Movin' On Up: Noosa to Hervey Bay

We hit Noosa just in time for the Anzac Day long weekend and boy did we know it! Luke and I had been to this tourist hot spot before but we were gobsmacked by the sheer volume of people flooding this seaside town, making the most of the extra day off work to lounge in the sun.

The caravan park was chockablock and not with the friendly, "How ya going mate?" travelling types that are always up for a yarn and want to know where you come from, where you've been and where you're going next... but with a different clientele altogether. These campers are only here for the long weekend, most looked like it was their first time putting up a tent (and emerged very, very wet when we had an unexpected downpour one night) and with the remainder of their campsite consisting of slabs of beer, a lone fold-up table, an esky with wine in it, some plastic bags with plastic plates and cutlery in them and maybe some sausages, more beer, potentially a brightly coloured hammock and also a bunch of blowup inflatable pool toys.... 

Movie Night at Noosa's Big 4 Caravan Park

But despite the company and it taking almost an hour to get into town on Sunday morning with Hasting Street, the bustling cafe and boutique-lined main street in Noosa, looking more like downtown Pitt Street, its pretty clear why people flock to this beautiful part of the Queensland coast. 

There's a mix of beaches to suit everybody's needs, from the gentle waves of Noosa Main Beach which is great for kids, to the National Park beaches that will give you a better wave if surfing's your thing. 

There's also plenty of shopping with a selection of the bigger boutiques like Witchery and a bunch of smaller, more quirky offerings with clothes and gifts to splurge on. And of course, there's the food and there's plenty of amazing places to eat and drink in these parts, before you even venture into the hinterland which boasts farmers markets and amazing cafes with fresh produce on offer. During our visit to Hastings Street, Betty's Burgers had a line up out the door and onto the road and Aromas Cafe was also jam-packed but after paying $6.90 for a cup of coffee (public holiday surcharge we were told), good old salad sambos in the park looked good for lunch for our crew!  

The kids loved a dip in the calm, warm water of the Noosa River at Noosaville and watching all the boating and fishing action, plus it was a bit less hectic than in town.  

A change of pace, and two and a half hours up the coast, Hervey Bay was our next stop on the map. Luke took a gamble and booked us in at the Fraser Coast Top Tourist Park and much to his horror (but the kid's delight!) the place was pet-friendly!! Anyone who knows Luke, knows he's not the biggest animal fan on the block and dogs just aren't his thing, so to have a mixed assortment of these furry friends "holidaying" with their owners at this caravan park was hilarious. Sage and Bassie, on the other hand, can't get enough of dogs, so found great delight in sharing their space with BJ, Max, Henry and the rest of the four legged campers!

Hervey Bay is known as a gateway to Fraser Island, but also as the 'Whale watching capital of the world'. We had such a beautiful time just hanging out in this picturesque town. We took advantage of the great bike tracks that line the bay, which are broken up by amazing children's playgrounds, perfect for morning tea breaks. 

Arley and Luke dipped their fishing rods in the water off the peer at the Urangan Marina and caught a few tiny fish that made Arley's day. 

We hit up the incredible free Wet Side Water Education Park, on the foreshore at the junction of the Main Street and the Esplanade, Pialba. This place seemed too good to be true with the kid's claiming it to be "better than Wet 'N' Wild." It came with an amazing cafe with great coffee as a parental bonus! 

   

And we played on the low tide of Hervey Bay, collecting shells and bits of washed up coral that Sage used to decorate many-a mermaid castle on the sand. We even extended our stay and could have easily stayed longer after heading over to Fraser Island for a 4WD adventure, but more on that to come! 

    

Arley's Video Blog #2

Arley is back behind the camera showing off all the highlights from the next leg of our caravanning adventure!

Going Green: The Sunshine Coast Hinterland

Holiday makers could easily while away the days on the waterways or bike tracks in and around the beautiful Sunshine Coast of QLD but a short drive inland and a whole other world of magic awaits. During our time at Caloundra, we took a few trips to discover the beauty of the townships and National parks of The Glass House Mountains, and we were so glad we did!

Growing up with two uncles as National Park rangers, no family holiday was complete unless we had trampled through the bush in some capacity. Whether we were camping in remote National Parks like Humpy Island off the coast of North Queensland, hiking to the top of mountains such as the Bread Knife in the Warrumbungles or exploring the bush and waterways of the Top End, Mum and Dad always chose holidays that helped my brothers and sister and I to appreciate nature and the simplicity of camping instead of booking into a resort for a week (not that they could have afforded it back then with four kids in tow!). It certainly has rubbed off and we want our kids to value time spent in our beautiful National Parks also, and with the silhouette of The Glasshouse Mountains clearly visible even from the coastline at Caloundra, we couldn't help but pack the backpack and suncream and head off to tackle one of these ancient volcanic mounds ourself.

With five kiddies under six between my brother's crew and ours, we chose one of the easiest of the mountains to climb, Mount Ngungun. We were told it is a great beginners walk amongst the fourteen mountains within The Glasshouse Mountain area, which was perfect for little legs! Despite it being a hot day, our gang powered up to the top and the view out over Mount Beerwah and the beautiful farming land beneath was definitely worth the extra cargo when the kids wanted to be carried on top of shoulders and backs.

     
Besides the beautiful National Park, there are so many beautiful little villages nestled in the hills of the Sunshine Coast that really do deserve a visit. Quaint and full of gorgeous cafes, art galleries and gift shops, the kids were kept busy in the pretty town of Maleny with the lovely park right next to a trickling stream which runs through the heart of the town centre, and an ice block helped buy me some time in the amazing book shop too!

But I would leave the kids behind and sneak off to really get the most out of Montville. My beautiful cousin recently spent a few days post-wedding here and it's not hard to see why this pretty little town nestled high up in the hills is a favourite for couples. With chocolate shops, a cheese factory, cute little shops like The Clock Shop and a The Candle Shop, plus tons of great coffee spots and restaurants to choose from, you could easily laze the day away up here! 

And whether you have little ones or you're just a mad crocodile fan, you can't really head up this way without visiting the now world-famous Australia Zoo. Brought into the spotlight by the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, we by-passed this park the last time we were holidaying near-by - it is quite pricey and how many crocs can you see in one day, right? But I must say, after visiting on this trip, we were so impressed by the Zoo - it is set on over 70 acres of bushland and is HUGE, but even more impressive than the sheer size of the place, is the high quality of exhibits, facilities, the staff members and the amazing gardens - we found everything to be of such a high standard that I almost felt a bit sad seeing all the images and footage of Steve everywhere, knowing that he didn't get to see his Zoo in all of its glory today. 

Arley, Sage and Bassie loved the animals, the Safari train ride, the random play equipment and jumping castles scattered all over the park and the big show at the Crocoseum and the only advice I can offer is to pack your own food - $3.50 for a small juice popper was the starting point with things getting more and more expensive from there up make for a very expensive day if you buy lunch out as well! And if you have babies or toddlers, take a stroller because there is plenty of walking to be done!

Family Fun on The Sunshine Coast

Before children, we had only dipped our toe into the waters along the Queensland stretch of The Sunshine Coast. This trip we booked into Caloundra Waterfront Holiday Park so we could really set up our camp and enjoy some family time. Along with my brother and sister-in-law and their two kids, my parents have also joined our crew for a week of fun in the sun and beautiful Caloundra has proved the perfect place for it! 

                                            

Caloundra is the southern-most community on the Sunshine Coast and after almost a week enjoying the sights, it has proved to be a perfect holiday destination to unwind and enjoy all that the area has to offer. Endless bike tracks line the waterways - in fact, there are over 350km worth of quality bike tracks that connect the beaches, nature reserves and parks, and seeing flocks of people of all ages riding all day long is inspiring! Why don't all towns incorporate these amazing bike paths into their town planning which encourage health and fitness, community togetherness as well as environmental responsibility? And the kids certainly did their time hitting the pavement on scooters and bikes each day, wearing out their little legs, in the hope that sleep would come more easily and I'm happy to report that the kids seem to be getting used to their new home away from home and are sleeping much better!

But it's the waterways that are the real main attraction on the Sunshine Coast and Caloundra boasts several beautiful beaches, one after the other, right up the coast to Noosa, making residents and holiday-makers both spoilt for choice when it comes to a morning dip, an easy surf or a float in the warm current in the waters of the ocean inlet that overlooks Bribie Island. The water temperature has hovered around the 25 degree mark all week and has turned our three littlies into little fish, alternating between the ocean and the caravan park pool all day!     

 

The benefits of travelling with a crew are many - free kids entertainment as the cousins amused themselves pushing sand pit trucks in the dirt and building roads near our caravan sight, endless bike riding and scootering up and down past our vans, watching an 'outdoor movie' when the kids couldn't swim or ride any longer, racing in and out of each other's caravans, collecting bits and pieces and making up funny games that "aren't for adults." These are memories in the making and ones I hope help build the foundations of solid friendships between siblings and cousins alike. 

(Special note to other parents of young kids: Be warned, our holiday so far hasn't been all smiles and ice-creams!! We've had plenty of tears and tantrums- having to remind our tired toddler to share, our preschooler to find her manners and our school boy that he isn't a teenager yet and can't simply ride his bike whenever and wherever he likes or visit the toilet block on his own...! And often having a ready-made caravan park audience whilst working out the boundaries and rules is tough, but it's also a nice little reminder to be present with our kids and really be in the moment with them, no matter how hard that sometimes is!