Blog By Noosa

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

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

 

Golden days at Coolum

If you're into live music, you might be interested in the Golden Days Festival at Coolum on November 19.

They've got bands and artists like The Cruel Sea, The Beautiful Girls, Xavier Rudd and Jeff Lang and the location is within walking distance of Coolum Beach accommodation.

On the Sunday, they've got a free 'chill out day' with more music, plus outdoor cinema, kite flying, sand sculpting, BMX displays, an eco village and all sorts of other things. You can find the program and all the details on their website, but it sounds like you'd better hurry up because they've already sold more than 80 per cent of their tickets.

Noosa Queensland, Coolum Queensland

Noosa Biosphere Day this weekend

If you're going to be in Noosa this weekend, the annual Noosa Biosphere Day is on Sunday the 18th from 10am to 3pm, in Noosa Woods at the far end of Hastings Street.

The free event is a celebration of the Noosa community, sustainability and creativity and there are lots of performances and free activities, especially for kids. All the information on how to get there and what's on is on the Noosa Biosphere website, so I don't know what else I need to tell you, other than that the weather forecast is for sunny and 26 degrees. Yay!

Noosa Qld

Music by the beach

Peregian was packed for Peregian Originals on Sunday. A beautiful sunny day no doubt helped, although they had an interesting collection of bands playing, too.

Peregian Originals, if you haven't come across it before, is a regular outdoor concert in the park at Peregian Beach. The concerts are free and you can take a picnic or a bottle of wine or just grab something to eat from the local shops and cafes. They always draw a huge crowd and it's always a great atmosphere, suitable for all ages.

The concerts are the first and third Sundays of each month, from 1pm, or I find it's easier to keep track by following their Facebook page. Definitely worth going if you're going to be in Noosa on one of those weekends.

Noosa Queensland

Head to Joe's for live music

Another place worth checking out, if you're looking for live entertainment, is Joe's Waterhole in Eumundi, which is about a 20 minute drive from Noosa. They get some great acts there, both Australian and international, and the venue is an old weatherboard pub with lots of atmosphere.

Colin Hay (ex Men at Work) launched his new album there the other day and they've had top Aussie bands like Thirsty Merc performing there. Mark Seymour (Hunters and Collectors) is on tonight and upcoming acts include Clare Bowditch and the American songwriter Kinky Friedman.

Noosa Qld

Long weekend, Noosa style

The Noosa Longweekend arts festival kicks off today, running through to June 26 - yep, they really do mean a long weekend.

There's a huge line-up of shows and events, including a new play by Australian playwright David Williamson, who is the patron of the event, and performances by French cabaret star Caroline Nin and singer Katie Noonan.

There are also lots of leading authors coming, to give talks at various venues around town, and there are a few food and wine events. There's also a 40th anniversary tribute dinner for David Williamson, which has an impressive line up of guest speakers.

There are still tickets available (not to all events), so have a look through the program by clicking here.

Noosa Queensland

A show while you're in town?

I might have mentioned this in passing before, but it's worth checking what's on at The J if you're in town or planning a trip. The J, located in Noosa Junction, is the main events venue in town and does the ticketing for a lot of big Noosa events, such as the upcoming Noosa Longweekend arts and culture festival.

We went to see the Melbourne International Comedy Festival roadshow there a couple of weeks ago - a great night out, as it is every year - and I often take the kids there to see shows in the school holidays, too.

Wet night in the woods

Nothing gets in the way of a girls' night out, so we ignored the rain, donned our sexy gum boots and headed down to Noosa Woods (at the far end of Hastings Street) for the 'Zinc Night in the Woods' on Saturday night.

The concert was part of the Noosa Festival of Surfing and was a fun night out, despite the teeming rain. There were some good bands and the crowd was pretty big considering the weather.

Here's a very short clip I took during the headline act, Dallas Frasca, to give you a feel for it. The festival has finished now, but there's always next year.

 

Noosa Festival of Surfing comes of age

What a cracking program they've put together for the 20th Noosa Festival of Surfing. It's now a nine-day event, running from March 12 to 20 and including all sorts of events on and off the water.

I always enjoy watching the pro surfing and I love the tandem surfing. Surfing on your own is hard enough, without trying to coordinate with someone else on the same board.

There's lots of live music and beach entertainment in the program and I know a lot of locals are planning to go along for that. The program also includes a barefoot ball, a surf expo, stand up paddle surfing and a family surf challenge.

Now, fingers crossed for perfect weather and perfect waves!

Noosa Qld