|
Theme parks and zoos
Australia Zoo -
The home of The Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin is located
between Landsborough and Beerwah on the Glass House Mountains Tourist Drive.
As well as the famous crocodile shows
Australia Zoo features
tiger, snake and bird shows. The nearest coastal resort is
Caloundra.
Big Kart Track -
If you feel the need for speed this is the place to get
your fix. The 1.2km track features high-speed straights, sweeping bends and
tight, challenging corners. It is also home to the Bungee Bullet which
shoots passengers straight up at 400km/h. It's on the Glasshouse Mountains
Tourist Drive between Landsborough and the Caloundra turnoff.
Big Pineapple -
NOW CLOSED
One of the coast's oldest attractions
and probably still the best known. It is surrounded by a tropical fruit
plantation which visitors can tour by train,
Nutmobile or
boat. You can taste the product of the Queensland sun at the
restaurant. The complex also features an animal nursery, wildlife
garden (with daily koala show) and nocturnal animal house.
Photo
Ettamogah Pub and Aussie World -
Have a coldie at a replica of the wacky
hotel made famous by Ken Maynard's cartoon series. The adjoining Aussie
World fairground has more than 30 rides and games, and plenty of places to
eat. It is located on the Bruce Highway, 2.4km north of the Caloundra
turnoff.
Sunshine Castle
- A coast landmark since 1973 , the Castle
(formerly named The Fairytale Castle and also known as the Bli Bli Castle)
has grown over the years to include features such as a 24m-high tower, a
doll museum, the obligatory dungeon, a model train exhibition and a
collection of medieval armour and weapons. It is on the David Low Way at Bli Bli,
about 7km north of Maroochydore.
Photo and
Castle website.
Underwater World - See the creatures of the deep
without getting wet. As well as giant walk-through aquariums there are seal
shows, crocodile feeding and otter presentations. It is a short walk from
Mooloolaba Beach.
Natural attractions
Beaches - Swimmers, surfers and
sunbathers are spoiled for choice.
Kings Beach (Caloundra),
Mooloolaba Beach
and
Main Beach (Noosa) are regarded as the safest in most
conditions. Swimming at beaches patrolled by lifesavers is highly
recommended as many people down at unpatrolled beaches around Australia each
year. For safety advice go to
www.lifesaving.com.au. If you
want to catch a wave like a pro you can
learn to surf from an expert.
Blackall Range -
For a cool change from the coastal
strip venture into the lush, green hills and visit the towns of Mapleton, Montville and Maleny. There is a multitude of cafes, arts and craft shops,
and galleries along the range. Natural attractions include Mapleton Falls,
Kondalilla Falls and Mary Cairncross Park with spectacular views of the
Glass House Mountains. One way to take in the sights is from the back of a
Harley Davidson.
Cooloola National Park -
This wilderness area starts on the northern
side of the Noosa River and features pristine lakes and forests. There are
walking tracks but it is best explored from the water by canoe,
kayak or
boat.
Cooloola is also home to the famous
coloured sands and the Cherry
Venture shipwreck.
Glass House Mountains
- These volcanic
relics provide spectacular silhouettes to the west on the drive to and from
Brisbane. Some can be easily climbed and there are plenty of vantage points
you can reach by car.
Photo and details of walking tracks and
lookouts
Noosa National Park
- Coastal scenery does not get
any better than this. The crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Pacific
gently breaks into pandanus-fringed coves and crashes into rugged headlands.
A walking track takes visitors to Witches Cauldron,
Tea Tree Bay,
Dolphin
Point, Hells Gates and the secluded Alexandria Bay. Get there early or you
may not get a parking spot. There are plenty of
places to stay in and around Noosa.
More attractions
Golf
- The coast is home to some of the best golf
courses in Queensland.
More
Noosa's Hastings Street -
The place to be seen at
Noosa. It is lined with restaurants, cafes, boutiques, gift shops and is
right beside Noosa's famous Main Beach where you can swim or
surf. Both are popular though, and parking can be a problem,
so be prepared to walk a couple of hundred metres from your parking spot on
weekends and other busy times. If you want some more action try
horse riding, mountain biking, or
kayaking
in Noosa's hinterland or take your family on a guided
fishing trip on the Noosa River
or beach.
Wineries
- Enjoy the fruits of the coast's hinterland at the growing collection of
wineries in the lush, green hills. The smaller scale of winemaking gives the
coast's wines their own special quality and character.
More
Woodford Folk Festival - For six days from
December 27-January 1 a usually tranquil valley outside Woodford becomes a
mecca for music, circus, dance, cabaret and comedy
lovers from around Australia. The 2011-12
Woodford Folk Festival
line-up includes more than
400 acts from across the world. Festival
Director Bill Hauritz described the programme as “a rootsy explosion of
culture underpinned by enchantment and romance.”
The Dreaming
festival will weave it’s magic through Woodford this year, with our planet’s
oldest cultures sharing their timeless traditions andgroundbreaking
contemporary performing arts. From folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie, to the
hauntingly beautiful Pitjantjatjara man Frank Yamma, new discovery Sue Ray
and the uberfresh BLAKWax.
Be sure to line-up early to catch shows in The
Dreaming’s theatre venue, BlakDramatics. The Dreaming Gallery offers
workshops and exhibitions, The Dingo Café host’s discussions and be sure to
check the Village Green for dance performances including the Anishinaabek
“Northern Lights’ from the ‘Heart Country’ of North America.
Under the stars
in the Amphitheatre meet maestro Gotye and his ten piece multi-instrumental
all singing band, digitally triggering visuals on the big screens, plus
Xavier Rudd, Cloud Control, Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro, Eagle and The Worm,
Owl Eyes, The Herd, Jesca Hoop and a cast of thousands for the Big Bang on
New Years Eve.
Other musical
must-sees, say festival organisers, are De Pedro, Jordie Lane, Benjalu, Faux Pas, Husky, Elixir, Roesy,
Andy Bull and Lucy Wise and The B’Gollies.
There is a
Canadian reverie this year, featuring premier performances from an island
cache of Newfoundland acts. The island is renowned for revitalising well
preserved Irish, English and Scottish traditions. Fiddler, Richard Wood will
hold you in a state of delighted suspense and The Once, the pride of the
Canadian folk music scene, will astound you with their thick, rich vocal
harmonies.
Scottish legend
Dougie MacLean is back to open hearts and Pugsley Buzzard is going to
swagger on in with his hoodoo blues swamp boogie keys and gravelly voice
to steal them.
The Parlour’s
dishing up the dishes, with the queens of Burlesque, Rita Fontaine (Miss
Burlesque Australia 2010), Flavella L’Amour and Lola the Vamp. All three
come together for special late night performances in cohesion with New
Orleans Street Band Tuba Skinny, Pugsley Buzzard, Birdmann and Roue Cyr
master Derek Llewellin.
Woodford is well
known for giving audiences the chance to discover relatively unknown gems of
the musical landscape. Amelia Curran, Hiatus Kaiyote, Andrea Soler, Husky,
Charlie Mayfair and Mongolian rockers Hanggai are a few.
The Pineapple
Lounge is back with Browndog Presents, somehow he hand plucks artists from
across the festival and convinces them to perform in the intimate lounge.
Grab a Champine, settle into a lounge and be surprised by what you will
witness.
Occupy Woodford
at The Great Green Debate “The Plutocrats Now Run The Country” with
Professor Ian Lowe, Clive Hamilton, Larissa Waters, S Sorrenson, Jo-Anne
Bragg and Anthony Ackroyd.
Stay in your
seat, in the breezy Folklorica venue for a round the world tour featuring
the music of Thailand’s Sea Gipsies, Ritual Music for Healing, The Rhythm
Divine sessions, a showcase of the Arab Near East and The World of Islam
with Sandy McCutcheon.
Be inspired by
African, Brazilian and Hungarian Dance performances, hold that inspiration
and cross the road, to The Dancehall to learn the steps in preparation for
evening dance parties.
Tickets and programmes are available online. Visit
www.woodfordfolkfestival.com
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
