Noosa National Park/ gone sailing

Hello again dear readers, I came to tell you stories of last week. First of all, there's nothing new on the job frontier, especially after we were hit by a bit of rough weather that probably destroyed the crop growing peacefully on the fields. Shame on you, storm! But never mind that, while paint is drying and strawberries ripening, Anna and I are going to enjoy our adventure and travel north to a) escape cold weather and to b) wait for a upturn on the labor market.

Pretty amazing view, isn't it

On Sunday the weather was almost tolerable so we had the chance to go to a National Park. Some lucky soul had seen a koala in Tee Tree cove but we were not that lucky. Apparently the wildlife in Australia has decided to do their best to avoid the Finnish tourists. Anyway the National Park was spectacular enough even without its inhabitants and it was really nice to be walking n the forest smelling of herbs and aromatic oils.

Coast trail

The national park is located just outside of a city called Noosa, which is a relatively expensive area (no wonder people want to pay or the nice view). The city is quite OK but like some other Australian cities, Noosa also has a main street where all the shops, cafes and restaurants are, and then nothing. It gets a bit boring after a while, especially if you compare them to the cities of Europe that have hundreds of kilometers of small alleys and a labyrinth of streets. Of course, European cities have the advantage of a couple of centuries longer a history than the Australian cities. They've had time to develop. Actually, their development might already be out of control.

On Wednesday we went sailing for the first time ever, but it didn't stop Anna and I (believing strongly in our own abilities) from signing on a race as crew. I was a bit hesitant as I tend to get motion sick even when crossing a river in a boat but luckily the medicine worked and I only felt a bit dizzy in the beginning.

"Do whatever you want, just don't go overboard"

On Wednesdays and Sundays the sailing club organizes a race. It's like an open doors happening when the outsiders can familiarize themselves with the art of sailing, signing on as crew like we did. It only costs 10 dollars (that covers the insurance in case of an accident). Allegedly, the most important task of the crew is to hang on to the ropes for dear life, trying to keep the boat in balance. We learned that selecting the crew's seats wisely has a huge impact on the boat's performance during a race. 

Sailing is not for the empty-handed, so it was a good chance to get a glimpse on the lifestyle of our more affluent brothers and sisters. :) Our captain, David, must have been slightly disappointed getting  on board two foreigners who had the terrible handicap of not knowing a thing about sailing. However, he took it like a man but I guess he was happy to welcome on board two guys who had some sailing experience. Anna and I both got a chance to steer the boat. Anna did it like a pro, me myself felt very unsure and didn't really dare to try without the captain's constant help. Sailing feels a bit like rocket science. 

The wealthy part of Minyama

In the end we didn't participate in the race because the wind was not strong enough (my stomach is thankful because its contents didn't try to exit the wrong way). It would have been a boring race, so we went sight-seeing along the coastline and I saw a turtle! Well, at least I saw its back. I learned that a boat the size of the one we were sailing can cross oceans, even smaller boats can. (I still prefer the cruise ships). Our captain David had actually sailed from Spain to Australia via Panama. When we asked how the boat behaves during a storm, the sailors only shrugged and very convincingly said that if the boat capsizes, it will just turn around again. We thought that the jolly Aussies try to fool gullible foreigners, but the sailors assured us that the boats have been built to survive through problematic waters. 

Please follow the instructions

All in all, the afternoon sail was very successful and we learned some basic facts about sailing. We were invited to joins Sunday's sail but unfortunately we had to head back to Brisbane. Hopefully we'll have another chance to participate in a race!