Every Sydney-sider has accepted this, there is only one direction to head in winter: North. And as every Aussie inherently is aware, it’s not often we explore our own backyard. A reputation I personally am making my quest to prove otherwise. Last June, back in 2016 a foursome headed up north to soak up everything that was Noosa. For those who don’t know, Noosa is located 144 km north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. I had the impression that Noosa was for wealthy upper class retirees. A surf beach which would lie parallel to designer label boutiques, overpriced food and even more overpriced pale ale. Or so I’d thought. Read on for my top five things to do in Noosa!
On arrival into Noosa, I realised how wrong I was, sure those things did exist but they were easy to avoid and easily missed. Over the course of an extra long weekend, the four of us aimed to eat at as many restaurants as possible, drink at as many bars, surf, hike and lounge. And so we did! Read on for my 5 top tips when visiting the glorious Sunshine Coast:
Eat at Betty’s Burgers
The original. Now a franchise with six locations around Australia. The Noosa version of Betty’s Burger is a classic. It’s affordable, fast and tasty especially after a long day in the sun, surfing well into the sunset. There is something to be said about a menu which has just the one option per meat choice. You just know they’re doing it well. I had the Betty’s Classic, and I’d definitely recommend the deluxe add on.
Walk around Noosa’s own National Park
Unfortunately by Day three, we were experiencing some pesky rain which persisted throughout the day. Fortunately, hiking doesn’t always require the sun to shine and on we went. We started at the main entrance (just past Laguna Bay) and followed the coastal track past Winch Cove, Fairy Pools and Hell’s Gates where we felt particularly nervous at given the ferocious weather. We simply looped back to the start before hitting Alexandria Bay this was after the rain had picked up and our socks were turning into mush. In total there are five different walking tracks you can take (I’d recommend you take them all!) and we only just scraped the surface of walking track #4.
Surf at Tea Tree Bay (within the NP)
If the featured image is enough to go by, this place is without a doubt a long boarders dream. And in case you can’t tell, that’s me surfing in the distance, but you already guessed that.The best part about surfing in the NP is that what comes in, must then come out on foot. Which means less crowds, less parking qualms and less noise in general = perfect! The walk to tea tree beach took about ten minutes from the entrance and was well worth the ‘hike’ in. The waves were plentiful, a nice peel from the headland rocks and there’s surely a wave for everyone as they trickle their way through to shore.
Drink & Dine at Gaston & Bistro
Admittedly, I didn’t really think this place was going to come good. It was recommended by a friend of mine and from looking on the outside, it didn’t appear to be with as much ambiance as the many other restaurants on Hastings Street. Once our entrees arrived, all preconception was out the window, it was delicious!! I savoured every mouthful at Gaston and I assure you, you will too.
Breakfast at Cafe La Monde
As you can see they’ve got it all; matcha tea latte’s, coconut pancakes and many variations of eggs. This is my ideal version of breakfast, 4 people, 5 plates. It’s no guess who the extra plate was for. If you guessed Moo, you would be wrong. It was beyond tasty and I wouldn’t miss it if I were you.
By now, you’ve realised this is probably more of a foodie blog than a travel blog, which I apologise for. I guess you can blame that on the weather, but it’s what we mostly did up there. And hey! At least you’ll eat well when you’re next in Noosa. Enjoy! And don’t forget to order the deluxe extra 😉
If you liked Noosa, you’re going to love Port Douglas!