Here comes the sun

Living on the east coast we’re treated to some amazing sunrises at this time of year.

So I understand anyway, they do happen very early.

The day we left Noosa after our long weekend, a marathon was due to close the road outside our campsite between 5am and 2pm. Which was a great excuse for a long lie-in and a lazy bbq brunch by the river before heading home in the afternoon. Definitely a better option than creeping out before dawn to beat the traffic.

You’ll notice none of the photos below are of a lazy bbq brunch.

I can’t deny we did miss all the traffic though.

Campervan Converts - Sunshine Beach sunrise

Campervan Converts - Sunshine Beach sunrise

So having set off rather sleepily in the dead of night, we drove ten minutes down the coast and parked overlooking Sunshine Beach. Where just a hint of daylight bouncing off the sea indicated the imminent sunrise.

Well, we thought it was imminent; the sun chose to rise behind the largest cloud in the sky and didn’t appear until two hours later. But I dragged Paul down to the beach (he had already gone back to bed in the campervan) and we braced the very chilly sea air until it was fully light.

Campervan Converts - Sunshine Beach sunrise

Campervan Converts - Sunshine Beach sunrise

Campervan Converts - Sunshine Beach sunrise

Sunshine Beach is a beautiful place to wake up, and watching the sun rise – particularly having seen it set the evening before – was a special experience.

Campervan Converts - Sunshine Beach sunrise

Campervan Converts - Sunshine Beach sunrise

By 7am the car park was bustling with surfers and dog walkers, and we were glad we’d reserved the best spot to enjoy our cornflakes.

Campervan Converts - campervan brekkie

Campervan Converts - Sunshine Beach sunrise

Campervan Converts - Sunshine Beach sunrise

I’ll review the site in Noosa where we stayed in the next post, it was a good ‘un.

A campervan trip to Noosa – the place to be

Ah campervan – how we have missed you! It’s been a rather eventful year so far and somehow four months have passed since we last enjoyed a camping mini-break. Noosa, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and a couple of hours north of Brisbane, is one of our favourite spots and was the perfect place to quench the drought.

Campervan Converts - Noosa beach

Campervan Converts - Noosa National Park

Miles of white powdery sand and perfect rolling waves, a national park with spectacular coastal views and koalas playing in the trees, and a main street lined with little boutiques and critically acclaimed restaurants.

This is where the beautiful people hang out.

Which I must admit can be a little stressful: it’s hard to completely ignore the boot-campers on the sand next to you reaching their hundredth press-up as you’re tucking into a(nother) bag of freshly baked apple danishes. Or the swishy-haired locals sprinting past with strollers as you’re stopping to catch your breath on the scenic boardwalk’s slight incline.

Campervan Converts - Noosa beach

Still, our long weekend was wonderfully relaxing. We camped at the Noosa River Holiday Park next to the river and spent our days wandering along the beach (dodging all organised fitness activities), café-hopping and generally enjoying the last warmth of summer.

As usual this was liberally interspersed with a bit of photography.

Campervan Converts - Noosa River Holiday Park

Campervan Converts - Noosa River Holiday Park

Campervan Converts - splash

We’ve always seen some amazing sunsets in Noosa and were lucky again this time. Campers and pelicans alike assembled in pockets along the river bank as the light changed.

Campervan Converts - Noosa sunset

Campervan Converts - Noosa pelicans

Campervan Converts - Noosa pelicans

Using varying methods to catch dinner…

Campervan Converts - Noosa sunset

Campervan Converts - Noosa pelicans

Campervan Converts - Noosa sunset

Campervan Converts - Noosa sunset

Campervan Converts - Noosa sunset

Just a few hours after the sun set on our last night, we were chasing the sunrise a few miles down the coast (for reasons which seemed entirely logical at the time). I will save the pictures for my next blog!