Shrug off the winter woollies and soak up the warm embrace of Noosa

WORDS SHERIDEN RHODES

The glorious Main Beach boardwalk
Photo: Courtesy Tourism Queensland

There’s something magic about Queensland’s Noosa in winter. While southerners hide their sun-starved bodies beneath layers of coats and scarves, on the Sunshine Coast it’s always summertime. The humidity that dampens the height of summer is gone. The air’s fresh, the beaches are sparkling, and the sand is soft and inviting. And like fl ocks of migratory birds, many Sydneysiders and Melburnians head north to take advantage of the sunny weather (the average May temperature is 23°C), uncrowded attractions and bath-warm sea.

Laguna Bay

Main Beach

With the town’s frenetic summer pace slowed to an unhurried meander, any local will tell you that winter is Noosa’s best-kept secret. It’s the perfect season for long walks, swimming at deserted beaches, spotting snoozing koalas or taking a scenic drive up into the lush hinterland. Winter also offers several great events to dig into. And with iconic Hastings Street now undergoing a multimillion-dollar facelift to make it more pedestrian-friendly, with increased public artworks and seating, and improved traffi c fl ow and beach access, there’s never been a better time to discover the town’s fantastic restaurants and shopping. Read on for more on how to spend a wonderful winter in Noosa.

The Noosa Longweekend

Artworks of Reg Mombassa
are highlights at the Noosa
LongweekendIf you’re heading to Noosa next month, grab tickets for the Noosa Longweekend – a 10-day celebration of some of Australia’s fi nest drama, fi lm, music, literature, art, fashion, food and debate. Started as a modest backyard festival, the Noosa Longweekend has since morphed into a major national artistic celebration.

“Noosa is renowned for its sand, sun, surf and great restaurants, but there were lots of locals, predominantly expatriates from Sydney and Melbourne, who were missing [their hometowns’] entertainment, art and music. So we thought we’d bring it to Noosa,” explains patron and founder David Williamson, himself one of Australia’s most prominent playwrights, and a local resident.

For the inaugural festival in 1992, Williamson and his wife Kristin had to twist actor Bryan Brown’s arm to get him and wife Rachel Ward to attend, offering enticements such as longboarding. Now it’s the artists who are lining up to perform. Williamson believes the festival’s appeal is the chance to see artists, musicians, authors and fi lmmakers all at once in a beautiful setting.

“People down south love coming to Noosa in the dead of winter,” he says. “Plus, the festival is unique in that it also offers a wonderful wine and food program run by local restaurateur, Jim Berardo”.

Kate Miller-HeidkeWilliamson will also show some of his most popular screen adaptations, and offer an opportunity for the audience to quiz him about the Australian fi lm and theatre industries. “Kristin and I end up exhausting ourselves attending everything we can, because we simply can’t bear missing out,” he says with a laugh.

The festival’s general manager, Bella Sipthorpe, lists this year’s program highlights as UK talk-show host Clive James, John Bell in a solo performance of Moby Dick, Mambo artist and Mental As Anything musician Reg Mombassa, and the talented young cabaret performer Kate Miller-Heidke – whose Space They Cannot Touch was Triple J radio’s most-requested song in 2006. Sipthorpe reveals that Opera Australia will also perform in the beautiful riverside setting of Ricky’s River Bar + Restaurant. A strong forum program covering a range of contemporary issues from Islam to energy will be chaired by Peter Thompson, Richard Neville and Jennifer Byrne.

As Sipthorpe asks: “Where else can you spend a morning browsing galleries, followed by a swim at Laguna Bay, before popping back for lunch with Clive James or a dinner concert with one of Australia’s leading ladies, Caroline O’Connor?”

The festival runs from 15–24 June and is offering its biggest program ever – 60 events and 108 performances. Tel: +61 (7) 5474 9941.

Settler’s Cove Celebration of Australian Food and Wine – Noosa Style

Hey Bill Shave-ice on Main Beach, Laguna Bay
Photos: Courtesy Tourism Queensland

This year’s Noosa’s Mayfi esta, sponsored by Jetstar Airways, once again includes the Settler’s Cove Celebration of Australian Food and Wine – the biggest food and wine festival in Queensland, if not Australia. Now in its fourth year, this three-day tribute to Australian food and wine is a gastronome’s delight. The phenomenal line-up of chefs, winemakers, media, restaurateurs and foodies includes Grant King of Sydney’s Pier, Brent Savage of Bentley Restaurant & Bar, and young guns Tobie Puttock of Fifteen Melbourne, Matt Moran of Aria and Darren Simpson of La Sala.

Succulent seared tuna at
Berardo’s Restaurant and
BarYou can take a cooking lesson or sit down to lunch with Australia’s leading chefs, walk one of three food trails, sample cuisine from the country’s best chefs at local restaurants, or treat yourself to the Great Australian Dégustation at the renowned Berardo’s Restaurant and Bar, where chef Bruno Loubet will provide a culinary experience to remember. The celebrations culminate with the Great Aussie BBQ and a live concert by the gorgeous and acclaimed Kate Ceberano.

The event, proudly sponsored by Jetstar, runs from 18–20 May. Tel: 1300 797 723 within Australia or book online at www.jetstar.com

The Everglades

Canoeing on Lake
Cootharaba It’s known as the ‘river of mirrors’ – an Everglades cruise with Beyond Noosa gives you a chance to discover another side to Noosa. The journey takes passengers up the Noosa River and lakes and into the mysterious Everglades, a pristine environment at the gateway to Cooloola and Fraser Island, known for its dark tannin waters and mirror-perfect refl ections.

Cruises can be combined with a 4WD Coloured Sands safari during which you can marvel at the renowned Coloured Sand Cliffs with their deep red, orange, yellow, black and brown hues. Cruises cost from AU$74 for adults and AU$45 for children (family rates available). Tel: +61 (7) 5449 9177.

A Walk in the Park

Near Boiling Point Lookout
at Noosa National ParkIn summer, Noosa National Park – Australia’s most visited national park – is packed with visitors walking, swimming and admiring the dramatic coastal views. Winter gives you the chance to take it all in minus the crowds. Stroll barefoot along secluded beaches, swim in magical inlets, spot scrub turkeys and lizards, and look for black cockatoos and sleepy koalas high in the gum trees.

Singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke, who’s performing at this year’s Noosa Longweekend for the second time, says the park is her favourite thing about Noosa. “The last time I was there I saw a koala, turtles and dolphins. And in winter you have it all to yourself,” she says. All up, there are fi ve different walks to try. For walking trail information visit the Noosa National Park Information Centre on Park Road, Noosa Heads, tel: +61 (7) 5447 3243.

Sunset sailing on Noosa River
Photo: Courtesy Tourism Queensland

Market Adventures

Winter is the ideal time for market browsing around Noosa. The famous Eumundi Market has put the historic township of Eumundi, 15 minutes outside of Noosa, well and truly on the map. Established in 1979, the colourful, eclectic market transforms this otherwise sleepy hill town into a buzzing shopping haven every Saturday and Wednesday.

The market’s philosophy is ‘make it, bake it, design it, sew it, or grow it’ so there’s no fear of fi nding mass-produced factory overruns on sale. Shop for homemade ginger beer, locally made clothes, handbags, quality kids’ toys, leather belts, organic fruit, veggies and colourful artwork. You can also enjoy the live entertainment of bongo drums, bush poetry or electronic didgeridoo – and for a perfect ending, drop into the Eumundi pub afterwards for an ice-cold XXXX beer on its shady veranda. Memorial Drive, Eumundi, tel: +61 (7) 5442 7106.

At the weekly Noosa Farmers’ Market, meanwhile, you can sample the wonderful local produce while chatting with a local pineapple grower, meeting the family from Maleny Dairies, and asking a farmer why his bananas taste so much better than the ones at Coles supermarket. Noosa AFL Grounds, 155 Weyba Road, Noosaville, 7.30am–1pm each Sunday.

Noosa River
Photo: Courtesy Tourism Queensland

More Information

For more information, visit one of Noosa’s three Visitor Information Centres: opposite the roundabout on Hastings Street, Noosa Heads; Noosa Marina, Parkyn Court Tewantin; and at the Heritage Hut, Poinciana Avenue, Tewantin. Tel: 1300 066 672 within Australia or +61 (7) 5430 5000.

For all your travel choices, go to www.jetstar.com