Noosa National Park

A holiday in Noosa can end up being very expensive if at night you frequent the many fine dining restaurants along the Noosa beachfront that may or may not be worth the price charged and even more expensive for you if you also choose to eat out for breakfast and lunch as well.

View from the coastal walk

View from the coastal walk

But holidaying in Noosa doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg and there’s so much more to do than sit in cafes and restaurants.  One of the great opportunities on offer is a wander through the Noosa National Park and this is absolutely free.  Noosa National Park was established in 1939 and covers nearly 3000 hectares (7400 acres).  Walking tracks have been established and there is a variety of walks that take you along the scenic coast or through the densely shaded rainforest.  The walks have been graded to suit a variety of fitness levels and there is a kiosk in the park where you can buy necessities like water, sunscreen and insect repellant.  And they sell coffee too but it wasn’t the best!

Surfers waiting for the next wave

Surfers waiting for the next wave

What I love about the walks is not only being able to view the scenic coastline with its white sandy beaches and turquoise water, but the abundant wildlife that seems quite happy to co-exist with hundreds of tourists tramping through their domain.

A track on the coastal bush track

A track on the coastal bush walk

On a perfect summer’s day, we took Alfie for a walk through the National Park to Tea Tree Bay, about a half hour stroll into the park.  It’s a beautiful isolated and private beach with white sand and shade under the tea trees.  The water at this time of year is around 25C (77F) which is very pleasant and the waves on this day were very gentle and perfect for body surfing.

Tea Tree Bay - only accessible on foot

Tea Tree Bay – only accessible on foot

Perfect if you don’t like crowds.  Alfie played with the rocks and stones and made a sculpture.

Alfie builds a rock sculpture on the beach at Tea Tree Bay

Alfie builds a rock sculpture on the beach at Tea Tree Bay

This image is taken from Boiling Pot, a point about 15 minutes walk into the National Park.  That’s a lone woman out there paddle-surfing.  She’s a long way from shore and I hope she eventually made it to her destination – I was worried the current might sweep her out to sea!

View from Boiling Pot

View from Boiling Pot

Along the track you see plenty of bush turkeys.  They are very difficult to photograph as they move very quickly and being low to the ground they are quickly covered by scrub and bush.  I tried all week to photograph them, always ending up with just a beak or a tail in my image.  But here is one I found near the apartments we stayed in – not the best image but I captured the beast!

Bush turkey

Bush turkey

I think around the world there is a misconception that in koalas are in abundance and every time you look up into a eucalyptus tree, there they are.  But they’re not!  It is an extremely rare circumstance to see a koala in the wild.  In the Noosa National Park koalas do exist and would be the most photographed species by far.  This koala was very low down so relatively easy to photograph (aside from the expected issues of direct sun and branches screening the subject).  As you can see, the koala’s asleep.  Koalas sleep around 20 hours a day.  They only eat eucalyptus leaves and these take an enormous amount of energy to digest, causing the animal to sleep and rest most of its life.

Too gorgeous

Too gorgeous

And because one image just isn’t enough, here’s another…

A koala in the wild - a rare sight!

A koala in the wild – a rare sight!

On our way to the National Park we walked down the bush track that lead from our apartment to the main road.  On the track we saw a giant goanna that must have been 5-6 feet long.  It hurried past us and quickly shot up a tree.  Goannas are to be feared!  You don’t want to approach them as they bite and when they bite they lock their jaws and don’t let go.  And because they eat carrion their mouths are full of bacteria so if they bite you, you’re bound to end up with a very infected wound.

A huge goanna

A huge goanna

On our way back from Tea Tree Bay I heard a hurried scuttle in the bush beside me.  I stopped and next thing another goanna sprang from the bush and raced up a tree.  It had just caught a baby blue-tongue lizard and this was still alive and dangling out of the sides of the goanna’s mouth.  The poor thing was wriggling with a terrified look in its eye and I think it knew the ending wasn’t going to be good – it’s no Garden of Eden living in the wild in the animal kingdom.

A goanna with a blue-tongue lizard in its mouth.

A goanna with a blue-tongue lizard in its mouth.

And that ended a lovely day out in the Australian bush.  Plenty of entertainment for all of us.

I’ll see you on Facie!

 

 

Comments

  1. Hi,
    It is a beautiful walk through the park, and you done a wonderful job capturing the wildlife, not always an easy thing to do. 🙂
    I got the shivers seeing that lady out at sea like that all alone, I always think of sharks when I see pictures like this.

  2. Gian Banchero says:

    Thanks ever so much for the wonderful moment of warm sunshine “Down Under”, as you know we up north of the equator are in mid-winter with warm weather being a distant memory. We here in Berkeley, California have more than our fair share of critters, opossums (which are really harmless loveable big rats), racoons (bad little beasties that attack our fruit trees), deer (who eat our rose bushes) and large flocks of turkeys that enjoy everything the vegetable garden has to offer. Again, thank you for the summer “visit”.

  3. wow so pretty wish Australia was closer would visit again, and I remember seeing Koala’s in a conservation area and learning how few there are as their habitat’s have been destroyed

  4. The national park looks lovely. It’s so nice to get away from the crowds! Glad you had a good time.

  5. How fun to see so much wildlife! 20 hours of sleep a day.. hmm I’d like to be a koala please.

  6. What a beautiful place to be, and you are certainly making the most of it. The beach is gorgeous, probably more so because of having to walk to it, and I love Alfie’s rock sculpture.

  7. Lucky there were no snakes. My main experience of that national park was granite Bay, a nudist beach. My parents mistakenly took me there when I was 7 and I’ve never forgotten it. It certainly is a fabulous part of the planet.
    Carolyn

  8. We were at Alexandra Headlands.. in between Maroochydore and Mooloolaba. Love that you saw a koala! I would have been a little bit wary of the goanna! Lovely views 🙂

  9. What a beautiful park except for the lizard in the goanna’s moth. I’ve never heard of a goanna. Loved the koala shots, also, although I never realized they had such sharp teeth. These scenes make me wish I could be there instead of in cold and snowy Minnesota. Thanks for at least taking me on vacation for a bit.

  10. How exciting and beautiful… Thank you dear Charlie, love, nia

  11. How fun to see a koala in the wild! I would absolutely love that and have taken at least a dozen pictures! They sleep 20 hours a day. Wow. And I think Mr. N and Alfie would get along so well. Mr. N spent hours building in the sand on the beach. I think he could spend days doing it. 🙂

  12. Looks like a wonderful place … and well done at capturing the beauty.

  13. What gorgeous scenery! Love that beach view…especially when we just have snow to look at around here! And how cool to spot the koala…but I’d be happy to miss the spooky lizard…yikes.

  14. Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful pictures with us Charlie.
    With a snow storm coming in tomorrow it is so refereshing to see the sun and beach pictures 🙂

  15. How beautiful and what a great opportunity to make memories with Alfie. Australia offers so very much at just every level. I must make it there one day.

  16. How lucky to have seen the Koala, I had no idea they slept so much. I suppose they don’t have predators and that’s why he can just fall asleep in the tree so visible.
    What a lovely park to have so close to the resort and that it’s free. We have to pay to entre parks in Canada, every single one of them. And it’s usually not cheap.

  17. Aw! What a cute koala!

  18. I love a private beach- no judgment on me in my bathing suit! I could practically smell the eucalyptus and hear the cicadas on your walk Charlie, what a great relaxing day 🙂

  19. This park is very beautiful my friend the scenery is breathtaking!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  20. Sounds like you had a delightful time. I do think two photos of the koala were in order too. Alfie sure looked happy about his sculpture.

  21. What a gorgeous place to be staying! And that koala could be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I want to pet one!! hehe.

  22. You just gave me the most relaxing break from my work day! What a beautiful trip! I love to be outside in nature. Thanks for sharing this!

  23. Just come and visit me for a day if you want a good bush turkey pic they’re everywhere in Brisbane! Glad you got to enjoy the National Park. That walk would have to be one of my favourite ever. Did you make it around to Hell’s gates?

  24. Ahhhhh, absolutely beautiful! The koala is just adorable….lucky you!

    I added a picture of chopped green chilis for you on my last post 🙂

  25. Beautiful pictures Charlie…it seems to me that I just went for a short vacation by looking at these pictures…thank you!
    Happy 2013 and have a great week ahead!

  26. Gorgeous scenery that you captured so beautifully, precious photo of Alfie and his rock sculpture, thanks for taking us along on the tour. Glad you finally got a photo of the bush turkey. Like Eva, I had no idea koala slept so many hours.

  27. Enjoying the travel blog – actually planning a trip to Noosa towards Easter and am very happy for the tips on deserted beaches and nature walks, I do need a break from the cafes and shopping after all.

  28. An absolutely beautiful photo series, Charlie! And those two closeup koala shots must be amongst the best I have seen!!!

  29. such a beautiful part of the world. We really do have the best beaches and coast line in Australia don’t we.

  30. Noosa National Park sounds like a great place for a holiday, Charlie. I like the idea of walking to a more secluded beach, one where you can just relax without being bothered by souvenir hawkers and the like. I didn’t know that you, too, had a species of turkey. Yours sounds more elusive that ours are, or have become.
    Thanks for taking us along, I doubt I ever would have heard of, let alone seen, Noosa.

  31. I am pretty sure I remember that national park for the trees! They were gorgeous and still are by the look of your photos.

  32. I want a koala- no, no, sorry, I want a pair! They are just too gorgeous for words.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  33. What a beautiful trip with your family, the park looks beyond gorgeous!!! I am glad you were all had a lovely time together:-) Hugs, Terra

  34. Oh to see koalas in their natural habitat! Wow! This is such a gorgeous spot, Charlie. I would be in heaven! And I agree with you about not always spending so much time and money on meals and other attractions. We’re trying to take more trips without giving into that tempation. We end up spending so much money when what we were really wanting to do was see an area or even take advantage of some quality hiking time. Any good we do is probably undone by heavy meals and fancy drink! I wouldn’t need a thing in this beautiful beach spot!

  35. Well, I was going to say how much I wished I was there too until you mentioned the goanna. Scary. The koala is darling, though. How lucky you were to spot it!

  36. Waw! What a lovely park this is!

    Thanks for the tour! It was very interesting! Beautiful pics from the nature, the scenery & the wildlife too! 🙂

  37. SO beautiful! My son loves creatures and he’d be so excited to see the goanna and koalas outside the zoo! 😉

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