Wednesday, January 8, 2014

On the Streets of Noosa

Hello from the first post for Desire Empire in 2014.  Nothing like a lovely break away from blogging to recharge the batteries and get inspired to bring you my brand of creativity in 2014.

On The Streets of Noosa

If you follow @desireempire on instagram, which you really should, as I plan to be over there a bit more this year, you will  have seen we have had a lovely 2 weeks R & R in Noosa.


I have been going to Noosa since I was 4 years old and my parents many year before that.  There have been loads of changes since then of course, but if you know where to look, there is still a bit of  retro charm, in the old girl yet.


Like the gorgeous fibro magestic retro beach house next to our block of units on Gympie Terrace.  I bet the developers did everything in their power to get their hands on this gorgeous bit of vintage, but happily it appears to have been 'no sale'.

It is this kind of quirkiness, mixed in with the 21st century stuff, that I love to sniff out and explore in Noosa.


When I was 4, there was actually no beach at Noosa Heads, just a pile of large black rocks along the shore front.  They were put there in an attempt to save all the real estate along Hastings Street, built on the sand dunes.  The location of those developments did not allow the natural replenishment of the beach, in the tropical storms Queensland is so famous for.  I remember sitting on those rocks, where the sand of Noosa Beach has now been put back, and catching a shed load of whiting, with my dad.  The board walk was always there, across the top of the rocks, but now you look out to what is a regular beach.  A beach which has been washed away, more than once since being reinstated.  A sign that we are alot more affluent as a society these days and probably more demanding of our tourist destinations too.


I also remember sitting out on the Noosa River, in a hired dinghy with my mum and dad, when I was 7,   The engine conked out and mum lost it big time.  She grew up in Melbourne during the Depression and War years and it seems swimming lessons were not a priority back then.  Life jackets were not a consideration on small boats either, even for kids, back in the 70's. Dad could not get the boat going and we were drifting fast towards the notorious sand bar at Noosa Heads.  I cannot for the life of me, remember how the incident was resolved, but I do remember mum threatening to kill dad and using some weird language, I did not understand back then.  Now the story has become part of our family history in Noosa.


There was also the time we went for a walk through the National Park and decided to take a dip at Granite Bay.  It was the 70's and unbeknownst to my parents, Granite Bay was a nudist beach.  It must of been a long walk in, because instead of turning around and leaving, my conservative parents and I stayed up one end of the beach, whilst all the tits and ass remained up the other.  That was fine, until a honey mooning couple, who had also been caught unawares of the dress code, decided to get into the spirit of their environment and got naked right in front of us, filming themselves in the process. Kind of like an alfresco stripe tease, if you will. As a seven year old, you can well imagine, my eyes were out on sticks.  One more quick swim and we were out of there, laughing all the way back to the car and for years to come, about that funny experience.


 This year my mum joined us for our holiday and those stories were told once again, only this time to the next generation.


Although my dad was missing this time, it was as usual, a memory maker of a holiday.   My parents' best friends moved to Noosa 18 years ago, after many holidays up there as a foursome and they are now living the slower Noosa lifestyle every day.  It was a fabulous catch up and a great way for mum to bring in the New Year with old friends.


I took almost 1000 photos, so stay tuned for some travel stories from Noosa with details about where to shop, play and eat.  I can't wait to show you some of the beauties I found. So until then Beach Dwellers.


For more tips on where to shop, eat and play in and around Noosa try these.

Eumundi Markets and Noosa Farmers' Market here.
A review of The Spirit House here
Shopping in Noosaville and Noosa Junction here.
Shopping and Dining at Perigian Beach here.
Silent Movies at the Majestic in Pomona here.

If you would like Desire Empire posts to come straight to your inbox every ten days or so, you can sign up here for my Newsletter.

Today I am linked up here
Domesblissity
With Some Grace
Feathered Nest Friday
Show and Tell Friday Blog
Metamorphosis Monday

11 comments :

  1. a fantastic collection of photos!.. makes me feel like i was there too. sounds like a great holiday.

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  2. Oh, I love your photos Carolyn. Just beautiful. You've captured the Noosa I love so well. I've been many a time to Granite Bay (or further along at Alexandria Bay). Those were the days. Carefree and not hesitating to throw off the clobber. Sorry we couldn't catch up. Kids were at their Dad's, all over the place with pick up and drop off times and I had an appointment Monday. Tuesday I would've been all yours. Hopefully we will soon. Can't wait for the next lot of photos.

    Anne xx

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  3. What a great way to start the new year! Happy 2014!AriadnefromGreece!

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  4. I adore Noosa! I especially love the beach and had no idea that the sand needed to be put back there after it washes away. Complete opposite of North Narrabeen, eh?
    xx

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  5. I realised last year that I've largely neglected visiting the Sunshine Coast in recent years...I plan to make up for it!

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  6. what lovely images of noosa....it was great to follow you on instagram whilst you were here and glad you made it to most of the great shops and markets etc....she sure put on some warm weather for you.
    looking forward to reading your posts about your adventures.
    Bec x
    Rebeccalm_ on instagram.

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  7. I absolutely love Noosa. Living in Brisbane, it's only a 2 hours drive away, but we only ever manage to get up there once a year! Your photos have encouraged me to get back up there before the school holidays are over :)

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  8. Amazing pics of Noosa. You make me want to hop on a plane right now!

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  9. Fab photo story of Noosa, captures it really well. Beautiful. Can't wait to get there.

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  10. loved reading this latest blog... wonderful. hope we can meet for a cuppa when you return. :)

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