The stark brilliance of the Australian light has been the ultimate and overpowering sensation each time I revisit. Hanging out the washing, the sky the blue of fairy tales, the light breeze just enough to relieve the monotony of yet another perfect day, I reflected on the exquisite surrounds of the Sunshine Coast. It is the beaches that take your breath away, or a combination of stretches of golden sands, turquoise blue water gently lapping onto the shore with the fluffy white foam that looks like shaving cream and the soft lemon sunshine that will harden to a stark white in the height of summer.Last weekend we drove along 40 miles of the endless beach highway.
http://www.noosaevergladesdiscovery.com.au/40-miles-of-Endless-Beaches.html
Four wheel drive cars plough their way up and down the beaches having been divested of half the air volume in the tyres. The smooth golden patina of the sand is besmirched by the continuous tread of car tyres every day and then continually washed clean by the high tides which leaves it shiny and smooth and ready for the next round of four wheel drives. There is a certain excitement about driving through newly washed sand along the water's edge, with very few other vehicles in sight, it is a modern day adventure into the Australian wilderness.
When we do stop to picnic in the sand hills, where the bushland and the sand meet, we can see the beach stretching for miles in each direction and in front of us the pristine sea water, which has left little shallow pools, quickly warmed by the overhead sun, and haunted by small crustaceans delighting in their own private spa.
The children take the surf boards and are entertained by sliding down the smooth sandy slopes, with a bit of help from the grown-ups, while others bask in the warm waters of the inshore pools like baby seals.
On our return we refill the tyres with air after departing the car ferry across the Noosa River, and retune the vehicle to bitumen.
http://www.noosaevergladesdiscovery.com.au/40-miles-of-Endless-Beaches.html
Four wheel drive cars plough their way up and down the beaches having been divested of half the air volume in the tyres. The smooth golden patina of the sand is besmirched by the continuous tread of car tyres every day and then continually washed clean by the high tides which leaves it shiny and smooth and ready for the next round of four wheel drives. There is a certain excitement about driving through newly washed sand along the water's edge, with very few other vehicles in sight, it is a modern day adventure into the Australian wilderness.
When we do stop to picnic in the sand hills, where the bushland and the sand meet, we can see the beach stretching for miles in each direction and in front of us the pristine sea water, which has left little shallow pools, quickly warmed by the overhead sun, and haunted by small crustaceans delighting in their own private spa.
The children take the surf boards and are entertained by sliding down the smooth sandy slopes, with a bit of help from the grown-ups, while others bask in the warm waters of the inshore pools like baby seals.
On our return we refill the tyres with air after departing the car ferry across the Noosa River, and retune the vehicle to bitumen.