Noosa Headland Trail and Bus back to Brisbane 🎒 🚍

 Sunday, May 19:

The night in the hostel went much better than expected. All but one of the 8 people in my room went out at night, and I went to sleep, assuming their noise would wake me up when they returned. But it didn’t! Either they were very quiet or I was zonked out or both! I think I made more noise in the morning (after 8:30) because I had to get all my stuff ready to check out by 10. The bed was pretty comfortable, too.

I got to leave my luggage at the hostel after I checked out. So I could explore Noosa for another day unencumbered. I walked down Noosa Plaza heading to the bus station to buy my ticket to Brisbane, and I saw this sign (it was 9:45):

I ended up attending the church service at C3 Noosa Church, very Pentecostal. (They rent the facility from Hillsong Church on Sundays because Hillsong outgrew it.) I had not realized that it was Pentecost Sunday. After church one of the women at church told me about a good trail walk I could take in the National Forest along the coast.

I went to the station and bought my ticket so I wouldn’t need to do it later. But the printed ticket said my transfers expired at 14:19, and I wasn’t leaving until 16:35! (I guess you have to buy your ticket right before you leave.) 

I caught the free shuttle to Noosa Main Beach from the station. Then I stopped by the Visitor’s Center for a map. The lady there showed me the trail I could take and told me I could do a whole loop to Sunshine Beach and catch the free shuttle back to Noosa Plaza. (See the blue dotted trail on the map below.) She estimated that it would take about 1 hour and 40 minutes and said it was a 5K walk. I left there around 1 p.m. and needed to catch my bus at 4:30.

Looking back at Noosa Main Beach (Laguna Bay)

Tea Tree Bay

Hell’s Gates

Alexandria Beach

Sunshine Beach

A lot of stairs to get down to the beach!

It was a beautiful walk, and not too challenging, although there were some hills to climb and the walk was very long. 

I started running part of the way occasionally when I realized it was going to take longer than I had anticipated. I did well navigating the trail and following signs until exiting Sunshine Beach, which I did too soon. So I got lost on the streets, which unfortunately were quite hilly, trying to find the bus stop. I was also running as much as I could, because it was already past 3:00, and the shuttle only comes every 30 minutes. It is frustrating that their street signs indicate the names of side streets, but don’t say what street you are on! 

Eventually, I found the bus stop. I had missed the 3:22 shuttle and the next one was at 3:52. That gave me a chance to use the toilet, rest a bit, and finish my breakfast/lunch: a banana and an apple (which I had eaten on the trail), a fig, a carrot, a kiwi, and a mandarin orange (which I ate later). (In the morning I had a cup of coffee and half a donut at church.)

The shuttle ride was pretty quick, although we got to Noosa Junction around 4:00, and the driver waited several minutes to stay on schedule before continuing. When I got to Noosa Plaza, I ran to the hostel, grabbed my suitcase and backpack, and ran as much as I could back to Noosa Junction station. I got there at about 4:15, so I changed clothes in the baby changing stall of the restroom (more spacious). I ended up buying another ticket just to be safe. The bus arrived pretty soon after I sat down to wait. I asked the bus driver if he needed to see my ticket, and he told me it was free that day! I guess I donated $32 to TransLink Bus Company. I would have preferred to put it in the offering at church! When we departed, I saw that the bus stopped at Noosa Plaza and passed my hostel, so I could have caught it there and avoided all that running! Oh well! I did well on my steps today!

On the bus ride I got to see a lot of parts of Noosa that I had not seen yet, having been there such a short time. It really is beautiful! I can see why our Chilean friend Paulo, who spent half of his life in Australia, told me I needed to go there.

Paulo and I in April. Wow, that seems like a long time ago!

This bus ride was 1 hour and 24 minutes long. We made it to the Nambour terminal just in time for me to catch the train to Brisbane City (1 hour 34 minutes). They had free WiFi on the train, so I pulled out my laptop and worked on this blog entry :). I met Ian and Christina McKay at the Northgate Station in Brisbane. They have an apartment in Brisbane and a home in Agnes Water. Their dog is named Joey. I spent the night with them in Brisbane and traveled with Ian in their car to Agnes Water on Monday. (Saved me a very long bus ride.)

My room at the McKay’s