
Girls Go Noosa!
The IN Noosa Team escapes the office to explore our favourite destinations aboard Go Noosa’s Free Weekend and Holiday Buses. Come along for the ride!
When each of us knows Noosa a little differently, we know all of Noosa – the patchwork of perspectives the team at IN Noosa Magazine need as we tell the stories of our community.
From the cafés, bars, restaurants and boutiques we INdulge in; to the art spaces that INspire us; our routines take us on tangled trails that converge, diverge and come together again.
We took a break from deadlines and surfaced from the surge of content creation to spend a day exploring Noosa’s neighbourhoods, reconnecting with each other beyond our worklives and chose a character to play for the day.
Just like in Sex & The City, we created an avatar of who we could be on our diverse daycation – culinary connoisseur Deb; sumptuous shopper Carlie; relaxation seeker Bex; action explorer Jakki; and bohemian explorer Georgia – we all imagined our ideal day out as we explored the routes of the Go Noosa free holiday or weekend buses.
Air-conditioned against the relentless heat, free-flowing from coast to countryside and carrying us closer to an environmentally-conscious future, we knew no better option.
Go Noosa’s public transport also offered us less time organising and more time adventuring. We didn’t have to navigate the region’s notorious traffic, lose time searching for parking spaces or nominate a designated driver after a ladies lunch!
Alongside the 065 Go Noosa Loop Bus and Temporary 064 Peregian Beach to Noosa Heads, Free Holiday Buses run on the 626, 627, 628, 629 and 632 Translink services from 9 December to 21 January as locals and visitors come together for the festive season!
Ideal for casual catchups, all-day escapades and weekend sojourns, these Translink services also operate the Free Weekend Buses, currently trialling in the community until 11 February 2024. That’s right, if we don’t use it, we will lose it!
The Weekend Bus was our transport of choice so we started the trip by dropping into some of our favourite local businesses – Jakki grabbing a beautiful piece of jewellery for her daughter’s birthday; I popped into Foot Motion for expert advice on the best footwear for my upcoming trip to Europe; Carlie joined us fresh from a class at Studio Pilates; Bex booked into Noosa Body & Skin and Deb made sure we were catered for with coffee and goodies from Fiona’s Fancies and Nilla’s Pantry.
From Noosa Junction Station, we boarded the 629 Tewantin to Noosa Junction via Noosa Civic and Noosa Heads. Each of us sharing our idea of a good day out at each stop.
FIRST STOP: Noosa Heads Station
For me, I love to discover the galleries down Hastings Street, particularly Tracey Keller’s vivid animal portraits as featured on our front cover in spring. I would grab my favourite Hot Chicken Roll from the Bird Noosa kiosk in Bay Village and dream of yesteryear with the stunning pieces at Isabella’s Fine & Antique Jewellery before ending the day with a ‘Wunya Ngulum’ from the Kabi Kabi Virtual Welcome, a powerful 6-minute virtual audiovisual experience screening at the Noosa Visitor Information Centre every night at 7pm for free!
For Jakki, reawakening is found exploring the trails of Noosa Woods or along the boardwalk to Noosa National Park lush with birdsong, sea spray and spotting koalas and enjoying the sunset with fellow explorers.
Mother of two toddlers, Bex would disappear into the tropical oasis and sanctuary of wellbeing at Sensaura Day Spa, tucked away in Bay Village, for a therapeutic massage, facial and body scrub; while Carlie would prefer to indulge in window-shopping wonder, picking out something colourful from Uncle George; something special from Minzenmay Poeta jewellery store and something special for husband Mark from Beau Gentry, while also dropping into Freya to check on sales of her own Wacker Clothing Company brand! She’ll rendezvous for lunch at Locale or martini hour at Sofitel’s Riviera Lounge with Deb who has stocked up on homegrown produce and pantry items from Providore on Hastings at Netanya Noosa Resort.
Just down the road, the team all agree they would stop the bus at Quamby Place off Noosa Parade for lunch or dinner at Rickys River Bar & Restaurant with an enthusiastic ogleing at what’s on offer in Tom Offermann Real Estate’s prestige property listings!
SECOND STOP: Noosa Civic
At Noosa Civic Shopping Centre, we all get lost in some unapologetic retail therapy until our Noosa Civic Jute Bags overflow. Among the Centre’s much-loved stores, there’s ample opportunity to give back with the Christmas Gift Appeal sending donations to local charity SunnyKids!
THIRD STOP: Quota Park at Gympie Terrace
Pausing at Tewantin Central with dreams of a kayak trip down the world-famous Noosa Everglades (Jakki); a tantalising treatment at NuYou Natural Beauty Day Spa (Bex); oysters and champagne at Lucio’s (Deb & Carlie); and the latest exhibitions in Noosa Regional Gallery (me), we change over from the 629 to 626 Tewantin to Sunrise Beach via Gympie Terrace where we can stop dreaming and start shopping and eating!
For me, it’s time to disappear between the bookshelves at The River Read, re-emerging with a new stack of novels by homegrown authors and grabbing a homemade juice from Jimmy Fox while Carlie pops in to pick up a new outfit from Liz at Eliza’s and says hello to her best beauty buddies at Pony and Cosmedic Lab! Jakki books a Catalina cruise before her and Bex drop into Activate Body to book another Breath, Fire & Ice Workshop (see page 90) and Deb picks up the latest timetable for Club Pilates, grabs organic essentials from Organika and chooses a quiet spot on the river to meditate on the decision for a lunch venue.
Spoilt for choice with favourites including Noosa Waterfront and Noosa Boathouse, Gusto emerges as the winner. Overlooking the Noosa River, Gusto’s fusion of European and Australian cuisine, a curated wine list and a cosy booth fit for the whole team draws her in. A short bus ride later, we reunite to pass share plates and stories of our carefree adventures.
When we arrive back at Noosa Junction Station energised, inspired and awash with shopping bags – and heading for sunset cocktails at Muse, we know each other like we know our region – and we can’t wait to ride again!
Next stop, Noosa Hinterland or Peregian Beach during the Christmas School holidays? So many carefree options!