Noosa is, by all counts, my new favourite Australian place! Cairns was quite nice: it was small town meets big amenities, but when you drive into Noosa, you know you're somewhere luxurious. Where as Cairns was small town America chic, Noosa is Miami chic, complete with canals, and massive houses, boats everywhere, and heaps of beautiful people.
South Beach ain't got nothin' on Noosa!
We hadn't planned to stay here so long - in fact, it was supposed to be a one day stopover on our journey, but we fell in love with the city, the people, and the food. I actually do not have a single complaint or concern in regard to Noosa, aside from the fact that in the next hour or so, we'll be leaving for a day of retail therapy in Brisbane before heading to Surfer's Paradise tonight.
Yesterday was incredible. Apparently it's been a little cool here (and by cool, I mean by their standards - it was only 28 degrees!) so the beaches were a little quieter than they would be normally, but that didn't keep the surfers in, nor a few of the sunbathers.
Jayne, Squidge and I took a walk through the park, which is lovely as the path we chose is coastal, however bordering on the forrest. Listening to the crashing of waves while breathing in the scent of eucalyptus is really pretty much heaven by count.
The scenery is incredible in Noosa; there are beautitful waterfronts everywhere you go, and everyone is so very relaxed.
What I have noticed in Noosa, unlike in the other towns we've been to, is that people really don't wear shoes around here - it's as if shoes will somehow impede their relaxation, and as such, you really don't see all that many. Also, the trend of 'Australia's so expensive' continues; yesterday I went into a Payless Shoes in Noosa Civic (the largest shopping mall in the area) and was mortified to find that while shoes back home are typically C$20-40 here they were in excess of A$50, with some going all the way up to A$80 - for man-made materials?
We have found some inexpensive yummy food, including an incredible fish and chip shop that makes your food to order upon request; I wish we found them sooner!
So, I'll start getting ready, and say goodbye to Noosa - but I can't complain because I've heard amazing things about Surfer's Paradise too!
I can't believe they have Payless shoes there. I went into one the other day to get a pair of sandals, and I briefly wondered if it was a Canadian company. Apparently not.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen any franchise stores/restaurants that you were surprised to see?
Seeing lots of things I didn't expect to find in Oz - Woolworths, Footlocker, HMV, Shell, American Idol... LOL. Fast food wise, they have much of the same as we do: Burger King (called Hungry Jack's here), McD's, as well as KFC and Pizza Hut/Dominoes. They have Sizzler, which I hadn't realized was Australian, but then lots of other stuff that I have no clue what it is.
ReplyDeleteI thought I'd be living from one Starbucks to another but the coffee here is hands down way better than ours!
I'm glad you like the coffee, considering it costs so much. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou know, now that we're in Sydney, the coffee is MUCH more reasonably priced (as is everything else!) *whew* Relief.
ReplyDeleteToo bad standard real estate is in excess of A$500,000