The Honeymoon - Coolum Beach, Queensland

We were very lucky, extremely lucky, to be blessed by family and friends for our wedding who made our honeymoon dreams come true. We didn’t really want (or need) anything for our home as far as wedding presents go so I put a little note in the invitations that said if guests wanted to, a monetary gift would be greatly appreciated.

We received more than enough for a lovely week away at our favourite beach destination, Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Damien and I are huge dog lovers, especially of our dogs, and there was no leaving them behind so we managed to rent a beach house that was dog friendly and our two little friends came with us. (At the end of the day, this holiday was all about them.)

Coolum Beach is just over an hour from home and a place that is very dear to my heart. My grandparents lived on the Sunshine Coast since 1969 so just about every chance we could, we would go there. I went to many church camps at the Luther Heights Camping Grounds at Coolum as a young girl with a lot of great memories.

When (and if) the children ever leave home, this is where I would like to spend the rest of my days. There’s just something about the unspoiled coastline in this area and the natural surroundings. I know you can’t stand in the way of progress but I think the council has done well to not build up the coastline with high rise unit blocks and commercialism. This is where I feel at peace.

Our accommodation was located close to Stumer’s Creek, a special area dedicated to our four legged friends. There are plenty of dog ‘doo doo’ bags for picking up their mess, fresh water taps and hoses to clean them and an off leash area so they can have a good run. Most of the dog owners are responsible and keep their dogs under control.

One day we went to another favourite beach of mine, Noosa Beach about 15 minutes away from where we stayed. It was a really warm day and the water was crystal clear. Damien got in a bit of surfing while I caught up on some magazine reading and catching a few rays.

Another day we went to King’s Beach at Caloundra, about 20 minutes south. This area, from Caloundra to Noosa, is known as the Sunshine Coast and has some of the best beaches in the world.

Damien gave me his wallet (I really took it when he wasn’t looking) and I headed 5 minutes up the road to Peregian Beach for a good look around the shops. So many gorgeous homeware shops and boutiques. They have such a lot of unique and one-off items you don’t find in the shops around me. I didn’t buy too much but had a good look around and was inspired to try a few ideas when I got home.

I collected a few shells and coral on our morning and afternoon walks. I’ll use some of these when I put together a little something to remember our honeymoon. I think shells are the best souvenir. They don’t cost anything and when you look at them you remember where you got them from, or I do.

We were blessed with such wonderful weather but on our last day, the dark clouds came over and it rained a bit and got a bit cool. It gave us time to relax on the couch, watch a movie and get ready to pack up for our return home.

It was such a lovely time and a time to take stock, reminisce a little on the wedding and enjoy each other’s company without any interruptions from the day to day. Oh, except for the whining and barking when it was time for walkies. Some things never change.

Christmas Vacation 2013 - Coolum Beach

I love our week’s vacation every year. There’s no doubt it will always be at the beach. I had every single holiday at the beach as a child (and as an adult for most of the time) and I’m pretty sure my kids love it too. Probably comes with the territory and the fact that we live in a wonderful part of the world. One such place is just over an hour north of where we live on the Sunshine Coast called Coolum Beach. That’s where we headed this year.

It’s always a pretty stressful time for me as a single Mum to make sure I’ve got everything packed, food organised (I ordered groceries online and collected just near our destination), and all the other things that need to be organised before we go away but off we went. I was so, so tired emptying the house in readiness for the floors to be polished while we were away so I really wanted to get there and relax.

We rented a beautiful little pet friendly house about 5 minutes walk from the beach with a pool and nicely decorated in resort style furniture. It had all the modern creature comforts of home and just what we needed for our week away.

The kids hit the pool as soon as we got there and I was happy to sit and watch. Our days were made up of swimming in the pool daily and just being lazy.

We’d wake every morning and go to the beach before it got too hot. The kids played in the sand while I went for a run.

Coolum Beach is one of my most favourite beaches and brings back fond memories of my childhood when we would camp at the nearby Lutheran camp site with our church. The beaches are unspoilt and up until http://creditcardnow.us/comment/181#comment-181 recently, was free of fast food chains. (Thanks for nothing McDonalds.)

Every afternoon we took our dogs to the area designated for dogs at Stumers Creek, a couple hundred metres north of the main part of Coolum Beach. A beautiful fresh water creek for the dogs to splash around in, poop bags, water bowl and hose for the dogs plus toilets and a park for the humans as well. I’ve had our Mini Pinscher, Willy for 10 years since he was 9 months old and I don’t recall ever taking him to the beach before. He absolutely loved it.

The boy and his dog.

On our second last night, I treated us all to dinner out at the Coolum Beach Surf Life Saving Club and it just so happened to coincide with the grand opening of a new bar and new renovations. There were Christmas parties galore so the place was really pumping. Who wouldn’t want to dine with the sea breeze blowing and that view to look at.

I had a pasta dish with Moreton Bay bugs (similar to lobster) and prawns with garlic and chilli. The kids had a kid’s meal and enjoyed time in the kid’s club while I had a little break and enjoyed the view.

As we wandered back to the car, the Friday night craft markets were on with lots of beautiful jewellry and things to look at. It was a beautiful evening and nice just to browse.

We finished the evening with an ice cream and headed home. The next day, our last, we relaxed by the pool before we headed home on the Sunday morning and back to preparations for Christmas. I’d love to live at Coolum Beach one day but in the mean time I can dream and think about where we will go next year.