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!