Sun, surf and sand is only the first course when it comes to soaking up the Sunshine Coast, writes Carol Smith.
Sea foam bubbles up my legs. I giggle. As I inch further into the inviting frothy water a fast wave catches me and hits me in the face. I laugh.
Prancing in the sea brings back happy childhood memories.
I haven't been swimming for years and I live close to several beaches.
But the mood is different here in Noosa, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast: people aren't wearing black, the warm sea is enticing and built-up stress drains away with the receding waves.
I contemplate moving here. That happens a lot, says Peter, a volunteer at the Noosa Heads information centre on the main drag, Hastings St.
He and his family holidayed in Noosa for years and now they and many of their friends have retired here.
The mild weather and the relaxed atmosphere are two big drawcards.
''It rarely gets below 8degC on a winter's morning and my old bones can't take the cold in Adelaide,'' he says.
It's the Goldilocks zone: not too hot (between 17degC and 28degC in summer) and not too cold (7degC to 22degC in winter), not too close and not too far away from a big city (Brisbane is a lazy two-hour drive).
It's 4pm as I'm having a dip and the sun is shining. On the beach there's a massage tent and a masseur waiting to relieve tension.
My feet squeak as I tread Main Beach's fine white sand on the short walk back to my beautiful beachfront Seahaven Noosa resort apartment.
The pool looks good so I jump in.
A turkey - yes, really - saunters up to me. Earlier a mottled black-and-white bird called a peewee landed near my table when I was tucking into garlic butter prawns and calamari with chilli mayo at the surf life-saving club, which has the best eating view in town.
Nature and people mix well.
The bush turkeys wander without fear of being eaten, says Philip, at Seahaven's front desk.
''You could boil a bush turkey and a rock for a week and you'd throw the turkey away and eat the rock,'' he says.
The palm trees are swaying in the balmy breeze.
The view from my trendy apartment is worth looking at and after reading for a while the waves mesmerise me and I have to put the book down. This is the most relaxed I've been in years.
It's lucky they don't have a water shortage in this green, lush subtropical area because I plan to luxuriate in the extra-deep bath before I go to bed.
After a delicious prawn, scallop and mussel linguine at Season restaurant I sleep like a baby, which is good because I'm up with the sparrows the next morning to go on a kayak safari.
I'm surprised to discover everyone else is awake too. At 6.15am cafe Le Monde is nearly half full, peppered with tourists and locals alike.
I order coconut pancakes with poached pear and passionfruit sauce to give me strength for the day ahead. Life is hard.
Some people say Noosa Heads is too commercialised. They're jealous.
It has a main street with some nice shops, low-rise accommodation and cafes, all necessary where most people live. Copious roundabouts, in lieu of traffic lights, slow down visiting city slickers.
If you prefer nature, the Noosa National Park - with walking trails winding through the bush and along the coast - is just up the road.
The natural beauty of Noosa and its surrounds has been recognised by Unesco as an official Biosphere Reserve: these residents are committed to protecting and treasuring their patch of paradise.
You can't spend all day at the beach, or maybe you can.
The surf club park is full by 7am. It is 27degC on the club board and the sea is already littered with surfers and swimmers.
It's going to be another stunning day in Noosa.
If I retire here, the two biggest dilemmas each day will be what bikini to wear to the beach and what cafe to eat at.
• Carol Smith is an Auckland-based travel writer.
Day trip Eumundi
Pop into The Bohemian Bungalow - a colourful cafe full of ephemera and featuring tables dressed with watering cans, fresh herbs and flowers - for a Road to Morocco brekkie (lamb sausage and bean concasse, baked in a pot with a poached egg and pecorino and served with rocket and grain sourdough) before crossing the road to the famous Eumundi Markets.
The markets, about 30 minutes from Noosa, are held every Wednesday and Saturday from 6.30am to 1.30pm. I arrive at 7.30am, just in time to find a car park. After an hour or so poking through the 200 stalls of handcrafts and produce, I come away with a pair of gorgeous red coral earrings, a necklace, vanilla and blackberry handmade soaps and a bag of scrumptious macadamia nuts. I nearly weaken and add a bracelet made from a silver fork and a spoon and a necklace made from old typewriter keys to my loot. They are two of the more interesting things I see made into jewellery at this pretty market, set behind the fig trees fronting the main street.
Checklist NOOSA
Getting there
• Virgin Airlines flies three days a week from Dunedin to Brisbane. From June 16 to August 30 that increases to four times a week. virginaustralia.com.
Staying there
• Seahaven Resort, 15 Hastings St, Noosa Heads. seahavennoosa.com/au.
Being there
• Eumundi Markets eumundimarkets.com.au.
