Noosa- North Shore Retreat

I have found the best retreat so far! Situated a 15minute ferry ride across the River Noosa we were met by Bob our driver who filled us in on the local information and culture on the way and took us to the humble paradise which was well deserved after our adventure days on Fraser Island.

Noosa itself appears to be a wealthy region surrounded with a beautiful marina and esplanade showing off their expensive homes located on the river banks overlooking the mountains and even with a rain storm it feels like home and a good community mix is felt. Its beauty shines and the sunshine coast is somewhere i feel settled in away from your usual tourstic hype and backpackers its a relief to mix with local people and not be in the mix of a group of backpackers. We arrived at North Shore Retreat out in the peaceful countryside in an appartment with grounds of horse stables, tennis courts and swimming pool . The friendly nature of Bob is some what unique and we really feel at home which is rare and for the first time somewhere that i could live and work for a little while...... Our appartment is the best yet for $40 we have our own room and bathroom , towels , kitchen , tv and to top it off Kangaroos skipping outside our door i wish life was always like this but something makes me feel we wont find this again!!! Oh well!

Whilst here our main aim of our stay was to Visit home of the Crocodile Hunter 'Steve Irwin' so we boarded our free bus to Beerwah along the Glass Mountains Route just north of Brisbane and once agin we were united with our swedish friends marie and Nicholas! We watched a DVD on the way which gave us history of how the zoo came about and even brought a tear to my eye. Steve was an amazing conservationist who was so passionate and enthusiastic about all species but most for his love of Crocodiles. You dont capture this until you visit this place and i'd thouroughly recommend it to anyone , when you think of him you think what a crazy man but his love was genuine. He is an inspiration to many and his love shines through many all over the globe. He has achieved so much for the wildlife and their habitats. The zoo itself was first opened in 1970 by Bob and Lyn Irwin who rehabilitated sick and injured wildlife in south east Queensland and it was took over in 1992 by Steve and his wife Terri. Its now home to many Koalas, roos, crocs, tasmanian devils, bengal tigers, venomous snakes , turtles and many more. It is a conservation full of education and certainly intrigued me i cuddled a koala , fed kangaroos , touched a baby crocodile and is the best open zoo we have visited ever!!! The staff really emphasaise the importance of reserving wildlife and steves love for animals was apparent through the attitudes and health and safety to them was maintained priority. As you can probably guess i was pretty touched by this place and the bengal tiger show made our day special.

Well enough wildlife education for now we will catch you done in Brisbane !

Love to you all

Flashpackers! xx