Hinterland

We went off into the hinterland one grey day. It was a refreshing change from the beach and river landscapes. It was very green, lush even, with several pointy mountain type pimples scattered around, all part of the Glasshouse Mountains.

We visited a number of small towns and villages which were based on timber or railways, presumably turning to agriculture when the land was cleared to support themselves.

Kin Kin was the most historic village in Noosashire, being settled in the 1890s. I was particularly impressed by the Chapel's dunny! It has a pretty old hotel, the Country Life Hotel, as has Boreen Point on Lake Cootharaba, where the Apollonian Hotel was first licensed in 1868 - we had a mediocre lunch there accompanied by a Kookaburra begging for scraps.




We were seduced by the promise of views over all Noosashire and took the 5.9 kilometer track off the main road outside Cooran up to the Tablelands Lookout. When we eventually got there the views were indeed stunning and we wished we had brought stuff to cook on the bbqs provided. You could see right across to Noosa Heads and up to Lake Cootharaba and beyond.

When we descended back down to earth we visited the Botanic Gardens and Ampitheatre at Cooroy, which is on the banks of Lake MacDonald - not a Big Mac in sight! The Gardens were incredibly fragrant and tranquil particularly when you realise they were planted on an unofficial rubbish dump in 1987. Most of the plants are native species and attract a wide variety of birdlife.

The rain started just as we got home, more great heavy drops to top up the swimming pool!