Tuesday 8 March 2016

National Park at Noosa

One thing about Noosa on Queensland's Sunshine Coast that hasn't changed all that much is the National Park itself.  Sure, it's more manicured around the entrance, the walkways are much improved, there are more amenities like the rest rooms, gift shot and coffee stall.  But the bush is the same and the coastline on which it sits is unchanged.  

 'Character' surfers outside the entrance to the park

Manicured area just inside the park entrance

I guess all runners like a lovely envirornment but I do object to their rudeness when using the walking tracks inside the park.   All other users of the track are polite and considerate and mostly friendly.  There's always a long stream of surfers toting their boards going to or from the several good surf beaches within the park.  




 In places you can look down at waves breaking onto the rocks.


In other places there are neat paths down to popular swimming beaches.


Koalas are often spotted in the trees here near Tea Tree Bay and one day when I was walking there I spotted one.  If you stop and peer up into the trees or come upon someone else doing the same, a crowd will quickly gather, everyone anxious to see a koala in its natural habitat.  Trouble is a number of people gathering on the narrow path makes it difficult to get a shot of the little animal.  I was sure I had one in the frame but, alas, not so.  Not unless someone with eyes sharper than mine can spot it. 


Strangely enough no crowd gathered when I spotted a snake beside the track.  Most had a quick look and scarpered away.  Sadly the snake was not well and wasn't moving quickly enough to be a danger to anyone, even if had been a harmful specimen.  Which it wasn't.  It was a harmless carpet python.

A lady from the gift shop came along and was also taking photos of it.  She had been asked by Australia Zoo to get a shot of it so they could identify it before sending someone to rescue it and take it away for treatment.  As a general rule taking animals from the park is forbidden but this was a special case.

I'm not a great lover of snakes, I have an overdeveloped respect for them (and the only other snake I have ever seen in the park was an eastern brown, the world's second most venomous land snake) but still I thought it was sad that this one lacked the lovely colours you usually see in a carpet snake.  An indication of its state of ill health. 


In roughly the same area a couple of days later I spotted these two birds but couldn't get a clear view.  I have no idea what they are.



This shot was taken from near the entrance to the park as I was leaving.  It wasn't late in the day but the glare of the bright sun on the sea caused this effect. 

9 comments:

  1. This looks like a lovely place. I would love to see a koala in its natural habitat.

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  2. What a beautiful place. I think I'd love to walk along the path and the boardwalk. The little birds in the tree? They look like something from a storybook.

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  3. Poor snake, i like them and i'm glad they came to get it to take care of it. It looks like a wonderful place to visit!

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  4. Those birds look like Tawny Frogmouths

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  5. It's always good to see a snake. I know yours are dangerous but I still enjoy seeing them.

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  6. A great place to catch some good nature sightings. Beautiful too!

    Re your previous comment about missing things during a move: You're absolutely right. I seem to be missing an old holey nightgown that I loved to sleep in, some embroidery pieces that had been hanging in a previous closet, and a favorite purse that I was carrying right before the move. I wonder if and when they will eventually appear!

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  7. More great memories you've woken within me...as per my comment on your previous post. :)

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  8. So while we were in NZ you were in Oz. Thats funny. I think the birds are Tawny frog mouth owls. Nice shots of the Noosa NP. Sad about rude people.

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  9. Great post, Pauline! I haven't done the walk to Tea Tree Bay since before the first of my 2 recent knee surgeries back in Nov 2014! I do love that walk and the coastline. I agree that the walkers and surfers are all lovely but the runners can be quite rude!
    The bird is a Tawny Frogmouth. Great find!

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