May 25, 2018
So, when the opportunity arose to spend a long weekend at Beach Road Holiday Homes, I was excited to explore the lesser known part of Noosa – the North Shore. Plus, I knew my husband and daughter would love a break.
DAY 1 - FRIDAY
We arrived Friday evening and found our holiday house nestled into the fringing bushland and to our surprise – we already had visitors! Kangaroos had gathered in the yard around our house.
THE HOLIDAY HOMES
Once we made it into our home away from home, we were quite impressed. We knew each home was designed individually, but the architecture was quite impressive, and we loved the modern rustic flare.
The expansive living areas flow into each other with gleaming hardwood floors (that my husband will never allow at home because: the dogs). The fully equipped kitchen contains everything you need to prepare a banquet dinner or just a sandwich (once you bring the food!).
The timber staircase was a particularly impressive part of the design, it was a nice feature alongside the simplistic modern art that was just enough to give the space a homey feel. Lastly the bedrooms are each generously sized with air conditioning in each, which was a treat for my little one who runs hot.
Once we settled in, we started our first night holiday tradition of snacks for dinner over a movie.
DAY 2 – SATURDAY
Morning - Beach 4WD Adventure
After our sensible night we were up early, for a bacon and egg breakfast and plenty of coffee in our holiday home kitchen. Then we packed sandwiches and swimmers to head out for our first adventure – beach 4WDing! Within 5 minutes we had hit the sand and we’re happily bouncing down the shoreline.
We made a few stops along the way to get some snaps, have our picnic lunch, and walk up one of the sand cliffs! While my legs were burning by time we got to the top, the views were worth it.
On our return journey, we noticed the car wash conveniently placed just past the cutting, so we dropped in for an underbody spray to remove all the salt and sand. Our second stop was for ice cream because we deserved it after climbing the behemoth sand mountain!
Evening - Discover the Leisure Centre
The leisure centre was another surprise for us. Rather than just a pool area, the centre has a huge media room with sofas and TVs, communal kitchen with tea and coffee making facilities, children’s room filled with toys, full tennis court, pool table, and the centrepiece – the enormous pool and heated spa!
We made a beeline for the huge pool! As well as plenty of alcoves it also sports a children’s wading section. There are shaded seated areas, but the hubby and I set up on the sun lounges with him in the shade with his phone and me soaking up the sunshine with a book. Little one was straight in the pool and quickly made friends with other guests and was playing marco polo in minutes. This sounds like a simple afternoon, but it was absolutely bliss for us! None of us are very good at just relaxing at home, but being away meant no chores, homework, or extra work to distract us from relaxation.
Night - Dinner at North Shore Tavern (Kids Eat Free Fridays)
Our first meal out for the trip was a casual dinner at North Shore Tavern. It has a relaxed atmosphere and a huge menu with plenty of $10 specials and kids menu and we found out kids eat free on Fridays.
DAY 3 – SUNDAY
A holiday isn’t complete without one good sleep in. That task completed we packed our swimmers, snacks, sunscreen and water and headed back across the barge to Noosa!
Morning – Noosa Main Beach
The morning was spent building sand castles, body surfing for us big kids and boogie boarding for the little one, and relaxing. Had we not forgot the cricket set, it would have been a welcome addition to the morning!
Mid-Morning – Noosa Headland
Turquoise waters, frolicking dolphins, breaching whales, a native forest famous for koala sightings and plenty of walkways – need I say more? As we wandered through Noosa National Park we discovered secluded beaches, ocean view look outs as well as koalas.
Afternoon – Hastings Street
Finally. We spent some time wandering through Hastings Street enjoying all the boutiques! After we picked the perfect pair of Peter Alexander PJs for the little one, hubby took her for a hot chocolate as she was becoming tired. Which left me to continue for a little longer with my retail therapy.
Night – Dinner. So. Many. Options.
If you’ve been to Hastings Street you’d know my dilemma at choosing a restaurant. We ended up settling on Maki Moto as the three of us love Japanese (Zachary’s Gourmet Pizza Bar was a close second). Dessert had to be Nitrogenie Ice Cream, as the little one is science obsessed currently and had been drooling over the liquid nitrogen ice cream for days leading up to our trip.
DAY 4 – MONDAY
The last day of our escape. You know the feeling of arriving home and thinking ‘Gosh that was great, now I need a holiday to recover from my holiday!’? In an effort to avoid that, we decided to spend the day relaxing.
Morning – Back to the Pool.
The morning involved the heated spa, snacks, the sun lounges and a few rounds of ‘hold your breath pool races’.
Afternoon – Packing Up
When it came time to pack up and check out, the post-holiday blues hit us earlier than usual, so we decided to drop by the strawberry picking farm on the way home for one last holiday activity. Anything my daughter enjoys and provides a snack is a huge win for me!
Our rating of Noosa North Shore? 11 out of 10. 10 minutes to the north and a barge ride across a small creek and you’ve hit Noosa: the laidback edition. It was a lovely getaway perfect for a reset without taking too much time from work and school.