Back on the coast

I seem to have rather a lot of catching up to do now - it didn't seem so much at the time.

So,

Noosa.

Before I set off to Noosa last Saturday, I had an actual encounter with a green snake. Not a leaf this time, an actual snake. Besides the fact that green snakes aren't venomous, it had rather a disadvantage; the cat had brought it into the house and left two puncture wounds in its neck, so with its slight injury and unfamiliar surroundings there was no way it was attacking anyone...

The bus ride to Noosa was a good one. The driver was very loquacious and would have made an excellent tour guide. Sadly I wasn't very impressed with Noosa itself, it being very touristy and quite bland. However, the National Parks are really nice, and full of exciting trees and plants and wildlife. As I was strolling through the forest, I noticed something on the path about 20 metres ahead disappearing round the corner. I was a bit worried that it was National Snake Day or something and they were all out for a party, but as I closed the gap between it and me, I was relieved to see that it wasn't a giant black snake. Rather, it was a GIANT black lizard.

I wasn't really sure what to do... having spoken to my uncle today I have learned that there are two usual approaches to coming face to face with a giant lizard.

1) Stand very still.

2) Run away.

Neither of these options was the one I chose:

3) Get out your camera and take lots of pictures so people know how you died, should the worst happen.

Actually, I was pretty sure I wouldn't die. But I was crossing my fingers that the GIANT lizard (I hope you're getting just how big this lizard was) would wander off the path sooner rather than later. Which it did, thankfully.

Sadly, I didn't see a koala like the guide book promised me, so I haven't been able to cross that one off my list.

Noosaville, which sounds the same as Noosa but isn't, is not a terribly exciting place either. Mostly it's where the holiday apartments are. It does have a pretty riverside though, with the opportunity to get up close and personal with a pelican. Or lots of pelicans, if you're so inclined. Which I was. I sat on the banks as the fishermen threw back any unwanted catches for the birds to eat and was astonished by just how big their bills are. The crazy thing is, is that they're not huge all the time, the lower bill is like an expandable pouch, it's amazing!

We had fish and chips on the river for tea and then drove back to the 'ranch'. Anna (my hostess' daughter) had a friend over who encouraged us to watch the film Ice Princess with Michelle Trachtenberg. I, at least, expected it to be a terrible terrible film. And accordingly, I loved every minute of it. :)

Never ever ever ever go to Nambour.

Sadly, Nambour is the gate to the Hinterland, so if you want to see the beautiful rolling hills and mountains of the Blackall Range, you don't have much choice about visiting. The bus which took me up to Montville was little and yellow and had a very small engine which was obviously not designed for chugging its way up and down steep hills. This made the journey up the hills a particularly amusing time for me, which produced funny looks from the other passengers and scowls from the bus driver.

The friendly bus driver who drove me to Noosa was the person who recommended Montville to me. He described it "like England". Which it was, in a kitsch and tacky kind of way. It was great fun though, it was like what England would be like if Disney got hold of it.

These were the main trips of the week, I haven't gone into the little details about working in the market or the family or the house, but all these things were brilliant too and I haven't regretted a single thing about going to Eumundi. I loved it.

But now I'm back in Twin Waters, preparing for Christmas and my birthday and New Year. And then it will be 2010! In which I will turn 20... :/

Have fun in the snow

Lots of love,

Em x