Now the kids, particularly the girls, are older and have jobs, it’s not so easy to get everyone together in one place to have a family day, so when we can make a day of it, any excuse is a good excuse to get us all together. It was hubby’s birthday on Sunday, so we decided to make a day of it up at Noosa. Noosa is special place on the Sunshine Coast, we are lucky to be able to go up for the day, enjoy the beauty of Noosa and then come home absolutely happy and fulfilled. I love the idea of staying up there too, but for all those times when you can’t stay up there, it is lovely to know it’s only a 45 minute run up to the beautiful Hastings Street. As we entered Noosaville, the sun was dancing across the water and sparkling. We snapped up a parking spot, grabbed the esky, and went in search of our boat hire (there are a number of boat hire businesses along Gympie Road in Noosaville). We had booked our boat for two hours from Noosa Watersports. The price was great, $130 for us all (family of 6) to hire our boat for a couple of hours. They also hire out catamarans, jet skis, barbecue boats for up to 12 people, canoes and kayaks. They also offer fishing charter opportunities. Before setting us loose on the river we were given instructions in terms of how to use the boat and where to and not to go on the river. We needed to pay particular notice to the sand banks and to make sure we didn’t get the motor stuck in the sand. We really didn’t have any issues. If we had longer we could have tied the boat up and gone for a wonder around Hastings street if we wanted too, but the day was about hubby’s birthday and we wanted to stay on the water for as long as we could so we didn’t let the kids know that they could escape to Hastings street if they wanted too. We wondered around the canals, looking at the different resorts and houses, and noticed that the Noosa River Caravan park nestled into the corner right near the Coast Guard. The Noosa Harbour Resort would be an amazing place to also stay at as well. We had an amazing experience with Noosa Watersports. Last year we hired a barbecue boat from a company in Tewantin, but they have since closed down. Noosa Watersports are in a great spot on the river, they have a lot of options for their customers to choose from so I can’t see it going anywhere. With Summer just around the corner, I am sure more people will want to enjoy their day on the water. As the Summer months come, I would not leave booking a boat till the morning you would like to book a boat with Noosa Watersports. I believe we were lucky because we are in the winter months right now, but come Summer, I don’t think it will be easy to get a booking if you leave it till the last minute. We bought an esky of food, paper plates, and drink bottles. There were a number of little beach stops around the river where we could pull up and sort out lunch for everyone. If anyone needed the loo we would have needed work out what to do, but thankfully no one needed the loo while we were on the boat. The barbecue boats seem to all have a loo on board. Before we knew it, the two hours were up and we needed to take the boat back. It really was a great day out. I would say one of my favorite days in a while. I love being in the water, on the water, near the water. etc. It was a magical day in so many ways and it was lovely to be able to spend it with the kids. Outside of using their phones for photos, the kids weren’t playing on their phones, they were really engaged in our activity. Will we hire a boat with Noosa Watersports again? I think the overwhelming answer to this question is a yes from all of us. It would be great to also holiday at Noosa as well. The camping grounds on Noosa River was fantastic, maybe in the next month or two we will try our hand at camping on the edge of the river there. Fingers crossed! Anyway, till next time, SarahXO