Homeward bound (Noosa)

Today is all about being in transit. An 11:30am pick-up at the hotel, drive to Maroochydore airport and a 1:40pm Jetstar flight to Sydney which should land, in a perfect Jetstar world at 3:20pm. We should be back on the balcony at Redfern by 4pm. In a perfect world.

But first to last night's dinner. We chose to eat at Seasons which is an a la carte restaurant on the beach. It's the place we chose for our final night here in 2011. A good choice then and now. Sitting at table nearby was David Williamson, Australia's best known (and probably most prolific) playwright. According to this morning's paper he is here for the opening of his play Cruise Control.

The view looking East

Seasons has the most beautiful setting and Noosa Beach really comes into its around sunset when the crowds are heading home. It is quiet and peaceful and any noise is washed away by the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore. The photos were taken with my iPhone because I left the camera back at the apartment.

Looking west along the beach

We enjoyed the meal and the wine as the sun went down. Then walked back over to Nitrogenie to try another variety of ice cream.  There is no doubt that the ice cream is the creamiest I've tried, but it also melts very quickly which would be an issue for young children or during the heat of the day. We both opted for Chocolate Roughy and much like the previous night it promised so much but didn't quite reach expectations. Whereas last night's was ice cream with honeycomb cracked through it, this was chocolate ice cream with coconut. Ah well, the holiday and the experiment are over, won't be trying that again.

Closer to sunset

This morning brings cloud and later, possibly rain, so we are making our getaway at the right time, although the weather in Sydney will take some adjusting to next week with tops below 20° celsius. Again we opted to try somewhere new for breakfast and ended up at 10 Hastings. The coffee was good, the sourdough just doesn't live up to Bourke St Bakery standards and it is not possible to get a freshly squeezed orange juice in this town. Clearly not trending. My OJ came in a jar (again) with a waxed straw - now that is seriously old school. So if we do waxed straws, why can't we do freshly squeezed OJ?

Back to the apartment to finish packing, write some more of this blog and take some snaps of some feathered friends who hang around the balcony. Given the purpose of this break was to ensure a complete rest from work related issues for a few days, I declare it a success. However, if you are not a beach person and do not have your own transport, then Noosa could prove a little challenging for you. If you are happy to walk slowly, to sit and read and to enjoy the cafes and restaurants then Noosa is definitely a destination you should seek. Of course, you could always mix it up; there are plenty of activities in nearby areas: day trips to Fraser Island, parachuting, fishing - I get tired just thinking about it.

Looking for dinner

A honey eater after a bath

And so we are home. It's 4:30pm, Jetstar was late arriving on the Sunshine Coast and was subsequently late arriving in Sydney. No surprises for anyone. Uneventful and predictable down to the lateness. Happy to home and back on our balcony. Until next time ...

The view from home

Redfern station