Noosa

Next stop is the very pretty estuary resort of Noosa where the eponymous river meets the South Pacific and the bronzed, bikinied, backpacking bodies meet the wealthy Brisbane style cats complete with large boat and wallet. We equip ourselves with boogie board, ‘noodle’, baseball + bat and head for the beach. One side of the peninsular is packed with ‘stingers’ but the other is ok and we spend a fun day teaching the kids baseball + bodysurfing interspersed with a delicious picnic and the drama of an injured surfer being stretchered away – it was his birthday as well poor bugger. That evening the seafood platter @ Le Monde is fantastic complete with the local delicacy the Moreton Bay Bug as well as lobster, oysters and crab (the latter with plenty of easily accessible meat cf Cambodia).

Next day we have an emotional reunion with our favourite nanny Louie who we stylishly meet on our hired motor boat (bargain at only 75$ for 3 hours). I manage to run the bloody thing aground but luckily full throttle reverse does the trick in the end and the inspection upon return doesn’t reveal anything untoward. (The last time I ran aground was on a barge in Burgundy which was probably the last time I took the controls on a boat – maybe just a coincidence). We retreat to the pool for wine fuelled Jacuzzi followed by swimming races where I lose to Louie after a rematch ( I don’t feel too bad as she’s currently training for a triathalon whilst my training seems only appropriate for sumo). We stagger to Bistro C for a great seafront view and some good fish. I then take the kids back whilst the girls go on for a few more and a catch up.

A lazy Saturday ensues vegetating in front of Travel and Living which gives us a foretaste of Machu Picchu. We eventually head out to see the National Park at Noosa Heads but can’t find parking + weather turns so we retreat back to a bottle of Maclaren Vale Cab.sauv. + pack up for next days trip to the sunny capital of Queensland.