for a wander around the vineyard estate and soaked up the views down the valley.

From there we made our way down the steepest road to Lake Baroon.

Onwards to the stunning town of Maleny, a charming hippy place awash with quaint craft stores and coffee shops.

We enjoyed a relaxing break on the high street at a local coffee shop and then wandered Maple Street browsing in the independent stores.

Back to the car we drove down to Mountain View Road to check out the vista out to the Glass House Mountain range.

Alongside the mountain range we came across the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve.

Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve protects an important patch of subtropical rainforest. Many of the trees you see today are hundreds of years old. 

Many of the animals and plants that live in subtropical rainforests are only found between southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales. They are endemic – meaning they do not live anywhere else.

The reserve came into being after one hundred acres transferred to the former Landsborough Shire Council in 1941 by sisters Elizabeth, Mabel and Mary Thynne. The sisters transferred the land to the Council through a Deed of Trust, with the aim of preserving the rainforest in perpetuity. It’s an amazing place and makes you appreciate how stunning the rainforest truly is and untouched for hundreds of years.

With the wet weather returning, we decided to drive down to the Glass House Mountains but the rain was so severe we decided to pass on a walk and took photos from the side of the car!!

On the way back to our beach apartment, we stopped at Australia Zoo to reminisce about our last visit some 16yrs ago. Our daughter Amelia was only 3yrs and fell off one of the viewing platforms, resulting in a huge lump on her forehead. Happy and blessed memories….

Once back at Alexandra Headland, we went for one more beach walk down to Maroochy Surf Club, before retiring for dinner and a relaxing evening.

Tomorrow hopefully will be all about the beach, and a return to sunshine and soaking up the rays!!!

We moved south again today, but only a relatively short distance of 25 miles (!), stopping in Coolum, and inland to Montville, before arriving in Mooloolaba for a couple of days stay.

Our first stop, a 15min drive from Noosaville, was Coolum Beach where we relaxed with a coffee before making our way to the sand and surf.

Despite an uncertain weather forecast, we found a belt of sunshine and made our way to the sand. After a couple of hours of snoozing and reading we moved on to Mount Coolum National Park for a spot of hiking.

The climb to Mount Coolum’s summit, was a 30min assault up a steep and rocky path.

As we climbed up the steep hill, we noticed the view coming more into focus – a glorious coastline and the greenery of the bush.

After a half hour hike, Andy made it to the top and grabbed a photo from the summit. Michelle wisely decided to save her stamina and paused around 200m from the top.

As we climbed down the hill we came across some local wildlife, with a wallaby munching in the undergrowth.

After an hour of a punishing climb we were back at the car park and ready to move on to an inland ‘jewel’ the historical town of Montville, the former timber capital.

It was 30mins before we arrived at the beautiful and picturesque old town of Montville. The place had an old world charm and was awash with Victoriana buildings and galleries.

Mid afternoon we drove a short distance to Kondalilla Falls and a further walk through stunning mountains from the rainforest to rock-pools.

As we meandered through the forest we stopped a couple of times at Obi Obi Gorge Lookout and the Kondalilla Lookout to take in the wonderful scenery.

Arriving at the rockpools, Andy wasted no time and was quickly dipping into the water for a swim.

He managed to swim up to the waterfall and enjoyed the cool dip that helped to ease his aching muscles after his runs and walks earlier today.

We took in one more vista and a photo down the valley before setting back on our return walk.

Arriving into Mooloolaba we moved into our latest serviced apartment, a huge set up with a large living room and balcony that looks out to the coast.

Tonight we treated ourselves to pizza and beer as we caught up with the latest episode of MAFS Australia!

Tomorrow it’s back to the beach before we go back inland to Maleny, and a walk to Mary Cairncross Scenic View to check out views over the Glass House Mountains.

We woke this morning to yet more torrential rain but thankfully it passed around 9am.

Wanting to make the most of the dry interludes, we made our way into central Noosa and stopped off at Providore on Hastings for brunch.

After taking on coffee and waiting for yet more rain to pass, we started our coastal walk to Noosa Head, a hike we enjoyed a couple of weeks back when last in the town.

Today was a perfect surfing day, so the ocean was filled with young (nippers) and older folks who don’t have to head to work on a Monday morning.

Our hike took us alongside the better breaks and we got to see the more experienced surfers up close.

No sooner had one surfer made it on to a wave, another one came along performing great skills to ride the next.

Despite it being a week day, the path was still busy with walkers, locals and surfers carrying their boards to the beaches at Tea Tree and Granite Bays.

Within an hour we’d hiked our way along 3 miles to the Heads to capture the views down to Alexandria Bay.

Getting back into central Noosa Heads we felt we’d earned a decent lunch and trotted off to the surf club.

Lunch was lasagne, chips and salad and proved to be a meal fit for champions!

After a hugely filling lunch we made our way along the main beach to Noosa Spit, but had to avoid a dip into the ocean due to challenging conditions.

As today is our last one in Noosa, we decided to have one more treat and made our way to the Sofitel Hotel for happy hour G&T’s.

Late afternoon we returned to the apartment and a final Netflix ‘session’ to watch Series II of the Night Agent!

Tomorrow we travel south, visiting Coolum Beach & Mount Coolum, Glass House Mountain Lookout and on to Mooloolaba for a couple of days until the weather improves and the sunshine returns…

This morning we were up early leaving Maryborough around 7.15am, so we could make a breakfast run in Noosa around 9ish.

Our drive south took us back along the Bruce Highway and we stopped in Tiaro at a prior coffee stop, the Retro Expresso.

The name of the coffee house wasn’t just a gimmick, they were in fact selling rare games and bags from the 1970’s which brought back happy memories of our youth. The Six Million Dollar Man and Concorde British Airways bag are milestones of our youth.

The good news this morning was the return of sunshine, something we’ve missed since the arrival of the cyclone over the last few days.

By 9am we‘d made it back to Noosa Heads and Andy then went off to do his 10km daily run – he made it all the way to Noosa Heads in the National Park before we chilled and relaxed on Noosa Main Beach.

The sun managed to break in and out through the clouds during late morning and we took turns dipping in and out of the ocean.

By 2.30pm we left the beach behind, had some lunch at Milkbar and a fab sourdough ham & cheese toastie!

On the way to the car, we spotted a local with his dog enjoying a novel way of getting around central Noosa.

Our latest apartment in Noosaville for the next 2 days is a great set up, lovely lounge and bedroom.

After dinner, we returned to Hastings Street and made our way to the surf club for drinks and to enjoy the night views over the beach.

As a final treat of the evening, we indulged in an ice cream – white chocolate and crème caramel.

This was our first for January and boy did it taste good. A proper way to finish a day at the beach.

Tomorrow we plan to stay in and around Noosa, and are keeping our fingers crossed that we avoid any unwanted wet weather left over from the cyclone which has also moved south. Some time on the beach and a walk in the National Park would be great.