We go on a dream boat. (There are only two like this boat in Australia.)
We go to to Lake Cootharaba. Boreen Point on the lake is the gateway to the upper Noosa River, the Noosa Everglades (I will go here next time), and the Great Sandy National Park. This small township is on Queensland's largest natural saltwater lake, Lake Cootharaba . This is a perfect setting for sailing, kayaking and spotting native wildlife including kangaroos and birds. Look for Boreen Point and you will see it is on Lake Cootharaba. Our art boat ride started at Noosa Heads.
Jeni and I take the front seat.
Linda and Mary the back seat.
And we are off.
A weekend house boat.
Closer.
A colonial Australian home on the North Shore (opposite side of the river to where Mum lives). Houses are half the price and people commute daily.
This house built around the tree. North Shore residents also preserve nature.
A view of that house from a distance.
A guy cleaning out where the boat is stored.
I think this is a white throated needle tail.
Two cormorants.
This is Makepeace Island. From Wikipedia: "Richard Branson purchased Makepeace Island on the river in May 2003. Noosa Council scaled down his plans for a luxury resort on the river. Corporates and weddings pay $20,000 for a weekend to hire. More than $1000 a night per person."
An aerial view of Makepeace Island. Last week I read Liam Hemsworth was staying here. That was after we saw it.
Another cormorant.
The ferry.
Another bird. Too far away to know what it is?
It will be one of these.
Spot the kangaroo.
Then one of the team thought they couldn't last (not Jeni )and would have to have a loo stop. So we jet boated back to the nearest loo stop.
Mary and Linda assist Jeni.
We head back up the Noosa River into Lake Cooroibah. From Wikipedia: "Cooroibah is a locality in the Shire of Noosa, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Cooroibah had a population of 2041 people. It's name is Aboriginal for "place of possums"."
This is the Noosa River coming into Lake Cooroibah.
This is a kite bird.
Two pelicans at Lake Cooroibah.
Not very deep and getting shallower. Cruises from Noosa have stopped doing tours. The Dream Boat only needs a few feet of water, so we are okay. The lake when it is still.
We head from Lake Cooroibah to Lake Cootharaba.
An osprey.
Mangrove protecting trees behind. The white pipes are a conservation effort to grow more mangrove and have them survive.
Tyres placed on the beach to protect planting and trees behind.
This is John's Landing which was run by Ben Johns and his family on 49 hectares of land. People of extreme disadvantage lived here for $5 a night. It was also called Gagaju Bush Camp. John’s Landing was set up by a compassionate Johns’ family who accepted all arrivals and fostered a warm humanity. It was an affordable basic sanctuary, a contrast to wealthier downstream neighbours of Noosa. It was sold for $10 million to the council for a nature refuge in 2017. Ben and his family have rights to visit two of the buildings on the land, and I am not sure whether they can still stay at the buildings.
The Landing up close.
We head on to Lake Cootharaba. So peaceful and tranquil.
The kite bird in trees.
From Wikipedia: "Lake Cootharaba is approximately 10 km long and 5 km wide, at an average depth of 1.5 m. The lake is close to the Pacific Ocean but does not drain directly into it. Instead the Noosa River enters from the north via the Everglades Wetlands and exits at the south via a navigable channel to meet the sea at Noosa Heads 12 km to the southeast. The lake is surrounded by the southern section of the Great Sandy National Park to the north, east and south with farming land to the west. It is named after the Aboriginal name for the lake, which referred to the place where wood could be found for making notched or studded clubs."
These are gum trees not far from the lake. Two years ago in this reserve next to Lake Cootharaba there was a big fire. It ended up putting itself out. It reminded me of how close the fires got to Noosa Heads. We saw the black when we came back from Sunshine Coast in the bus.
We zoom back to the Noosa Shores jetty.
And look at Mike and the dream boat depart. We now have our own dreams to pursue!
