Leaving Fraser Island and Hervey Bay behind me, it was time to move on to the next stop. With only 2 more weeks to go, I need to hurry a bit to be in Sydney on time to also explore Australia’s most famous city. And thus the travelling continues to Noosa with a 5 hour bus drive.

Noosa is located some 130 kilometres above Brisbane and has more than 50,000 inhabitants. A big city so to say, but the interesting thing about Noosa is that it is very spread out and consists of three different parts: Noosa Heads, Noosaville and Sunshine Beach. I was staying in the Sunshine Beach part, in a very cute and relaxed hostel close to the beach. Upon arrival in the late afternoon I therefore also decided to chill on the beach for a bit after the long drive, and the sunset colours made that very worth it.

The next day I headed out immediately after breakfast for my main reason for staying in Noosa: Noosa National Park. Noosa National Park makes Noosa a necessary stop along the East Coast of Australia. It is very special that a national park is in walking distance of one of the places I am staying and thus I really wanted to explore the park while I was there. And it definitely was worth it! I started off with a 30 minute walk through the forest and dunes that brought me to the beach where I walked another 2 hours on the coastal walk.

Passing stunning beaches, like Alexandria Bay, and lookout points like Hell’s Gate, Boiling Pot and Dolphins Point, the coastal walk was really pretty and despite the heat I really enjoyed the views. Unfortunately I did not spot any dolphins, but there was a very cute koala that made up for the slight disappointment! I also passed the very famous Fairy Pools, natural pools created by the ocean which look really nice. It was really busy though when I was there and thus I decided the plunge into the actual ocean for a nice cool-off.


After the long walk in the national park it was time for some good food, and I decided on a watermelon bowl with fruit and cereal at Blended; it is not only very healthy and pretty, but also extremely delicious! With a book on the beach I ended my first full day in Noosa with a big smile on my face!


The next day, Saturday, was market day in Eumundi, a small town some 20 kilometres inland from Noosa. These markets are very famous the Noosa region not only because of its size with over 200 stalls, but also because of what is being sold. The Eumundi market is an artisan market with handcrafted gifts, furniture, jewellery, art, fashion and much more.  There is also fabulous food being sold there and I enjoyed a nice carrot cake with passionfruit drink while strolling around the stalls. A very nice start to the day! The rest of the day I spend reading a very good new book in a hammock in the hostel, and even though that might sound like I did not really enjoy Noosa, I really needed that time for myself and enjoyed every single minute of it! Noosa was once again a great stop, and it was really nice to be able to explore a national park that is literally at your doorstep!