Sunshine Coast-Day 10

Today we went on a little drive up the Sunshine Coast (and yes, named very appropriately today, sunny and 70! Another Goldilocks day!) With the kids in tow- they were SO good- our first stop was the little town of Noosa. It was so cute, full of boutiques (very expensive!) and restaurants.

I just love the road signs here!!! hehe.

Of course the best part was the beach! BEAUTIFUL! The water was so crystal clear you could see the shadow of the surfer's surfboards on the bottom of the ocean floor! We went on a morning walk down a trail that followed the ocean edge. It was so pretty. I would walk about 10 steps, stop, take a picture, walk another 10 steps, stop take a picture. I felt like each view was even better than the last!! 

The hip cool thing to do in Australia apparently is to rent a "camper van" and drive up the coast, Amanda said they had kitchen areas and all! I really wanted to ask if I could take a tour of one, but I felt a little awkward doing so. It was interesting seeing all of the hippies "express themselves" through the artwork on the camper vans. I tried to snap a few pics discreetly without looking like a complete tourist! These guys were brushing their teeth outside their van- that's true camping style. 

This guy had a pop up roof!! (I stopped to take this pic and I didn't see the guy in the front seat, I put my camera down and he started waving at me- I just waved back, I thought about saying "I like your van dude" but I decided that sounded funny, so I just waved and walked on... haha) 

We saw a wild Koala!!! One of my tour guides told us the secret to spotting them... Look for people with their cameras pointed up. Yep, it works! Can you spot him??? :) 

I stopped at an overlook and rested while the girls jogged on up the hill- no thanks, not on vacay! Sorry mom. Plus, I couldn't pass on a view like this!!! :) With the help of some other tourists enjoying the scenery, I even spotted a dolphin!!! So fun!

Next stop was Mooloolaba (?) Try saying that 5 times fast! We stopped and had lunch there and met up with Julie, a friend of Amanda's. Yet another adorable beach town. Morgan and I split an order of Wedges- my favorite Aussie food. Fried potato wedges, dipped in sour cream and sweet chili sauce. When Amanda told me about them I was skeptical. BUT, wow, seriously amazing!! Its the sauce that makes it. I'm going to try them as soon as I get home! Just get ready to have your socks knocked off Andrew! We also stopped at a Juice Bar- mom would love this! I took a picture of the menu, so we can make our own at home! :) I'm amazed with how much Australia is beating America in the health food market! 

*Note the school girls in uniform-- they all wear uniforms! Even to "state school" (public)! 

Our next stop was Caloundra. It was a good bit more windy, and a perfect place for KITE SURFING!!! There were so many! It was so cool to watch them do tricks and go flying in the air doing flips and spins! It was like Xgames in real life. They stand on a wakeboard looking thing and hold on to the handle to the kite. I could totally see my brothers doing this (Don't worry, I took lots of video for you guys so you don't have to take lessons). 

The best part about this beach was the amaaaazing sunset!!! 

On our walk back, sweet McKinley took a fall and faceplanted in the sand. It was so sad, but we couldn't help but laugh--- don't worry she was laughing with us! 

Amanda and Morgan kept talking about this "magic ice cream" place. After some hard work and dedication, we stopped at "Nitrogenie" in Noosa on our way back. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Blue Ribbon.  Grand Prize, best ice cream EVER!!! It was worth every penny of the $8 we paid for it. I got "Nutella Ella Ella". I seriously felt like I had stepped into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. They use Nitrogen Oxide (I think that's what it is, its the dry ice stuff) and blend it with the cream in a big blender. But when doing so the smoke from the dry ice flows up and all over the counter. Truly an amazing experience. I already told Andrew to start looking into how much it would cost to start one up in Dallas. It would make millions, maybe even billions. Don't steal my idea! 

And I got to see another didgeridoo player! This guy was playing 5 at the same time!! 

The ride back to the hotel was the quietest it had been all week. The little kids were asleep and the big kids were stuffing their face with ice cream! :) Awesome day on the Sunshine Coast!