Tucked away in the bush..

Hey there!

- Australia -

Part 7: Montville, Sunshine Coast

The beautiful small town Montville is situated on the Blackall Range overlooking the Sunshine Coast. Driving up there is fascinating, since you pass all sorts of landscapes. First of all you start off at the beach, continuing to flat land and then gradually entering the rainforest (which makes you think that the nearest city must still be miles away) and then eventually reaching Montville by surprise.

The church in the photo sits directly at a nice lookout making magical weddings or other services possible. You can actually see all the way through the windows to the scenic lookout.

Montville has got a lot of shops, galleries and an amazing café to offer. As we visited Montville we had a delicious breakfast at the Poets Café and strolled along the Main Street to look at the shops.

It's easiest to reach the beautiful and almost untouched hinterland of the Sunshine Coast with a car. Since the towns are all close by, a roadtrip is definitely recommendable. If you ever plan a trip there, make sure to check out Maleny and maybe go for a walk around the Mapleton Falls National Park to take a look at the waterfall there (pack stuff for a picknick as well to enjoy in the rainforest).

Next up: Brisbane's West End

Greetings from Steph

Precious Paradise..

Hey there!

- Australia -

Part 3: Noosa

The other day I went on a roadtrip with some friends going up to Noosa, which is located in the North of the Sunshine Coast. To me the town had always seemed very peaceful and laid back, but also quite stylish and expensive (e.g. Hastings street).

The best spot in Noosa to enjoy a nice cup of coffee would be a place called "Bean Drop" which is located at 75 Noosa Drive. The baristas are very friendly and relaxed and the place has got quirky little things everywhere, take a look at the door handle for instance. There are also great photographs inside, taken by the Aussie photographer Keith (check him out here).

After the obligatory cup of hot chocolate we headed to the National Park of Noosa. The ocean looks magical and is so incredibly inviting. However it was quite cold, so I only dipped my toes in for a while. There are many bush turkeys strolling along the beach there and as you walk through the bush you should always look out for koala bears. They are pretty shy and unfortunately very rare, so we didn't see one as we walked around the park.

Along the coast of Noosa, you can spot many surfers trying to catch waves. The surf wasn't very good, however I am not used to seeing any waves at all, since the Baltic Sea does not have as much strength as the Pacific Ocean, of course. It was still somehow calming to watch the waves break as they reached the shore.

We eventually made our way back to the car to have a picknick in the park. When I was stuyding abroad in Australia, I loved to visit Noosa for the day. Throughout my stay in Australia now, I will definitely come back at least once more to take in the beauty of the Sunshine Coast.

Next up: Sailing on the Gold Coast

Greetings from Steph

The Sunshine State..

Hey there!

- Australia -

Part 2: Sunshine Coast

Since last Thursday I have been staying at the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. This is where I used to go to school as an international student so I wanted to return to see my old host family and the surroundings.

As I arrived at Mooloolaba with my friend who had driven up to the Coast as well, I was completely taken aback by the familarity of the place I had lived at for nearly 10 months.
Everything kind of looked the same and I managed to find my way around without opening up a map just once.
I remembered all the shops that I used to go to and where to get the best sushi right next to the beach. It sort of felt like I had never left the place, since it hadn't changed a tiny bit.

Of course what did change is that many of my friends had moved away. Also because I had spent a lot of time with my fellow international students, I couldn't meet up with them, as they had all returned to their home country many years ago.

Anyway, I pushed myself to get out of the house every day to take in the beautiful beach and nature which would not present itself to me in Germany in the exact same way. I went for long walks and runs on the beach, because it is practically my host family's "backyard". In these past days I probably learnt to spend time alone and to make this time valuable.

I have to say, I had missed the friendliness that you will recognize around Australia if you come from Germany. It is completely normal to smile at a stranger passing by or to ask a check out worker at a supermarket "how are you going?"
In addition to this most people around here wouldn't get off a bus without saying thank you to the bus driver. We could learn a few things about communication from the Aussies, that's for sure.

Next up: Noosa

Greetings from Steph