Nambour Churches St Joseph's School

I'm not sure what the actual architectural style of St Joe's school is, I guess its a sort of Federation Spanish Mission which to my eye at least smacks of "convent", only because this style, pleasant thought it is to view, is quite different from the form of the rest of the town.

I think it's a really pleasant edition to the urban fabric though.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Nambour Churches The Salvation Army

The "Sallies" have the most delightfully eclectic approach to building decoration. The hall almost looks as though every part was donated and used without regard to overall aesthetic.

One of my old design lecturers would not approve of the graphics either, lettering she would impress apon us, was meant to be read horizontally in English. She would frequently remind us " If one wants to read vertically, one should learn Chinese"

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Nambour Churches The Catholics

Across the road from the Baptists, and on the high side of the hill, where it catches the last of the afternoon sun, is the incongruous but quite pleasant form of St Joseph's. The Catholics got in early all over Australia, and managed to find the high spots in almost every town, a brilliant marketing exercise long before marketing exercises had been invented.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Nambour Churches The Baptists

Nambour has a few pubs, but at the top end of town it's the churches that vie for prominence. Or perhaps once did as one by one the ravages of declining congregations starts to show itself in the level of maintenance.

Here the "bell" tower of the Baptist church seems to shoot rather symbolically from the red "burning" bush.

Nambour
Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Going Home

All good things come to an end, eventually Mum calls one home to tea.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Watching

For every person in the water, there is at least another one on the shore watching the action. Alexandra Headland provides an amphitheatre for just that purpose.

Alexandra Headland

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Decisions Decisions Decisions

Sometimes, there are a whole heap of decisions that need to be made before one goes into the water. There's always a moment of intense hesitation.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Cutback

When the wave comes, may as well wring the most out of it!

Alexandra Headland

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Waves in short supply.

On a day when waves are small, there can be a queue of surfers, but it's a pretty pleasant place to queue.

Alexandra Headland

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

"Where the pelican builds"

No one knows yet, how the pelicans know that there are floods several thousand kilometres away, but they do, and they are joined by all manner of other sea birds. In the past week or so, we've encountered Ibis, Spoonbills, Herons, Pelicans, Ducks of all varieties and others that don't come to mind right now. In a few months the waterways will once again be desert, and the birds will find their way back to the coast, but in the meantime, we're having fun trying to track down some of their movements.

This photo was taken on the banks of the Diamantina River near Birdsville, still flowing but within weeks the sand bed will be all that is visible.

Back to the coast pictures tomorrow!


The horses were ready, the rails were down,
But the riders lingered still --
One had a parting word to say,
And one had his pipe to fill.
Then they mounted, one with a granted prayer,
And one with a grief unguessed.
"We are going," they said, as they rode away --
"Where the pelican builds her nest!"

They had told us of pastures wide and green,
To be sought past the sunset's glow;
Of rifts in the ranges by opal lit;
And gold 'neath the river's flow.
And thirst and hunger were banished words
When they spoke of that unknown West;
No drought they dreaded, no flood they feared,
Where the pelican builds her nest!

The creek at the ford was but fetlock deep
When we watched them crossing there;
The rains have replenished it thrice since then,
And thrice has the rock lain bare.
But the waters of Hope have flowed and fled,
And never from blue hill's breast
Come back -- by the sun and the sands devoured --
Where the pelican builds her nest.

Mary Hannay Foott

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Pelicans

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

A few weeks ago, I indicated that we were off to the centre of Australia among other things, to see if we could see some of the giant bird rookeries that are active at the moment.

Almost 2,000 kilometres from the coast, we found the remainder of one, with many of the birds following the vast flood of water south to Lake Eyre, to join an estimated 50,000 pelicans and every other variety of seabird.

We'll follow them for a few more weeks, just for fun, so please be aware that internet time continues to be very very limited and I am currently unable to respond to your comments, (which are still greatly appreciated).

This photograph was taken in Birdsville, a somewhat ironic location perhaps, and one of the most remote towns in Australia.

Birdsville,
Not the Sunshine Coast.

Meet the Bigs4 of 4; Big Bob

My second post on this blog featured an election poster for this man!

Big Bob for the Big Job.

Our mayor, and larger than life politician and blues harmonica player, overseeing a very difficult transition as the coast moves from a collection of burroughs to a full fledged city over the next few decades.

Cheers Bob!

Nambour

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Meet the Bigs3 of 4; The Big Mower

When a simple mowing business in the suburbs gets in on the act, you know the "big" movement has gone to far.

...or has it?

Beerwah

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Meet the Bigs2 of 4; The Big PIneapple

The Big PIneapple doesn't look so big in this photograph does it? Until you notice the full size palm tree dwarfed in the background that is.

This monster has just been listed our our national heritage register, and was a pioneering agri them park in its hey (or is that hay?) day. Sadly the complex is in need of the sort of repair that only a small nuclear catastrophe could provide. For those with a curious bent I have more images on my Flickr pages.

Nambour

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Meet the Bigs1 of 4; The Big Cow

Now here's a picture I posted almost exactly a year ago. I apologise for that, but not for the comments I recall making at the time which had something to do with insecurity of the place as I recall.

We have more than our share of big things on the Sunshine Coast, and the next few days (OK three days) will feature the biggest, including one which doesn't feature in the national list of big things which can be found at the link below. Sadly I didn't have time to find the big bottle or the big shell, but they can wait for another time.

Links to big things!

Nambour

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Let's get out of here

As we leave town, the view is once again brought closer by the tree lined hills in the background, perfectly framed by those glorious golden arches. Yes the world famous Scottish food establishment is even here.

Nambour has made it!

Nambour.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

This is why it's called Nam"boring"

Sure it's a nice little town but by the third near identical photo, no one cares, not even if it's looking up the side street to emphasize his point about the vistas to the hills.

Actuall a lot can be learned about the town from this photo, the infrastructure happening, the vacant shops, the new shops. It's a town in transition.

Nambour

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

The Main Drag

I have no idea why the main street of our towns are referred to as "drags". If it is a reference to street racing, I can't think of anything less conducive to racing than this, but there's a pretty clear view of the hills at the end of the street anyway.

Nambour

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Namboring

The road into town.

Let's leave Noosa for a bit and head ten or twelve kilometres down the road to what I have no doubt will one day become the commercial heart of the city. It's an interesting planning exercise this Sunshine Coast Region, smashing all the little communities together and waiting for them to join through sheer pressure of growth. It worked very successfully 200 kilometres south on the Gold Coast, and I think that people are forgetting that took 30 years, not one or two.

So Nambour, is often derided by those who live in the more sulubrious parts of town as "boring", but it's far from it. It's a pretty little place with hills framing each of its major thoroughfares. It has none of the glitz of the wealthier areas, but it does have an established population of over 15,000 people and it's not much more than fifteen minutes drive to the beach.

Besides, it's where Council's offices are, so it must be important.

Nambour

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Yesterday's Beach House

It would seem to be something of an ignoble end to our long surviving beach house of yesterday, if it were to end up as the site for a dogwash.

However it should be noted that even Dogwash developers retain as much greenery as they can in Noosa.

Noosaville


Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Across the road

Across the road from the boatshed, sits an original beach house waiting its fate, perhaps after this recession recedes, perhaps after the next, but redevelopment will occur..... (to be continued...


Noosaville

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Sunbrellas Skywatch from the Sunshine Coast

We have to watch the sky constantly, not for rain, but for extremes of UV light. It looks innocuous enough, well actually one can't see it, but on even the most pleasant day and particularly when there is some cloud the danger is ever present.

That is why one rarely sees diners sitting in direct sunlight. Umbrellas and all sorts of shade devices are an important part of our alfresco pastimes.

There are links to lots more Skywatch images from around the world on the Skywatch Portal!

Noosaville

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

The Boathouse

Perhaps someone can enlighten me, the Boathouse is a floating restaurant complex, nothing more than a building on floats, and a very bland buildign at that, sitting on a private mooring with a jetty access to it. I haven't heard too many comments which actually support this sort of semi legitimate incursion on the waterfront, and to my eye, the Surf Lifesaving racing boat and paraphernalia is about the only part of the whole shooting match that adds anything of note.

Sadly the note is to the effect that it's a shame vintage craft like this and it's oars aren't preserved in a somewhat more congenial surround!

I suppose the food must be OK, as they are certainly still operating. Perhaps we need a food critique?

Noosaville

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

We've left the building

As I alluded yesterday, we're off to the vastness of the interior for a month under canvas. Internet connectivity is sporadic at best, but I'll do my best to stay in touch, and rely heavily on Mr Blogger to automatically upload each day.

In the meantime, this bloke lives on the footpath somewhere in Noosaville.

Noosaville

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Pelican

At first it seems a little incongruous if not odd, that this giant pelican retains pride of place in the parkland on the Noosaville river bank, but it has a long history among the community dating back a couple of decades. It began life as a parade float, and in fact it still serves that purpose, but during all the times it's not at work, it sits keeping a watchful eye on the river.

We're off this week to visit the pelican breeding grounds in central Australia. Now that seems even odder. Large seabirds somehow can tell every eight years or so, when there's been lots of rain in the interior, and the vast lakes fill with water and otherwise dormant wildlife. Off they go, on a two thousand kilometre trip to find their mates and breed.

What, may I ask is wrong with the coast?

If we find out, we'll report back.

Noosaville

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Noosa Canoes

It's fair to say that I'm a wooden boat kind of bloke, but the new mass produced plastic canoe genre does have an aesthetic of it's own which adds something to the "happiness index" I think.

Noosa River

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Noosa River

Before the amalgamation of the various Shires to form the one city, the former Noosa Shire had been registered as a Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere programme. More information can be found here, or you can just enjoy the sparkling water and clean sand bed of the Noosa River with an almost perfect pastel sky.

Noosaville

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Info

If the word had not been contracted, they'd have needed a much bigger building to get "information" across it I suppose. Noosaville was once a sleepy little hollow at the back of Noosa, but it's now rather busy most of the time.

It's a lovely walk along the river though, and the "Info" centre has the best of it.

Noosaville

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Skywatch with Shadows Nothing to see here move along!

I remember a time when lovers sought privacy, quiet places where they could watch the stars and moon.

There's nothing like the blare of a million halon lights to get the pulse racing, and instead of stars, why not watch the lights of the apartments on Point Cartwright.

After staring at the sky for a while, they'd see nothing but red and green spheres burned into their retinas!

I know it's the second skywatch shot this year with no actual sky visible, I promise I won't do it again, but I couldn't help myself, the fear of what lurks in the shadows beyond obviously draws them to the privacy of the floodlit beach.

Today's City Daily Photo theme is "Shadows" Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Find links to lots more Skywatch images (all of the others with actual sky in them), from around the world on the Skywatch Portal!

Mooloolaba

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Maypole

Back to the circus for a second. In the absence of any genuine folk dancing, I thought the tent and the truck did a fair interpretation of one of those Maypole dancers!

Kawana

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Enticing

If you read yesterday's post, today's photo needs no explanation!

N Thai Sing
Noosaville

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Thai Seasons

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

What is it with Thai Restaurants and their propensity for witty names? It was only that we were eating at the marvellously simple Thai Seasons in Mooloolaba while the Australian Open Tennis Tournament was on, that I realised it's former moniker, "Thai Breaker" was not about the beach and the waves after all.

Then of course there's the Hard Wok Cafes, the Wok on Inn, the Bangkok Milton, and a seemingly endless round of Thai puns.

If it wasn't for the food, well we just wouldn't go!

Mooloolaba

Eumundi Surfboard

Was once a hall of some description, now a house.

With a surfboard for decoration.

Eumundi

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Eumundi House

Just a house. Harking back to times gone by, but the clear timber is a giveaway. No self respecting old-timer would have left timber exposed to the elements like that.

There is a curious conflict among some of the house "restoration" crowd which involves stripping off the history which is documented in the layers of paint and render, to expose the materials in their raw state. But the builders knew better originally, and always protected the materials with thick paint.

Once again I digress, timber houses on stumps with metal roofs are our vernacular form of residential architecture, or were, until the concrete slab came along in the nineties.

Eumundi

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Happy Commercialisation!

I know they meant well, but wishing someone a "Happy ANZAC Day" is not cool.

It's a sad fact of life I suppose that the intent a somewhat solemn day of reflection and remembrance should be lost in a sea of smiley faces, and a 15% surcharge.

Noosa Heads

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

ANZAC Day Skywatch

ANZAC Day, tomorrow, is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

Australians and New Zealanders recognise 25 April as an occasion of national commemoration. Commemorative services are held at dawn – the time of the original landing – across the nation. Later in the day, ex-servicemen and women meet and join in marches through the major cities and many smaller centres. Commemorative ceremonies are held at war memorials around the country. It is a day when we reflect on the many different meanings of war.

More information may be found at the Australian War Memorial website here.

This photograph was taken almost a year ago, outside the Maleny RSL - The Returned Servicemen's League.

The vibrant sky and the blazing red of the hibiscus in flower needs little further comment.

Don't forget, there links to lots more Skywatch images from around the world on the Skywatch Portal!

Maleny.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Southerners

It's getting cooler. The southerners are arriving.

Round here almost all our estuarine fish species are bottom feeding, so typically fishing lines are rigged with small lead sinkers to ensure that the bait stays down where the fish are likely to see it. When the tourists arrive from the south, it's easy to spot them. They're the ones fishing with the floats.

Mooloolaba

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Not Here

Oh no, you'd never find graffiti this clever on the Coast! There's a bloke who paints it all out with mission brown anyway, so the cure is actually worse than the disease.

This picture is interesting (to me) as it is actually a single unretouched photograph, yet could be something of a modern diptych! The three colours are actually in three different planes. The white line is a verandah post, it all looked quite arty really, in no way due to the original "artists" work I have to say.

Sawtell, NSW

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

It's football season again, but of course we call "Football" soccer, and we call Rugby League, Rugby Union and Australian Rules "football". To make things even more confusing, a lot of Soccer leagues play fixtures in summer to stay in sync with the Northern Hemisphere.

I have no idea whether this goal is in use or not, but I thought it made a nice photo anyway, and we've had lots of rain so the grass is uncharacteristically lush.

Kawana


Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

The last Frangipani

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

The Plumeria or Frangipani as it is known is a native of southern India, Venezuela and Mexico, but it has spread through most temperate climates and has become somewhat synonymous with Coastal areas, including our own.

Autumn is apon us, and the leaves of the frangipani are already starting to thin, but here is one last shock of flower in our garden. The white ones and red ones have long gone.

Mooloolaba

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

DidgeridooEumundi Markets

I am not sure what the collective noun for didgeridoo is, a forest perhaps?

Whatever it is, I'm sure I can see a bamboo tent post hiding in their among the instruments!

Eumundi

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Need a drink?

Saturday is market day at Eumundi, and this fellow was running by quite early in the morning.

I've never been one for jogging, and certainly don't have any attributes which would justify me doing so half naked. Some people seem to spend an awful lot of time getting the right amount of sun, exercise and finding the right brand of sunglasses.

I don't, which I suppose is why I'm more comfortable taking photographs than being in them, but couldn't help but smile as this poor tortured soul laboured past the front of the bottle shop signage.


Eumundi

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Market PuzzleToday's Skywatch from the Sunshine Coast

For today's puzzle, let's see who can find the sky!

Hint: It's drizzling, so it isn't the customary bright blue!

Find links to lots more Skywatch images from around the world on the Skywatch Portal!


Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

LightsEumundi Markets

These lanterns were sold at the Eumundi markets by a couple who have just moved back to Korea, apparently they are based on a Korean tradition with paper, I know little more after my brief conversation but if you have one of them at your place I guess it's now a collector's item!

Eumundi Markets
Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Loo with a view

I know that once or twice I've made a joke of my subject, but not today, that really is what this building is called!

This is the verandah of the public toilet on Mooloolaba beach, and well patronised it is too, in stark contrast to the one at Beerwah, the Council spent many millions ensuring this facility was first rate!

Mooloolaba

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Loo Too

Another view of the Beerwah Bookshop facility, one was just not enough.

Beerwah


Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Bookshop Loo

The "facilities", Beerwah Bookshop

Beerwah

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Waiting for the crowds

One last check of the concessions before the madding crowd arrives.

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Circus

Having been fortunate enough to have seen the Great Moscow Circus in Moscow, I can assure readers that the resemblance of the circus building to the famous St Basil's Church in Red Square is entirely in the minds of the marketeers!

None the less, there's something quite Russian about a series of coloured inflatabel onion domes appearing in a sports ground near you!

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Great Moscow Skywatchon the Sunshine Coast!

An interestingly dark sky for Good Friday I thought.

Actually it's not Moscow, it's Kawana, however for a few days in late February the inflatable onion domes of the Great Moscow Circus sent out a confusing message to visitors.

Find links to lots more Skywatch images from around the world on the Skywatch Portal!

Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia