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l5 THlS heaven?
Yes, it's Sunshine Beach.
I have spent years trying to identifo special places in the
world lwant to visit before my toes curl up and I head to that
great tourist destination in the sky.
I haven't yet been able to draw up a definitive list but
I know where I want to spend infinity and beyond - at
Sunsl:ine Beach"
5c deterrnin*d arn I to spend the after-life in this special
place I have issued instructions to my family - bury my ashes
on the rugged sutcrops at the rrorthern end of Sunshine
Beach" lr's probably the closest I will ever get to heaven.
Interring hurnan ashes in a national park is probably
illegal but that won't be my problem.ldoubt a posthumous
charge of loit*ring with intent would score a conviction, even
in a Qu*ensland court" {l don't have tattoos or a motorbike
and tl'lere will nnly be ane of me so l'm flying under the radar"
Talk about * rebel without a cause).
I can see it now. The anything-but-sombre ashes
internment ceremony will take place on an appropriate day,
probably April Fool's Day, under the guise of a large family
picnic. Why anyone would picnic on the side of a rugged
rocky outcrop I don't know, but'strange'is a family trait"
I don't know who will be there but I know my three adult
offspring and partners will be drinking heavily, trying tn dull
the pain inflicted by the debts they inherited"
But I digress.There's something special absut 5unshine
Beach, nestled in Nossa National Fark. I don't know what it
is, but I do know it has, at least in pafi, sCImthing to do with
food and wine because I start salivating every time I begin
driving up the highway from Brisbane.
Could it be the coffee shop, Costa Noosa Espresso, that
serves the best coffee this side of ltaly and maybe even the
other side too? Their multi-award winning coffee is roasted
1I+ | Thursday,3 July,2014
on site and punches way above its weight. But lots of places
have good coffee shops so what else could make Sunshine
Beach special?
There's a little restaurant, Mooshka. that's chic and
informal.The tables and chairs are a real mixture of old
stuff. ftemember the kitchen tables with laminated tops?
Mooshkat got'em.There are chunky old wooden stools too
heavy for me to rnove, but finding an ernpfy one is the
usual problern. You name it - if it's old but classicall it's there.
{l'm talking about the furnitllre, not sorrle of the diners.)
Come to think of it, there are a dozen eating and drinking
establishments in a 2CICI-metre strip affering variety rarely
found in a little villaqe, and all of thern Bre top quality
Eiving
excellent value for m*ney.
Plus, of {ourse, there's the award-winning surf club that
has views worth photoEraphing, bottling, preservinE, and
sending to people you d*n't like with a note'l'm here, just to
make them jealous*
Sunshine Beach is a foodies delight but it's not just
the fo*d" And whiie the physicatr beauty of th* place is
intoxicating, there's still more ts it.
It is, of course, the people who rnake the difference" The
l*cals are sirnply down-to-earth. friendly, genuine souls.
And their attitude to life and the people around them
is infectious, making it near impossible for visitors to be
anything different"
The locals and the regular visitors {pseudo/wannabe
Sunshine Beach Eurns like rne), seem to brirrg out the best in
people.
In our block of units there are two couples from England
and we make them feel welcome, Yes, we eat and drink with
Poms on the proviso that, if there's whinging to be done, we
do it-Theret also a couple from Melbourne and we like them
too" Where else in Australia could you get that sort of all-
embracing, outpouring of love and affection?
It's only minutes from upmarket Hastings 5t at Noosa but it
has retained iu village atmosphere and the associated charm.
When you go for a walk people say gday. When you walk
along the beach you can strike up a
(onversation almost
any time you want to. Even the dogs at the dog-permitted
northern end of the beach are friendly.
When the time comes for me ta depart this mortal life
tl've set the date - February 4. 2049), that's the environment I
want to'live'in. That's the view I want to see for eternity.
And if my family and friends ever feel a bit down, or need
their sense of humour batteries recharEed. I hope they
wander up to my restinE place with a reascnably good bottle
of red and share utopia with me"
F0OTI-IOTE: Oh, by the way, did I mention the additional
specific instructions? Well, rny ashes are ts be placed in an
ernpry rnagnum that now ccntains a limited edition 2009
Fenfolds Claret {bottle number 1443i, a {ocnawarra shiraz/
cabernet blend"
Yes, the label does saytlaretl ltt a long stnry about how
and why Fenfolds did it so Iwon't b*re you with the details.
You can Soogle it if you're int*rested or jealous. The magnum
is already packaged in a delightful red case with allthe
trimmings so burial expenses will be kept to a minimum. (l'm
half Scottish).
Why would I want this? Well, I have a penchant for red
wine taken for medicinal purposes only {l'm actually a health
and fitness fanatic on permanent annual leave) and I think
Sunshine Beach is right up there with the best places in the
world - yes, the world.
One day the thought hit nre. Why not, I mused, combine
three of this world! greatest treasures - red wine, Sunshine
Beach, and rne? Why not take the other two tre&sures with
me when I cross over to wherever l'm going?
The only thing I have to do before the big event is drink
thetlaret'from bottle number l443.The wine is now rapidly
appreciating in value and ageing gracefully and delightfully
... just like me.