We arrived in Tewantin after an uneventful 80 minute flight by prop plane from Port Macquarie to Brisbane. We had gorgeous views to the east of the coast and ocean and to the west of the hinterland. The drive from Brisbane to Tewantin took about 90 minutes along the Bruce Highway. We arrived in the late afternoon, and the softness of the light created a dreamlike effect through the gum (eucalyptus) trees that was striking.
After spending a month in "Port" enjoying the beach life, we are easing our way into exploring the Sunshine Coast region. The first photo is of the girls in the backyard pool of our hosts' home (check out the girls' pages for more shots) - they love it!
On Sunday, we took a short drive into Noosa and visited Noosa National Park and chose the Coastal Track for a short, but gorgeous, 5.5km hike along the Noosa headlands. We were struck by the cloudless sky (seriously, it's not called the Sunshine Coast for nothin'!) and views of the rugged and beautiful coast.
On Tuesday, we drove about 50 minutes south towards Beerwah to visit the Australia Zoo, founded by "The Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. The zoo was very well laid out, offering visitors several opportunities to interact with animals. Highlights of the visit were the "croc" show, in which we saw not only crocs but several types of birds perform, holding koalas, and feeding kangaroos (again!). It was amazing to see the huge (at least 3 metres) "star" of the croc show get out of the water to defend his territory (of course, prompted by the expert staff). The girls (Ok, Ok, me too!) had fun hand feeding the rather pampered kangaroos, and all the girls loved their opportunity to hold Jaffa, a nine-year-old koala; I was sure that Jaffa was trying to shield his eyes from the intensity of Judy's radiant smile - she was in heaven!!!!!
After spending a month in "Port" enjoying the beach life, we are easing our way into exploring the Sunshine Coast region. The first photo is of the girls in the backyard pool of our hosts' home (check out the girls' pages for more shots) - they love it!
On Sunday, we took a short drive into Noosa and visited Noosa National Park and chose the Coastal Track for a short, but gorgeous, 5.5km hike along the Noosa headlands. We were struck by the cloudless sky (seriously, it's not called the Sunshine Coast for nothin'!) and views of the rugged and beautiful coast.
On Tuesday, we drove about 50 minutes south towards Beerwah to visit the Australia Zoo, founded by "The Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. The zoo was very well laid out, offering visitors several opportunities to interact with animals. Highlights of the visit were the "croc" show, in which we saw not only crocs but several types of birds perform, holding koalas, and feeding kangaroos (again!). It was amazing to see the huge (at least 3 metres) "star" of the croc show get out of the water to defend his territory (of course, prompted by the expert staff). The girls (Ok, Ok, me too!) had fun hand feeding the rather pampered kangaroos, and all the girls loved their opportunity to hold Jaffa, a nine-year-old koala; I was sure that Jaffa was trying to shield his eyes from the intensity of Judy's radiant smile - she was in heaven!!!!!