I have waited quite a few days before updating the blog about my arrival in the Sunshine Coast so that I could soak up the atmosphere. The fact that I’m here is due to Peggy, a home swapper from Florida, whom I have known for many years and who is house sitting for 3 months near Lake Kawana. We met up in Amsterdam and London last summer and she suggested that I come join her for a couple of weeks and now here I am. I am staying in an apartment right on the lake – the view is beautiful – only 20 minutes’ walk from the beach. The beach is stunning – miles of white sand and surf breaks and hardly any people particularly during the week but even at the weekend there’s so much beach it would take an awful lot of people to make it look even vaguely populated. The apartment building is a mixture of retirement and medical professionals as it’s is right in the middle of a very large medical university campus with several specialist services and at least a couple of hospitals. The rest of the area seems to be devoted to small businesses servicing the large property developments springing up along the coast. It’s pretty bland with strip malls lining the main roads and enormous stores selling BBQs, outdoor gear, furniture and fitness centres. It reminds me very much of the Florida coast with tropical vegetation and climate although the birds and occasional wild life is very different. The bird calls are exotic and the birds much more colourful. We see the occasional kangaroo and once met a water dragon walking along the pavement – obviously lost but exciting nonetheless.
So far I have managed to do most of the things that would be of interest – whale watching, Glass Mountains (although it rained so much I have to go back as I couldn’t see anything), horse riding (more of which later), beach days, quirky museums that were mainly about themselves, Oktoberfest (waste of time and money) and lazy days at home. Because I’m staying in someone’s home it feels a bit like living here so I’m trying to get into the vibe of the Sunshine Coast. The food and drink (beer and wine) are outstanding and not expensive although we tend to cook at home.
Anna's Travels 