NOOSA
Day 35 - 19th October 2015
NOOSA
We arrived in Noosa pretty early and headed straight for Sunshine Beach. Unfortunately the onshore wind was howling turning the surf to mush. However the sun was out and we were feeling good, be-it a little achy from rattling around in a 4WD for the last few days. After a quick back and forth with Nacho and Lee via text message for tips, we got the lay of the land and more importantly the all day free parking spots. Being a holiday destination, free camp sites were non existent, so we kept our eyes out for stealthy bedtime locations on route to Noosa Heads and the Noosa National Park.
The free parking happened to be at the foot of the National Park, a preserved area of forest that hugs the coast around a large peninsular connecting Noosa Heads with Sunshine Beach on the south side. Not only is it home to all kinds of flora fauna and wildlife such as wild koalas, it is also home to some legendary right point breaks that have been making their way into every traveling surfers hit list since the sixties.
We had brekkie and coffee in the woodland car park. The park was full of surfers trying to get a quick surf in before work. Everyone was smiling and really really nice, they all seemed to know each other and probably did this every morning. I decided to wait for the dawn crowd to get back to their desks then went off to explore the headland. The first point break was called Boiling Point and is just visible from Noosa Main Beach at the foot of the headland. Chest high waves were pealing along a bed of quite shallow sharp rock. It was a slow fat wave with a bunch of retro looking long boarders hanging five, cruising along the clean lines as if it was still the sixties.
The next point around the headland is called Tea Tree Bay and is supposed to be a quicker better shaped wave. As we rounded Dolphin Lookout we could see the cluster of brightly coloured ovals bobbing about at the point. Head high clean walls were consistently rolling into the bay, pealing off the rocks and going for ever. Lucky guys who picked the right waves were getting some of the longest rides I have seen, taking off by the rocks at the top of the headland, working their way around the various sections of the wave, then finishing up in the calm waters of the bay. It was less crowded than the first spot and and there was a small secluded beach that Helen fancied a doze on to catch up from the mornings early start.
I paddled off the beach being careful to not ding my new board on the submerged rocks. The water was a brilliant turquoise and the landscape around me was completely untouched with wild rocky outcrops and cliffs disappearing into thick green forest behind. It was truly beautiful and I now understand why so many people rave about this place. There was a small crowd on the peak but it was friendly enough and everyone was catching waves. Over the following couple of hours I caught a handful of lovely cruisey waves. Sometimes the wave looked like it was going to break just in front of you and throw you into the rocky shadows but with a bit of leg work and a carefully timed top turn you could usually make the section and carry on sliding towards the beach. I had some really fun long waves however it was quite hard to be in the right spot to have priority over everyone else resulting in a wave to yourself. There was one greedy old boy who should have known better and was dropping in on everyone, ruining waves and creating a bit of an bad atmosphere. He must have been a local as no one pulled him up on it. I just kept clear. My last wave took me all the way back into the beach, Helen was deep into a book called Invictus about the 1995 South Africa Rugby World Cup Winners. I guess now England are out she is looking for another team. A local from a few days earlier had taken great delight in sharing this with me...
An English man walks into a bar... Usually there is an Irish, Scottish and Welsh man there too, however they were all at home watching the Rugby World Cup.
Back at the leafy carpark we made a good start on a fresh pineapple that we bought earlier on that morning. It was one of the best things I have tasted. As my flip flops or "Thongs" died on Fraser Island walking barefoot everywhere was wearing me down, literately, plus when I wore my trainers my little toe that nearly got broken on the Witsundays boat trip would start complaining, so we went on a flip flop hunt in town, however after quickly realising all the shops were closed it became a wine hunt instead. A couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc had easily convinced up to buy dinner in town rather than walk back to Vanwell to cook in the dark. We found this excellent burrito place and relaxed under the fairy lit trees that line Noosa's main streets.
Eventually we drove to our bedroom for the night, a leafy deserted community centre carpark about ten mins out of town, surrounded by trees and hidden from the main road, perfect.
Day 36 - 20th October 2015
NOOSA
We awoke round six to move off before we were noticed. We thought we would have no trouble at this time bagging a good spot at the National Park carpark. We were wrong. The dawn crowd had filled the place, apparently it fills up just before first light round 5am. We had to wait a while but we soon got a nice shady spot under the trees. We had breakfast and waited for the working day to clear the waters a little, then I headed off to surf Boiling Point, just up from the carpark. Helen decided she was going to chill with Vanwell and try and learn the ukulele.
The crowd was spread all down the point as the waves tended to section quite a bit. When the white horses caught up and jumped onto a surfer sending them flying into the drink, the wave would be again up for grabs and the next pack of surfers further down the headland would start paddling and have a go. Again I caught a few lovely long rides however the low tide was making parts of the wave very sketchy indeed, with sharp rocks reaching up from the shallow waters trying to grab what ever they could. A few times I ended up on them praying my board was okay. One particularly bad wipeout scraped my back, sliced the back of my knee and put a small crack in the side of my board. Surfing these shallow points was a steep learning curve that I was learning the hard way. Take off too deep and close to the rocks and you would very easily join them, sit too far from the rocks and catch nothing because more daring surfers taking off near the rocks have priority. My last wave was by far the longest and dropped me off right next to the car park. I paddled in to hear the dreamy tones of a ukulele drifting from Vanwell. She had actually managed it and had the chorus of three songs nailed. After a quick secret gig we inspected my cut leg, the water made it look a lot worse than it was, as blood was everywhere. There was an annoying three slashes right across the back of my knee, giving me a bit of a gangsta walk for the next few days.
After toast and coffee we walked the coastal path round the headland. It is a beautiful untouched track that hugs the coast then snakes back through the forest. We heard people had spotted koalas earlier that day but we weren't so lucky. Just before Tea Tree Bay was a lookout called Dolphin Point where we could see a mother and calf humpback whale letting off some steam. We carried on and I scoped out another surf point called Granite Bay. Everyone said this wave is not as good as the others in the area as it was more exposed to wind and swell, however it looked pretty good, this could be a fib spread by the locals to keep traveling riders away. We carried on past to Hells Gate lookout which marks the point of the headland as it turns back on itself and runs back to Alexandra Bay. A huge isolated sandy bay, and popular nudist beach. We sat on the point looking out to sea as two pods of Dolphins glided back and forth in the swell.
We walked down onto the sands of A Bay for a doze, however being on the other side of the point there was no shelter from the south easily wind and being mid day there was no shelter from the scorching sun either. We retreated back into the woods and took a small inland loop before rejoining the costal path. I went for a quick hours surf at Tea Tree point again as there was hardly anyone there which was a bit of a miracle. With a good wave count and a big grin, I found Helen and we headed back to join Vanwell for a van-made pumpkin satay curry. It was delicious. Shortly after we drove into town and parked next to the surf club overlooking main beach for the evening. We dozed on the beach for a while until the shadow grew long and the temp dropped. Inspired by our successful wine search last night we headed out for another at a beachy looking bar on the main strip. Dinner was tuna wraps by the beach before we headed off to our secret camping spot for the night.
Day 37 - 21st October 2015
NOOSA TO BRISBANE
We awoke early again to avoid suspicion and made for the main beach. We managed to reverse into a spot right by the sand and a picnic table. With the stove out, coffee brewing and sun rising it couldn't have been a more perfect start to the day. Pretty much everyone who wondered by stopped for a chat and reminisced about when they were on the road, and the long boarder who parked next to us gave us some good tips about the coast line and surf spots.
I wanted to surf Granite Bay the final point break in the national park and the only one I hadn't surfed, plus I had my suspicions it was gong to be one of the better waves. I left Helen on the beach and made the half hour walk round the headland. The access was quite tricky as you had to wade out into the surf in shallow rocky water with sharp rocky teeth poking up out of the breakwater trying to take a bite out of unlucky boards or people. Out back there was a small number of people in the line up. This wave is more exposed than the other two making it a much faster, punchier ride. I could see instantly why the locals spread a rumour that it's a rubbish wave to keep numbers down. It took a while for me to work out where to sit, surf and kick out of waves before hitting the reef. Once I had the hang of it I caught some of the longest and fastest waves of the trip. At the end of ride my legs felt like jelly as I carved my way round the various sections into the bay. It was such a good session that nothing could have wiped the smile off my face... except one thing. Whilst waiting for another set to roll in, I heard some commotion from two old boys on longboards. A large Brown Snake was snaking its way through the line up. They hurriedly moved out if its way as it is one of the most dangerous snakes on the planet. They remarked how in 20years they had never seen one swimming out here in salt water. It's head and neck was a good foot or so out of the water as its tail quickly and forcefully propelled it through the surf. It actually caught a wave and glided into the breakwater in the shallows. We all waited a while before catching any waves in that direction.
After a few hours I made the long paddle down the point to the beach as I didn't fancy my chances paddling in by the rocks. It was a great surf and this time I was all in one piece, except the nose of my board which got a small crack from a sneaky rock on the paddle back in.
As I was a fair way round the point I walked over to A Bay to see how it looked without the strong wind. It wasn't as good as the points but there were a few guys out working the various peaks. I made the long walk back to town and found Helen on the beach. We went for a final wonder around the town before hitting the road to Brisbane.
We couldn't leave without seeing the 'Big Things' Noosa had to offer, the amazing big pelican and the hugely dissapointing big shell.
On route to Brisbane we stopped off at a beachy holiday town called Mooloolabar, what a mouthful! Speaking of mouthfuls we were hungry and had read about a big fish market in the point at the end of town. We walked up the beach and found the market next to a small harbour. The fish selection was amazing and the shop we went to prepared the fish there on the spot and let you eat it on their balcony overlooking the fishing boats. For £15 we had a whole sand crab, four giant prawns, three Morton bay bugs and a box of chips plus two drinks, not bad if you ask me. We left suitably stuffed, pointed the van in the direction of Brisbane and hit the gas.
