Our next stop down the coast was at Maroochydore. We stayed at the caravan park at Cotton Tree right on the river. The first day there we caught up on our washing, did some shopping and then walked along the beach. In the evening we dined at the home of friends, Gary and Lois, in Twin Waters. We had met and travelled with them in 2015 in the Loire valley in France. It was a fun night with delicious food, nice wine and lots of lively conversation.

The next morning we had a slow start for breakfast. Then we drove down the coast to Mooloolaba. It took a while to find a parking spot in this busy town but managed to after driving around for a while. First up we walked along Mooloolaba beach foreshore trail. As you can see it was a brilliant sunny day.

As we walked we saw a big cruise ship passing by. A few minutes later the wash hit the shore.

The rock formations were fascinating as we rock scrambled across a small point.

After finishing our walk we thought about having lunch in Mooloolaba but the cafes were all pretty full so we drove back to Maroochydore to grab some fresh bread rolls which we made up with ham, cheese and salad back at our caravan. Our friends Lois and Gary had recommended the walk up Mt Coolum so off we set. After parking near the start of the walk we checked out the information board. We knew the Mt Coolum walk was going to be more of a climb as we approached the first step section.

After climbing the steps for about ten minutes we were rewarded with great views over the resort and golf course below. Stopping to take photos allowed us to get our breath back.

Like many other unique environments Mt Coolum is home to an endangered native floral species. Here’s the information board detailing two of these species.

Here’s a photo of the Allocasuarina thalassoscopica mentioned above. The view in the background was well worth the climb.

Here’s Karen at the start of the trip back down.

Another photo of the beautiful local flora. This one is an Acacia but I don’t know which one.

Needless to say we enjoyed a quiet drink after our spectacular walk.