Noosa - 6th Feb to 10th Feb

After an eventful time on Fraser Island we departed Rainbow beach first thing the next day to make our way to Noosa. As we pulled into Noosa we noticed something different from what we had been used to in Australia so far, the place was smart and modern. As the bus drifted in over the river we realised the place was more glamorous than we had seen in other parts of Oz. The smart shops and stunning landscape made Noosa stand out from the common terrain. Once we had arrived we had already met back up with Chris and Charlotte and had booked our place to stay at Noosa Backpackers due to high demand, lucky for us the double room we booked was the only one with an en-suite and a fan that was in full working order. After dumping the bags we set off to do a little food shopping and a bit of window shopping just to frustrate us before heading back and spending the rest of the day catching up with Chris and Charlotte about their recent adventures and more laughter with Kelly and Clare from Fraser Island.

The next day we awoke early to get ourselves some surf and body boards which were offered free by the hostel. I met Chris downstairs while the girls laid in bed and our day was set, although the surf boards turned out to be a little out of our league. After breakfast we made our way down to the beach and were ready to take on the challenge of Australia's swell. However, with a surf competition taking place on the beach next to where we were attempting to surf the pressure was really on. After a couple of failed attempts Chris and I headed back to the girls, picked up the body boards and spent five hours getting dumped onto the beach, an awesome day. Rachel did not feel ready to attempt the waves, in all fairness they were pretty big and when you missed them, well, I'm sure you remember Dad the outcome in France when the wave breaks on top of you, it hurts. As the day wore on all still feeling tired from Fraser and a day in the waves we headed back to the hostel for a relaxing evening. After a session of table tennis we sat back and watched Madagascar 2 before heading to bed a little after 9…Party animals you must be thinking.

As we'd had a busy few days we spent the next one chilled out around the pool while getting a few bits and pieces done for the insurance, had another trip to the supermarket and a game of catch in the pool which was probably the highlight of a rare subdued day. On our final day in Noosa we said our goodbyes to Kelly and Claire, who were heading off to Brisbane, before renting out 4 Kayaks with Chris and Charlotte to tackle the Noosa Everglades, a gorgeous area which is actually a national park that sits right on the doorstep of Noosa town. These everglades spread across the whole town with wisps of sand turning the water gold in the middle of the river and banks of trees spreading in to the distance. The housing around the river reminded me very much of the housing in Miami, up-market properties with car parked at the back and boat parked out front. An afternoon lazing about in the garden of one of these would actually be like an afternoon floating in a national park. After a quick bite to eat and a peanut butter sandwich made for the journey we wandered out the back of the hostel and onto the dock. Once in the water we spent the next four hours Kayaking round the gorgeous everglades which lived up to the beauty their name offered. After a couple of hours of day dreaming around the houses we made our way to the great sandy passages in the centre of the river, the sea roared in the distance and the white of the wave break could be seen over the sand banks, the kite surfers glided through the water making the most of low tide winds as we punched through the water with every last breath trying to make it to land for some lunch and a swim. Eventually we pulled into one of the sand banks where we chilled out for lunch and a swim but before leaving we noticed that we were actually guests on this sand bank to about 5000 finger nail sized crabs. On closer inspection the whole bank looked like it was moving as an army of white and blue craps scurried along the floor burrowing holes at every turn. After a few pictures we departed back for the mainland but Rachel started to struggle a little with the wind beaching her after every stroke. However not to be beaten after about 30 minutes of strenuous rowing we arrived back, tired but happy as we had experienced another natural wonder in Australia. Come evening we sat back and relaxed, playing cards with Chris and Charlotte. Unfortunately it will be time for us to say goodbye to them as well come the morning as they are heading to Brisbane with us moving on to Maloolaba but we're hopeful of bumping in to them again, camper style in New Zealand. As morning drew in we awoke early to catch the first bus out of Noosa, a place that offered us so much and is by far a favorite of ours in our journey of Australia so far.