Krazy Kents on the Road Again

Week Eighteen: The Sunshine Coast

Lifelong friends at Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club - 2018

We thought we would have an anti-climatic week this week after the hi-jinx and carry on of the Muster but we received fantastic news that our oldest and dearest friends, Geoff and Marg MacFarlane from Melbourne, were holidaying in Noosa near where we were staying. Geoffo, as we call him, was GK’s Best Man and Marg was my Chief Bridesmaid at our wedding forty-seven years ago! We are no longer those carefree skinny ‘kids’ and there has been a lot of water under the bridge in those years with the highs and lows of married life and raising our families but whenever we catch up it is like we saw them yesterday. The laughs just keep coming especially when we reminisce about the good old days. Thanks Geoff and Marg for the fantastic catch up once again. It was an absolute bonus and made our week. xoxoxo.

Hawthorn Lodge - 26th May 1971

We are thrilled that the five kids we have between us are all great friends as well despite living on opposite sides of the country. There have been a few family get-togethers over the years and we love to sit back and listen to the chatter and easy banter as the kids catch up on all their news. The MacFarlanes are as close as family without the blood ties and we are extremely fortunate to have them in our lives. We love you to the moon and back. More xxxx’s

Cotton Tree Caravan Park - Maroochydore

Despite the great time we spent with our old mates, our week wasn’t entirely without drama. After leaving the Amamoor Forest we travelled through the pretty historic villages of Kenilworth, Conondale and Maleny, over the rolling hills of the picturesque Mary Valley down to Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. We had stayed at Cotton Tree Caravan Park six years ago and as all the caravan parks in Noosa were booked out, decided it would be a great spot for some R & R after the Muster. It is on the mouth of the Maroochy River where it meets the Pacific Ocean. Idyllic.

More views of the beach at Cotton Tree - worth finding!

GK’s usually superior sense of direction let us down quite badly as we drove up and down the busy streets of Maroochydore, towing the caravan, looking for the Park. He was positive he knew where it was but after twenty minutes of circling the town, traversing speed bumps and negotiating round-abouts I realized we were lost. I had the temerity to suggest stopping and asking for directions. The withering look I received said “No Way!” He would rather drive all night, run out of fuel or both before he would concede defeat. The last straw was when we drove through a pedestrian mall, weaving past water fountains, flower boxes and scattering unsuspecting holidaymakers. I unravelled myself from my foetal position under the dashboard and screamed “Enough!”

We pulled into the Yacht Club into a bay marked ‘Strictly Boats and Trailers Only’. There we began to master the intricacies of the GPS on our phone. We keyed in the name and address of the caravan park and up popped the map. No verbal instructions were forthcoming until we realized you have to press ‘Start’ to activate the ‘bitch’s’ voice (his word Kell – not mine). Who knew? Under Sissy Sue’s (her newly Christened name) precise instructions we pulled up ten minutes later to the gates of our destination. Halle-bloody-lujah!

Time to chill out on the beach

More dramas ensued, as we had to manoeuvre the van into a very tight site. GK’s already frazzled patience was sorely tested once again but with the help of our lovely Victorian neighbours on both sides he managed to park the van perfectly parallel to our slab. We proceeded to set up in stony silence but by Happy Hour all was forgiven, we had kissed and made up and ripped up the divorce papers. Some days are sent to try us.

Old mates - 1981

The Sunshine Coast lived up to its name and we had three lovely days walking along the beach and reading our books on the banks of the river in glorious sunshine. We drove up the coast to have lunch with Geoff and Marg at Sunshine Beach Surf Club one day and had tea at the superb Maroochydore RSL with our WA friends we met at the Muster. The RSL was like walking into a five star hotel thanks to the wealth created by the Pokies. It has a marble lined foyer, soaring glass walls and plush carpets in the lounge areas. Very swish but still not worth the angst and heartbreak that Pokies cause in my opinion. Just saying.

Old mates 2018 - enjoying the sunshine at Sunshine Surf Club near Noosa

We used Sissy Sue’s superior knowledge to lead us to our next caravan park in Tewantin closer to Noosa so we could see more of Geoff and Marg. Noosa is a very popular holiday destination with ‘Southerners’ or ‘Mexicans’ as Queenslanders call the thousands of shivering holidaymakers who travel to the Sunshine Coast to escape their freezing winters. Who can blame them? Locals become very frustrated with the influx but it does drive their economy so it is a case of making the most of the months that they are ‘inconvenienced.’

North Beach boy on Noosa Beach

Our plans to catch the very popular Noosa Ferry from Tewantin down the river to Noosa Heads were thwarted because we couldn’t get a parking spot in Tewantin for love or money. It was a shame because the ferry takes you from Tewantin, the heritage heart of Noosa, past the hire boats, old jetties and new restaurants at Noosaville, close to magnificent homes of Noosa Sound and into the centre of Noosa Heads with its famous beach, shops and eateries. We had caught the ferry years ago so decided to drive into Noosa and take a chance on getting a parking spot in town. Luck was with us and we spent a lovely afternoon strolling up and down Hastings Street indulging in some retail therapy before dining in one of the many streetside cafes where we watched the beautiful people dripping in diamonds and pearls and wearing their crumpled linen apparel. Lots of fun.

View from Noosa Yacht Club

We had another magic day at the Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club where we lunched with Geoff and Marg where the views, food and company were superb. It was sad to say goodbye to our wonderful friends but we will see them again at Easter when they come over for Ben and Nic’s wedding. We are going to take them down to Margaret River after the wedding for a few days so there will lots more to catch up on by then. Can’t wait. Meanwhile the diet starts in earnest from now on. Got to get into a size 12 dress and there is only so much that Nancy Gantz Fancy Pantz can contain. Why do wine and chocolate taste so good? It’s not fair.

Some retail therapy in Montville

For Father’s Day we drove back up through the hills to visit the charming villages in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. The Three M’s as they are affectionately known are Mapleton, Montville and Maleny. We chose Montville to have lunch and joined the hundreds of other holidaymakers making the most of the glorious sunshine and escaping the hustle and bustle of the coastal towns. Nestled in the Glasshouse Mountains with stunning views across valley to the ocean, the small villages offer something for everyone from bush walks to fine dining with many art galleries and unique retail shops to mosie around and poke about. Phone calls from the kids capped off a fabulous day and GK felt very loved and special. We are both feeling a bit nostalgic now and signs of homesickness are sneaking in as we miss family and friends.

Stunning views across the valley to Noosa and the ocean from the Glass House Mountains

The weather is not helping as it has started to rain and the Sunshine Coast is looking decidedly unsunny. We really can’t complain, although I will, as in the eighteen weeks we have been away it has only rained once and that was at Gympie last week. This week will make up for it as the forecast is for rain all week. It certainly puts a dampener (literally!) on everything as the beach here on Bribie Island looks quite miserable and uninviting at the moment. We were really looking forward to spending a few days here as we heard so much about it. Never mind. We will dash out when the sun peeks out and make the most of it. Hope all is well wherever you are in Oz. We are on the homeward trail now so will see you soon. Lots of love xxxx