A couple of days ago we headed south from Coolum on a mission to look over a car our son wanted to purchase. Down to Pelican Waters we went, checked the car over,and then headed back via Golden Beach. Bonus. I had looked at holiday places at Golden Beach online before but had no idea what the place was like, so now I could see for myself.
Well as you can see it was a beautiful, peaceful place – maybe a little too peaceful? Standing on a jetty off the shore of the Pumicestone Passage near the Motor Boat Club, we could see the backbones of two metre long Jew Fish in the water. The scene was completed by wheeling seagulls, pelicans, a fisherman throwing his cast net from the Jetty and another casting his line from the bank, while a young family pulled their motor boat out via the boat ramp. No prizes for guessing what the locals get up to in their spare time.
Up the road a bit toward Caloundra we started noticing a prolific number of doctors, pharmacists, pathologists, denture clinics and people using walkers. Golden Beach was starting to assimilate with Golden Girls, I think we had stumbled across the retirement capital of the coast!
Heading on into Caloundra, we were impressed with the main street, which was full of large shady fig trees. It had a friendly feel to it, but we kept going till we ended up at the mouth of the river. There we fluked a carpark and walked under huge pine trees beside the river and along the ocean front. A stunning walk, it goes on forever.
The tide was rushing out and the 
channel came close to our side of the river where it appeared to be really deep. Fishermen were trying their luck, while fitness freaks were testing their stamina swimming against the tide and getting nowhere fast. A bus load of school kids arrived and went surfing – some kids have all the luck.
Having worked up an appetite on our walk we headed off in search of lunch. Intending to walk back to the main street to pick up my favourite lunch of Sushi, we weakened en-route and collected fish and chips from Red Claw Seafood bar, $6.80 for battered cod and chips. There was something about the sea air and how starving I was that made it inevitable. Oh well we are on holidays.
We continued on our way to Mooloolaba, home of the award winning Underwater World. This is a full on tourist town, with a younger family feel to it. It has a busy waterfront shopping mall strip with lots of restaurants, cafes, and bakeries. The best I could do after my fish and chip binge was a healthy but scrumptious drink from the juice bar. The wind had picked up and white caps ruled the ocean.
Maroochydore was next on the coastal strip. Sunshine Plaza shopping centre, believe it or not, has a saltwater mangrove lined creek running through the middle of it. Definitely worth a look. A couple of days afterwards, Matt, Marty and I enjoyed a $3.50 coffee incl. 2 biscuits from The Cookie Man, while watching the fish below us. The Maroochy River was wide and slow and flanked with a long park.
Further upstream on the other side of the river at Bli Bli there is a faux castle, but having seen it before, we took the closer highway option and before long we were back in Coolum having a swim and sipping a Pebble Bay (Marlborough, New Zealand) Pinot Gris. The perfect end to any day!
