Noosa Accommodations for Your Holidays in Noosa: Blog By Noosa

Ginger Festival draws the crowds

We had a really enjoyable afternoon at The Ginger Factory on the weekend, with the annual Ginger Flower & Food Festival on. The place was full of colour from ginger flower displays and there was live music, cooking demonstrations and roving performers for entertainment.

We picked up some tips on cooking with ginger in a lesson by top chefs Michael Jenkins and Dominique Rizzo and then had ginger ice cream and ginger beer spiders - yum!  I did resist the temptation to buy more ginger plants this time; I usually end up going home with at least one tucked under my arm.

The Ginger Factory, which is in Yandina, is worth visiting any time of year, even if it's just for a wander around the gardens and an ice cream. My kids love the Overboard ride and the train, and you can do a factory tour if you want to, but it's free entry if you just want to have a look around.

Noosa's favourite sport

The annual Noosa Festival of Surfing is also coming up, from March 11 to 17. It will be six days of surfing, live music and other attractions, down on the beach at First Point, which is one of Noosa's most famous surfing spots (just around from Main Beach and Hastings Street).

I'm not a surfer but I love going along to watch - let's pray for good waves. Along with the standard surfing, they have stand-up paddle surfing, which is a huge sport here, and I imagine the beach bar will be a pretty popular spot!

It's probably a good idea to book some accommodation if you're planning to come, as the festival has become pretty popular and brings a lot of people into town. Anywhere around Hastings Street, Little Cove, Noosa Sound or Noosa Junction would be an easy walk, but there are always buses and ferries from other parts of town if you're looking for an alternative.

For more details on the events of the festival, click here to go to their website.

 

Images courtesy Phill Jackson Photography

Noosa Qld

Hot bodies coming our way

If you're thinking about a trip to Coolum or Noosa, you might want to time it to catch some of the action of the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman series, which is being held here next month.

I went along last year and it's a great spectator sport (read into that what you will!) You've got beautiful beaches, high profile competitors and a great atmosphere, with everyone cheering on the beach.

The Coolum event is being held on February 12, in front of the Coolum Beach Surf Club, then the finals of the series are being held in Noosa on February 19, on Main Beach in front of the Noosa Heads Surf Club. I'm there!

Noosa Queensland, Coolum Queensland

New Year's resolution: be pampered!

Talking of being kind to yourself, Noosa and Coolum have a wealth of spa and wellness options for some pampering, relaxation or re-setting of the system for the New Year.

It's not just for women, either. One of Noosa's best-known spas, Ikatan, has a 'ManSPAce' special for men at the moment, in case you blokes need a bit of convincing!

Ikatan is worth visiting for its location if nothing else; it is in the Noosa hinterland and has beautiful tropical gardens complete with gazebos where you can relax or spend some time with a group of friends. They do lots of 'spartys' and hen's days combining spa treatments with 'high tea' and champagne, and it's a genuine 'Noosa' experience.

Noosa Queensland, Coolum Queensland

New Year's resolution: more holidays!

Happy New Year!  And I hope you took my advice on the blue cocktails...

May 2012 bring lots of sunshine, swimming, good food, good wine and good coffee - all the ingredients of a perfect Noosa holiday.

Make it your New Year's resolution to spend some time here this year, you'll be glad you did.

Noosa Qld, Coolum Qld

Christmas, Noosa style

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, wherever you may be in the world.

December 25 for me will bring a guaranteed early start followed by opening presents around the tree, and then lunch with the family.

We've ordered some Moreton Bay bugs (that's a type of seafood, in case you're wondering if us crazy Australians eat insects!) and local prawns, which will go very nicely with a glass or two of bubbly on what is sure to be a hot day.

The afternoon will no doubt involve a game of cricket on the beach and hopefully some peace and quiet to float around in the pool. All hail the banana lounge!

Season's greetings and safe travels.

Noosa Qld, Coolum Qld, Eumundi Qld

 

Why wear clothes?

Speaking of Eumundi, Tourism Queensland has just named the Australian Body Art Carnivale one of its "12 Must-See Events for 2012".

The annual event, which is being held on May 12 and 13, is well worth seeing if you haven't been. It includes body painting, face painting, "wearable art", photography, pavement art, even painted cars. It's visually speccy but still a relaxed, low-key sort of event, where you can just wander around and watch the artists at work.

The theme for 2012 is 'under the sea', which should give the artists plenty to work with. And the whole event, including a street party and an outdoor movie session, is free.

It's luckily still pretty warm here in May. Not that I was planning on volunteering!

Noosa Qld, Eumundi Qld

The fun way to do Christmas shopping

Eumundi Markets is holding its Summer Twilight Markets again these holidays, starting next week. The Friday night markets will be held on December 16, December 23, December 30, January 6 and January 13, starting at 5pm and going through until about nine.

You could easily do your Christmas shopping at the markets if you want to - there are lots of good quality, handmade gifts for kids and adults, including toys, clothes, jewellery, beauty products and gourmet produce. Every time I go there I find a stall I've never seen before and there are some really quirky and unusual things to buy.

If you're one of those annoying people like me who have already finished their Christmas shopping, you can also just go along and grab some dinner, listen to some live music and enjoy the atmosphere. I've been to the markets loads of times and I'm not sick of it yet.

Noosa Queensland, Eumundi Queensland

 

Christmas in Noosa

If you're heading to Noosa for Christmas - and nice work if you are! - you might find this Christmas in Noosa guide useful.

It gives you the trading hours for most of the bars, restaurants and cafes in Noosa (I'm so glad it wasn't my job compiling it) over the Christmas and New Year period. Some restaurants are open on Christmas Day but not all, so you'll need to get organised and make a booking if you want to eat out.

Most Noosa restaurants are open on New Year's Eve but they are likely to get fully booked, so it's a good idea to plan ahead for that, too.

Disclaimer: I do not personally recommend drinking blue cocktails...

 

Noosa Qld, Coolum Qld, Eumundi Qld

Sunshine is happiness

It's become a great mystery to me how there can be any beaches left in Noosa, given the amount of sand that ends up in my house and my car. But I'm willing to put up with sand for as long as the weather stays like this!

It's been between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius, with clear blue skies, for weeks now and the water's about 23 degrees, which is perfect. You get in the water and just want to stay there all day.

Noosa Queensland, Coolum Queensland