POSTED: 19 OCTOBER 2010

Destination: Queensland's Sunshine Coast

MIKE SMITH heads to Noosa and finds all the coast needs is a little ray of sunshine

A funny thing happened in Queensland. It rained ... and rained ... and rained — for the entire weekend.

And when there was a break between drops, the cloud cover was so thick there was little chance of the sun peeping through with its warming rays.

“It’s La Nina’s fault,” was the explanation given by Queenslander Mike Burrell, the driver-cum-guide on a Discovery cruise of the Everglades. “We have had a lot of rain over the past three years and it’s all to do with La Nina.”

Ironically, our holiday was on the Sunshine Coast, a couple of weeks after Tourism Queensland launched its latest Where Australia Shines marketing campaign.

Fortunately, we had stayed in Noosa before, in much more pleasant conditions when we were able to soak in days of sunshine, not rain, by the bucket load.

Despite the inclement weather on the recent trip, everyone remained jovial and upbeat. There was no need to ponder what could have been, we thought to ourselves.

Even after being soaked to the bone on the walk from the Noosa Surf Club to our resort, laughter rang loudly along a road that had been transformed into a river, the umbrellas deemed ineffective.

After all the rain, Sunday morning along Noosa’s fashionable Hastings Street was understandably slow. Despite the grey cover, almost every local and his dog were there to meet, have breakfast and rub shoulders with holidaying guests. They weren’t prepared to let the rain dampen their plans.

The cafes were alive with chat and the clinking of cutlery, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee as enticing as the scent of bacon and eggs and, of particular note around Noosa, eggs benedict.

On a shaded street corner, outside popular Roroco restaurant and bar, four tail-wagging, leashed pooches sat, far from unhappy with their social shelter.

Sitting nearby, the pet owners discussed local issues intertwined with laughter as they tucked into their fruit juice, fresh fruit and yoghurt, and accompanying latté or cappuccino.

“This is typical Noosa on a Saturday or Sunday morning,” explained Brisbane’s Corina Ammann, a regular visitor to the holiday hotspot at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast.

“Fancy breakfast on the beachfront?” she asked as we continued our stroll under umbrellas past the surf club, a sprinkling of boutiques and souvenir stores, an ice creamery and a host of other inviting cafes.

“We’ll have something to eat at Bistro C. It’s a very popular restaurant with families, couples — almost everyone.”

For the next hour, we sat back, sipped coffee, dined on eggs and lapped up the warm casual atmosphere while looking across an uncrowded, sandy Main Beach free of sunseekers.

Despite the threat of further rain, the feeling was nonchalant. It seemed an eternity since we boarded the Jetstar aircraft in Sydney for the direct flight to Maroochydore Airport and, ultimately, Henry’s Airport Bus Service 30-minute transfer ($50 return ticket) north.

Noosa’s appeal was such that guests from all walks of life had booked a stay.

Some had flown in from the USA to sample Noosa’s hospitality. Others had travelled from Italy, France and the UK. And judging by the accents, New Zealand was also well represented, almost as strongly as Sydney and Melbourne.

For many of the interstate and international visitors, a room had been booked at the newly opened Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa, the first five-star resort to open at Laguna Bay for 20 years.

Perched at the eastern end of Hastings Street, about a 500-metre walk from the beach, the resort, with its 197 self-contained suites, villas and penthouses (word has it that there are actually 198 as one was only recently “found”), was in a leafy corner, a virtual “sea of green”, neighbouring Noosa National Park.

The national park takes up the main headland, across a rocky coastline with sheltered beaches and coves.  It’s a bushwalker’s delight with its marked trails, one hugging the shore to Sunshine Beach, others cutting through rainforest, open forest, scrubland and grasslands.

Considering its close proximity to the national park, Outrigger Little Hastings Street had been designed with facilities that general manager Alex Chapman stressed “respect the natural environment”.

It was billed as the region’s “greenest large-scale resort, setting the benchmark for future luxury eco tourism developments”.

And among its eco-friendly features was a rainwater harvesting system (36,000 trees were planted to replace what was a banana plantation), along with gas-and-solar-powered hot-water systems, gas-heated swimming pools and energy-saving implements in each of the suites.

Step out onto the balcony of such suites as 8307 and guests are greeted by a forest with a gentle stream flowing below, the tranquil sound of flowing water (and accompanying rainfalls) complemented by the chirps of native birds from a national park which is said to be home to over 1100 species of fauna and flora.

Sadly, due to disease and road accidents, the local koala population has dropped dramatically to, at last count, a discerning four.

“This is really disturbing,” said Alex in light of the revelation. “We need to find out more so we can help restore the numbers.”

Apart from the spacious, tastefully decorated, air-conditioned rooms with their kitchenettes and laundries, the resort – which opened in July this year – prides itself on having two pools (a third is for private use), a games room, gymnasium and a 144-seat a-la-carte View on Little Hastings Restaurant which opens out with a bird’s eye view of the town.

Executive chef Olivier Maokhamphieu, the son of a French mother and a Vietnamese father with 30 years’ experience preparing dishes for heads of government, international celebrities and musicians around the world, created a tantalising menu of Asian fusion cuisine using mainly local produce.

A short stroll up the hill from the restaurant was Stephanie’s Ocean Spa (day spa), understandably busy on weekends, especially when you consider the strength of Noosa as a weddings destination.

If we could somehow prise ourselves away from the sanctuary of the resort and the shops, cafes and bars of Hastings Street, there were plenty of activities to try, from taking a horse ride or camel safari along the beach on Noosa’s north shore (albeit wet rides) to taking a drive inland to the Glass House Mountains, seeing up close the crocodiles and other native fauna at Australia Zoo or booking a Discovery cruise of the Noosa Everglades.

The Everglades afternoon cruise — $75 an adult (adult concession $70), $59 a child 14 years and under, $250 a family — began at Noosa Heads and headed up river past the plush homes on Noosa Sound and Noosaville, with its restaurants and holiday apartments on Gympie Terrace, to the town of Tewantin.

Around a sharp bend, and many of the 50 houseboats that call Noosa home, and the river island of Makepeace was sighted. It’s on this isle that Virgin founder Richard Branson created a holiday retreat for his staff members. The car-carrying ferry linking Tewantin with the north shore and the famous Coloured Sands and Rainbow Beach, was also passed before our craft reached the first of two vast lakes, Cooroibah and Cootharaba.

Eventually we made it to the Everglades, the images of the native paperbark trees mirrored almost perfectly in the brownish, yet extremely fresh waters.

Our guide/driver Mike Burrell, who has crewed on his fair share of Sydney-to-Hobart yacht classics, tied up the vessel near a historic loggers camp – Harry’s Hut – where a generous selection of pastries and cakes were served, washed down by tea, coffee, soft drink or a glass or two of bubbly. By the time we reboarded, the wind had gained further strength, a 30-knot headwind making the return journey across the open lakes bumpier and more adventurous.

It was about that time that we realised another night in the warm shelter of our suite would be rewarding. Our only hope was to return without being saturated.

Disclosure: The writer stayed as a guest of Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa.

Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa.

Cruising the Everglades.

GETTING THERE

Jetstar and Virgin Blue have direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne. Tiger Airways also flies into Maroochydore. Henry’s Airport Bus transfers to resorts at Noosa Heads — $50 return. Phone 07 5474 0199. Noosa is a 90-minute drive north of Brisbane.

STAY

Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa, Noosa, from $279 per night, including breakfast for two. Phone 07 5449 2277 or 1800 726591, or visit www.outrigger.com.au

TOUR

Noosa Everglades Discovery afternoon-tea river cruise, $75 per adult, $70 adult concession, $59 a child (14 years and under), $250 a family. Phone 07 5449 0393, or visit www.thediscoverygroup.com.au

INFORMATION

Noosa Information Centre. Phone 1800 002624 or 07 5430 5000, or visit www.visitnoosa.com.au or www.queenslandholidays.com.au