Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is a collection of beachside and hinterland towns to the north of Brisbane. This was the second destination we headed to after one day in Brisbane for the #escapers15 social media campaign last year, organised by Accor, Scoot and Tourism Events Queensland. Just the name of the place itself makes me happy. There are lots of things to do in Sunshine Coast if you love the outdoor:
Our first stop in the morning was at Australia Zoo (1638 Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah QLD 4519, Australia), a 100-acre zoo owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, whose wildlife documentary series The Crocodile Hunter made the zoo a popular tourist attraction.
Located an hour north of Brisbane, on Sunshine Coast, Australia Zoo features a team of passionate conservationists working round the clock to deliver an experience like no other.
Steve and Terri Irwin’s vision has always been to make Australia Zoo the biggest and best wildlife conservation facility in the entire world and I must say, what they have achieved is impressive.
At the zoo, we enjoyed the Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors Show held in the Crocoseum, while munching on some sandwiches for a quick lunch.
The Crocoseum
Waiting for the show to start
A keeper bringing a petting snake around for the audience
The show started with a small alligator
A big eagle
Time to bring in the big crocodile
Yes, it went this close
Making the crocodile jump for it’s food
For a moment, the audience were all very worried for this bird before it flew away
The highlight at the zoo was when we get to pet and hug some of the zoo’s natives, including a koala bear, a wombat and lots of kangaroos.
My thai friend, Bomb, trying to kiss a gecko
Wild chicken
Lizard
Old, grumpy-looking kangaroo
Me feeding a kangaroo
Me feeding Bomb who was feeding a kangaroo
Another friend, Karri from Australia, feeding a kangaroo
A macaw
Wombat
Hungry wombat
My friend, Lavender from China, posing with the wombat
Snake
A larger snake
I carried the snake
The highlight – koala bear!
Everyone wanted to hug the sleepy koala
After the zoo, we headed to Noosa, Australia’s most popular beach resort and home to the Noosa International Food & Wine Festival. This northern Sunshine Coast town offers beautiful beaches, lush hinterland, a stunning coastal national park, an amazing river, and a cosmopolitan dining scene.
Noosa beach
We got to meet some the lifeguards on duty at the beach and played some games with them.
The lifeguard’s watch tower
Me with a real lifeguard
Two of the lifeguards
Camera surveillance
Rescue craft
Sun-tanning duo
Hello!
Fake lifeguards
Our tour guide, another fake lifeguard
Beautiful day
This was followed by some quick shopping and cafe hopping at Hastings Street, the fashion strip located behind the beachfront, specialising in high-end designs, familiar local labels, signature stores and affordable beachwear, footwear and local creations.
Hastings Street
Handicraft shop
Souvenir shop
Making flat whites for us
Toasting to flat whites at the beach
Bakery shop
Next, we hopped aboard for a thrilling ocean jetboat ride with Noosa’s most experienced ocean water sports company, Noosa Thriller, established since 1978. The ride was awesome. Expect to get really wet from all the sharp turns and waves bashing. We spotted a school of dolphins during my ride, which made it all the more worthwhile.
Getting on the jetboat
Ready to go
A school of dolphins! – Picture by my friend from China, Guan Chao
After Noosa, we checked into Novotel Twin Waters Resort for the night. The resort is set around a private beachfront lagoon, amongst 14 hectares of natural bushland and manicured gardens.
We had dinner by waterfront at the resort, enjoying an awesome outdoor grill buffet featuring seafood, kangaroo steaks and other meat. We were entertained by a performance from a aboriginal group before we tucked in for the night.
Dinner venue
Getting ready to perform
The dance
Posing for pictures
Group shot
The next day morning, we had breakfast at the resort, followed by some watersports. I got to experience a crash course on sailing.
After sailing lesson
Me sailing with Guan Chao
And that’s it for my one day tour of the Sunshine Coast! Next, we moved on to Gold Coast, the last leg of the trip. Stay tuned for updates.