Surf's up, mate

19 March, 2010

Today we are off to Noosa which I find out is the Oz equivalent of Plett. For those of you who don't know, Plett is a des res place on the south coast of South Africa and so far, Oz is very much like SA (although I think SA is far more beautiful) We make our way up there on the Bruce Highway (I kid you not) along the Sunshine Coast. The 'sunshine' is being threatened by a cyclone further up the coast and it is expected to hit Airlie Beach this Sunday. I am praying that it has all settled down by the time I am due to be there to sail around the Whitsundays next weekend, otherwise I will have to make alternative plans and it will be a shame to miss the Whitsundays since I’ve heard great things about them.

We pass Steve Irwin's zoo but I resist the urge to visit (very easily).

Noosa is nice, albeit bloody pricy: I take P for lunch at the Surf Club and it cost me £22.50 for some burgers and drinks. In fact, I am finding Oz to be expensive period and this is not helped by the fact that sterling has gone for a ball of shito. There isn't a huge amount to see but I take full advantage of watching the surfing competition and checking out the local talent (they employ nice tall young men to help you apply your sun tan lotion. What’s not to like) Apparently, sometimes koalas can be seen in the trees near the beach but they fail to materialise. Maybe they are off surfing or just in the middle of their 19 hour a day kip.

Sun turns to light rain and we head back to Brissie where we spend the evening catching up over a few tinnies and I meet P's new Aussie girlfriend. She doesn't think much of my Aussie accent either but then there's no accounting for taste.