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Thanks for the background information, Bokhara2; having had a good look of the city, what you share makes perfect sense. I agree with you that Brisbane is a gem and still undiscovered; perhaps it's a good thing . Good on you that you will have some time to explore the city. I find that we could have easily filled another 3 days without hesitation.

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A Relaxing End to Another Perfect Australian Holiday

After a delicious breakfast at Coffee Anthology around the corner from the Westin Hotel, we travelled by taxi to Brisbane's Central Station from where we caught a train to Nambour and a bus to Noosa Heads. The journey including wait times took about four hours. In hindsight, we would have paid the additional cost to hire a taxi to take us to Noosa.

About 135 kilometers north of Brisbane on what is dubbed the Sunshine Coast, Noosa is well known as a fashionable resort for Australians and foreigners looking for a relaxing holiday. Noosa is divided into several areas including Noosa Heads, Noosaville, Noosa North Shore, etc. For our final two nights in Australia, we are staying on Hastings Street in Noosa Heads - the most chic of the resort area. We are staying at the Sebel, an Accor property just steps from the shops, restaurants, beaches, and Noosa National Park.

We arrived at our hotel at around 3:00 PM. After settling in, we took a stroll along Hastings Street, browsing the shops. We have to admit, though, that few of the shops really interested us. It wasn't too long before we turned towards the sands and wandered along Noosa Main Beach as well as Little Cove Beach before dinner at the Surf Club, a casual dining establishment.

On the next day, we began with breakfast at Aromas just outside of our hotel. The place was packed and had a cool vibe to it. The food was delicious, so much so that we returned for dinner. We spent our morning hiking around Noosa National Park, about a kilometer or so from Hastings Street. There are five marked trails in the headland section of the park and we chose the Coastal Track, which wound around the coast of the Noosa headlands. Along the full way we enjoyed beautiful coastal views, fine sandy beaches as well as rocky ones, and witnessed the power of the surf. There were a good number of surfers in the water. The first section of the trail was very easy - all wooden boardwalk. About midpoint on the trail, the path becomes natural but still very easy to walk on. Along the way, we saw one koala sleeping in a tree. We also enjoyed walking along one kilometer-long Alexandria Bay Beach as well as what seemed as long Sunshine Beach. We nearby had both beaches to ourselves - a real treat.

Finishing the walk at Sunshine Beach, we enjoyed lunch at the Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club. The food was better than expected and the views of the sand and surf were incredible. From Sunshine Beach, we traveled by bus to Noosaville for a walk along the banks of the Noosa River, enjoying the views and watching the pelicans in the water. There were water activities available, but we were not interested in it. After the walk, we returned to Hastings Street for another stroll followed by a sunset cruise on the water. What a relaxing way to end our time in Noosa and in Australia.

Tomorrow we journey home via Sydney and Dallas. Some final thoughts and photos of our journey to come...

KayF

I was interested to read you went from Brisbane to Noosa by public transport. If someone had asked me if that's possible I wouldn't have known the answer. We often travel by public transport overseas but here in Australia we are so used to getting in the car and know that outside of the inner city areas, public transport is sorely lacking. I guess we don't have the population to pay for it. I'm glad you managed the trip, four hours doesn't sound too bad to me. If you are on the road, which you would be in a taxi, you can often get caught up in the bad traffic jams. We have seen that highway at a standstill for miles.

Your trip sounded fantastic, you must have put a lot of research into it. Looking forward to photos

Kay

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Thanks KayF. I will post photos in the next couple of days. As for the public transport in Brisbane and Noosa, I found the Translink website very helpful. I was able to input my start and end points and it gave me suggestions. Sometimes I need to take a look at the network map and break down the journey to give me more options. From Brisbane to Noosa, it wasn’t too bad as it was one train to one bus. It may be less feasible with more luggage but we travel with carry-ons only (and do laundry) to make for greater flexibility. Once in Noosa, the bus system was reliable. We used it to go between Noosa Heads, Noosaville, and Sunshine Beach; the buses also serve Tewantin, Eumundi, Sunrise Beach, and other areas. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus.

As as far as research for this trip goes, we did do some. It was augmented by the great suggestions by you and other Fodorites as well as travelers in Australia we’ve met on this and previous trips.

FromDC

Safe travels back - - be prepared for some very cold weather at home.

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Thanks FromDC. Hope my report was helpful to you as you think about your own trip. If you have questions, please ask away.

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Here are a few photos from our trip:


Perth skyline from Kings Park


Perth skyline from the water near Elizabeth Quay


Fremantle Prison


Pinnacles Desert


Pinnacles Desert


Quokka on Rottnest Island

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Photos from Kangaroo Island:



Admiral's Arch, Flinders Chase National Park


Remarkable Rocks, Flinders Chase National Park


Eagle Rock, Remarkable Rocks, Flinders Chase National Park


Devil's Kitchen


Kangaroos in the Wild


More Kangaroos in the Wild


Koala Outside Our Accommodations at Molly's Run


Koala Eating


Fur Seals


Echidna Along Side of Road

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Brisbane City Skyline from South Bank Beach


Brisbane City Skyline from Mount Coot-tha


Coastal Views at Noosa National Park


oosa Main Beach


Sunshine Beach


Pelicans at Noosaville Riverfront

marg

Great photos! And so interesting to get a visitor's perspective on our country. Glad you enjoyed your visit.

FromDC

[QUOTE=love_travel_Aus;16835522]Hi FromDC
I live in Adelaide - having grown up in Perth - and the bluestones you might enjoy are scattered in near city suburbs.
A walk around North Adelaide will allow you a chance to see quite a few - and going out further into the eastern suburbs you will find plenty.
You can easily get to North Adelaide on the free city bus - I will have a look and see if anyone has produced a walking map that guides you in this area.
Lots of the older bluestones have little plaques given a brief history as well.
When are you planning to be in Adelaide - we call it Mad March with the Festival, the Fringe festival and so much going on!
Maybe get in touch closer to the time and we can meet up and I can show you some of what you are looking for?

Thanks for the tips, don't want to hijack TPs thread, I will start a new one with an Adelaide question

KayF

Love the photos, especially the wildlife. Nothing quite like the thrill of seeing animals in the wild. Thanks!

Kay

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Thanks marg and KayF. So true about the wildlife; I could observe them all day long. We’ve talked about returning to Kangaroo Island just for the animals.

mhteo

I have been looking for some ideas regarding the travel to Australia, as it is been in my bucket list for so long. I will be visiting it soon and will share my inputs as well.