Quick trip to Noosa

Today was our dedicated family day. The great thing about school holidays is that Saturday soccer matches are put off, and all other commitments are put aside.

We couldn’t recall the last time we had absolutely nothing planned out for us on a Saturday, so it was the perfect excuse to do something ‘we’ wanted to do.

Matt and Kent had given Gaenor a gift voucher for a facial and pamper for her birthday, so we planned to head up to Noosa, have Gaenor pampered like she deserves, and enjoy some family time on the beautiful Sunshine Coast.

Have I ever mentioned how hard life is in Queensland? No I hear you say? Well… it’s the middle of winter and it’s freezing icy cold! So cold that you need to dust of the longer sleeved shirts just to keep warm from the harsh and bitterly cold 20 degree temperatures! Talk about freezing! Even the water is icy cold and bordering freezing at around 17 degrees!! No wonder all the Mexicans from down south invade our beautiful coastline this time of year. You can always spot the people that have traveled all the way from Melbourne. They are the ones with a pair of pluggers, some board shorts, and a singlet on. :)

Anyhow, once again I digress.

The drive to Noosa is a comfortable and leisurely 1 hour drive from home. Have I mentioned how much I love living in south-east Queensland? :) We pack our stuff up, hop in the car, and before we know it we have arrived at Noosa Civic for Gaenor to have her facial and pampering. The great thing about Noosa Civic is that there is a BCF and plenty of coffee outlets, so the boys and I are set. We have one hour up our sleeves and get stuck into it. First stop is Starbucks for quick cuppa, and the boys have a few baby chinos to get the ball rolling. We sort out the tab, and BCF here we come!

The boys and I waltz into BCF like we own the place. For those of you that don’t know, BCF is a Boating, Camping, and Fishing outlet which is the size of a moderate department store. The perfect place to go to feel manly and to touch base with your hunter instincts. :) Chests puffed up, the odd scratch of the appropriate areas, and we are in heaven with a store load of boating, camping and fishing gear at our fingertips. First things first.. let’s check out the latest Berkley soft plastics… and then the TT jigheads.. and then the circle snapper hooks.. and then the anchors and rope… and then back to the lures and hooks… oh… look at that.. new rods and reels. I’m sure you get the drift. We wander backwards and forwards, continually grabbing stock, and putting other stock back… umming and ahhing on what to get. All in all the boys and I treated ourselves with another tackle box, some more terminal tackle, and other bits and pieces. Just like the advert says, “How good is this!”.

A quick check of the time, and the hour has already passed! Where did the time go!?! We could have spent a good day in the store just drooling over all the new toys that seem to be available each week.

So Gaenor is sorted. She is pampered, looks beautiful, and is happy. Nothing else matters at this point. A happy wife and mother is a good thing. Hasting Street here we come.

Surprisingly we managed to get a pretty good parking spot outside of the cafe’s on Hastings Street. For those of you not familiar, Hastings Street at Noosa Heads is the mecca for coffee sipping yuppees, artists, men gripped by midlife crisis, women obsessed with being seen, day trippers, and of course, the tourists. On the quietest of days it is still absolutely buzzing with activity, and parking is a hit and miss affair. We’ve scored well with the parking spot, and have noted the new 1hr only parking sign. Let’s get lunch.

We stopped in at a great little restaurant which over looks Laguna Bay at Noosa. What a beautiful spot, and what excellent service and food! When I remember the name of the place I will add it to this blog for future reference.

The boys decided on the penne pasta, accompanied by a great ice-cream desert. I scoffed down my usual rump steak, and Gaenor went for some Mushroom and Bruschetta concoction. All in all the food was marvelous, the service was outstanding, and the price was reasonable for a Noosa boutique restaurant.

I had to quickly duck out from lunch to move the car, as the hour had passed and I wasn’t really in the mood to pay the local council for overstaying my parking limit. Which leads me to this. For an area where money trades hands like seeds feeding pigeons, why wouldn’t you put in parking meters? I’d much rather pay the council a few quid to park for a few hours, rather then having to bother about stopping what I am doing and moving my car. Anyhow.. the show must go on as they say.

I’m strolling towards my car and notice this tall lanky chap standing outside a shop with that typically Australian “I’m waiting for my partner to do her shopping” look. Poor bugger, nothing worse then just standing around, nodding a few times to other men that understand, and waiting for the ‘better’ half while they pick up a shelf load of clothes to try on in the changing rooms. Hang on a minute! Ross? Is its Rosco? Yep.. it certainly is. “Ross” I holla out whilst strolling towards the car. Nope.. no reply. “Rosco!” That’s done the trick :) It was Ross, a great friend for quite a few years. A quick hi, what you up to, and summary of events since last meeting took place. Then a quick hi to his wife Sue, and all things are good. Nothing better in my books then coming across good mates, and saying a quick hi. They were up in Noosa enjoying a break from their kids and celebrating their 12th anniversary. Happy Anniversary guys. The salutations were brief, but great to catch up with close mates.

The car was moved, I was back with the family, and lunch was settling in nicely. Couldn’t leave without taking a few snaps of the headlands and the bay. It’s a hard life, but someone has to do it, as they say. Whoever ‘they’ were; ‘they’ were spot on.

Laguna Bay is a wonderful spot. Generally protected from a lot of the big Pacific swells, and an awesome spot to bring the kids. We try our best to get up there a few times a year during the warmer months. It is one of the best places for kids to have a wade, without having to worry about the big waves and strong rips. I remember when I was my boy’s age, my parents used to bring us up this way every year also. So I guess we’ll mark this one off in the books as a ‘family tradition’. Sounds good, and a great excuse to keep going to Noosa :) .

A quick couple of snaps for the obligatory family shot on the beach, and our day trip was over this time around. What an awesome day… nice weather.. excellent company.. and a great way to get out of the house and into the fresh air. Just like the controversial Queensland advertising campaign says.. “Where the bloody hell are ya?”. For us.. it was Noosa, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a leisurely Saturday in the middle of Winter. –Ciao