Thru the eyes of Road Warrior Stefany
As anyone who knows me could tell you, I love the Florida Keys. So you can imagine my excitement when we pulled into Noosa and realized that it was a long-lost key. With its laid back, beach bum atmosphere I couldn’t have felt more at home. I wanted to stay there forever. Sadly, we only stayed for dinner and breakfast the following morning.
We arrived in Noosa after our adventures in the rainforest. It was essential to wash the grim and dirt we collected during our journey off before we headed into town for dinner. Believe me…that was the longest shower I have ever taken. ☺
Dinner was at a wonderful place called the Noosa Head Surf Club where we were treated to some good food, good music and good company. We spent the evening laughing as we recalled our adventures of the day. Jess was even kind enough to top off the evening with champagne for the group. Cheers! We didn’t stay out long after dinner since Noosa was a sleepy, beach town. Instead, we headed back the hotel to finish off the “cyclone party” wine.
The next morning we returned to the center of town for some breakfast and a chance to really explore. Though Noosa has some spectacular beaches, it is also home to Noosa National Park where you can spot koalas in the wild. The juxtaposition of beach and forest was unique and we weren’t going to miss out on it. So after a great breakfast, we went in search of koalas. We weren’t in the park 5 minutes before we spotted a koala waaaay up in the trees – sleeping, of course. Those cute little marsupials sleep 18 hours a day due to the lack of nutrients in the eucalyptus leaves that are the staple in their diets. No matter, they are adorable whether awake or asleep. I could’ve stayed in the park all day watching that koala sleep, but alas, we had to head back to the bus and make our way down the coast.
For lunch we made a brief stop in Brisbane. Obviously, that was not a sufficient amount of time to get a real feel for the city so Edna and I decided to return after the tour ended. Woot woot!
We started our brief visit to Brisbane with an opal demonstration at Quilpie Opals & Jewelry where we learned about where and how opals are harvested in Australia. Adri’s birthstone is opal, so she was in heaven looking at all the opals they had. Of course, shopping had to be done and they had an extensive inventory from opals in the rough to free floating opals to mounted opals. I opted for some opals in the rough where the opal and rock intertwine to create a beautiful blending of colors. After wreaking some damage on our bank accounts with the opals, we spent the rest of our time exploring downtown Brisbane and people watching.
Surfer’s Paradise was our final destination of the day. This fun city can be compared with another Florida location – Miami (minus all the Spanish). With a great beach and tons of nightlife, it was just another way Australia won my heart.
Tomorrow: Trekking thru the Mountains, Flying in a Tiger Moth plane and Dracula’s
