Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
seals (A$75/US$49), or dive with the sharks (A$95/US$62 for certified divers,
including gear, or A$125/US$81 for nondivers). It's open daily from 9am to
6pm (last entry at 5pm). Closed Christmas. Admission is A$23 (US$15) for
adults, A$15 (US$9.75) for seniors, A$16 (US$10) for students, A$13
(US$8.45) for children 3 to 15, and A$59 (US$38) for a family of five. Allow
2 hours to see everything, more if you want to attend all the talks.
At the Big Pineapple ( & 07/5442 1333; www.bigpineapple.com.au), 6km
(3 3 4 miles) south of Nambour on the Nambour Connection Road in Woom-
bye—don't worry, you can't miss the 16m (52-ft.) tall monument—you can take
a train ride through a working pineapple plantation, ride through a rainforest
and a macadamia farm in a macadamia-shaped carriage, and take a boat ride
through a hydroponics greenhouse. The park also has a baby animal farm, kan-
garoos, koalas, a rainforest walk, a small but excellent nocturnal house called
“Creatures of the Night,” and a gift shop. It's open 365 days a year from 9am to
5pm (opens later on Christmas and Anzac Day; call for exact time). Entry is free;
each tour is priced separately so you can do all or just one, but the best option
is to buy a family pass to all tours, which costs A$69 (US$45) for two adults and
up to four children. Allow half a day if you do everything.
Farther south on Glass House Mountains Tourist Drive 24 at Beerwah, off
the Bruce Highway, is crocodile hunter Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo ( & 07/
5494 1134; www.crocodilehunter.com). Steve and his wife, Terri, stars of the
Crocodile Hunter television shows, are renowned for handling dangerous salt-
water crocs and are often around to say hello. The zoo is in the process of a A$40
million (US$26 million) upgrade, which will expand it from 8.8 hectares
(22 acres) to 100 hectares (251 acres) in the next 5 years. Watch out for new
themed sections displaying animals from around the world including Madagas-
car, South East Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Demonstrations and feed-
ings are held regularly throughout the day, but the highlight is the saltwater croc
show at 1:30pm. You can also hand-feed 'roos, pat a koala, check out foxes and
camels, and watch (even hold!) venomous snakes and pythons. Admission is
A$23 (US$15) for adults, A$19 (US$12) for seniors and students, A$14
(US$9.10) for kids 3 to 14, and A$65 (US$42) for a family of five. The park is
open daily from 8:30am to 4pm. Closed Christmas. Courtesy buses will pick
you up and return you to Beerwah and Landsborough railway stations or from
Noosa, Maroochydore, Alexandra Headlands, Mooloolaba, and Caloundra.
A SCENIC MOUNTAINTOP DRIVE THROUGH THE
SUNSHINE COAST HINTERLAND
A leisurely drive along the lush green ridge-top of the Blackall Ranges
behind Noosa is a popular half- or full-day excursion. Mountain villages, full of
crafts shops and cafes, and terrific views of the coast are the main attractions.
Macadamia nuts, peaches, and other homegrown produce are often for sale by
the road at dirt-cheap prices.
On Saturdays, start at the colorful outdoor Eumundi Markets in the
historical village of Eumundi, 13km (8 miles) west of Noosa along the Eumundi
Road. Locals and visitors wander under the huge shady trees among dozens of
stalls selling locally grown organic lemonade, fruit, groovy hats, teddy bears,
antique linen, homemade soaps, handcrafted hardwood furniture—even live
emu chicks! Get your face painted, your palm read, or your feet massaged. Listen
to some didgeridoo music or bush poetry. When shopping's done, everyone pops
into the cafes on Eumundi's main street. The market runs from 6:30am to 2pm.
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