noosa

2 hours north of brizzy is noosa, a group of communities around the noosa river in a lush, tropical climate. it is posh. like niagra-on-the-lake, except with palm trees and koalas. high rises are as unwelcomed as fast food outlets, and as such, they have been banned by the residents. one of the streets in town, hastings street, is the 3rd most expensive street in australia. but no matter which street you take you are bound to run into world class accommodations and restaurants. the wealthy live here, or at least dock their yachts here like at monte carlo. for lyds and i it is another hostel, and a growing resentment to those with tennis courts and golf cart chauffeurs. at night hastings street is alight with tiki torches.

everywhere there is a beach or water way as the city is bound by the coast on one side and the river to the north. the ocean is more calm here than in byron at the time of the tsunami warning, and while surfing lessons are a main part of the tourist economy here, lyds and i were making fun of the beach break people were trying to surf. while hiking we found a better surfing beach that was deserted, probably due to the fact that there is no shark netting there. must be tigers in the water. since arriving we spend our days walking the town, beaches and national park. noosa national park marks the end of the sunshine coast, and lyds and i spent the day walking the coastal trail to the hell's gates rock formation at the edge of the south pacific. on our way back i had another wildlife experience - some snake or lizard ran across my feet while i was hiking in my flip-flops. i have no idea what it was, and will never know. a giant yell of surprise and a severe ninja kick sealed its identity in the bushes. i think lyds was just as startled by my yell. we then caught the sunset on the rocks below the trail.

since being in noosa lyds and i went to see the movie 300. too cartoony. i finished reading ben-hur. stuggled through it. it may be an american classic that rivals uncle tom's cabin, but remind me to skip that one then. in honour of our upcoming sailing i read master and commander. amazing. i can't wait to read the other 19 novels in the series. in hostel news our roomates are swedish, and try and get male attention by going around in their bras and decorating the room with sex magazine articles and racy pics. just shameful. little too obvious too. lyds is not a fan of them. i think we are both missing our surfing company.

now i am doing the trip han solo style for a little bit (lyds left this morning for rainbow beach in the north). i follow tomorrow with a different group. so now i am living with an insane young malcolm mcdowell lookalike who talks to himself and asks himself outrageous questions like, "did i have sex last night." he also answers himself.

going to be m.i.a. for the next little bit. heading to north to the fraser coast torainbow beach tomorrow morning to do a 4x4 tour of fraser island - at 120km x 15km the world's biggest sand island. then when i get back it is back on an overnight bus to airlie beach on the capricorn coast. there in shute harbour my roders are to report for duty with the siska for a cruise of the whitsundays in the great barrier reef national park. i have been told she has a fine battle record.

happy anniversary mom and dad.

just like captain cook in 1770.