Walkabout in Noosa

After Cisco Networkers, I decided to head up to Noosa, Queensland for some R&R. About a two-hour shuttle bus ride from Brisbane, Noosa's well known for it's beautiful beaches, Noosa National Park and a great downtown full of pubs, restaurants and boutiques.



On Sunday, Oct. 4 I was set to fly back to Sydney and it also happened to be the change over to Day Light Savings Time.

When I woke up Sunday morning to the alarm on my mobile, I thought I was right on time. Then in a flash of enlightenment I remembered it was Day Light Savings and that I had forgotten to advance the clock on my mobile ahead one hour and I was actually late. Then I turned on CNN and was totally confused because it said it was actually two hours early.

I was totally confused!



So I woke up and went in search of a latte and some informed person who could help me figure out what time it actually was. I ran into a fellow who was also from Sydney who let me in on the fact that while the state of New South Wales (Sydney) acknowledged Day Light Savings Time, Queensland (Brisbane, Noosa) did not as it was very sunny throughout the year. Like me, he too woke up confused yet he figured it out by virtue of the fact that all the Noosa Pubs were advertising the National Rugby League (NRL) Final Games with a start time of 3 p.m. when he knew it was 4 p.m. in Sydney.

Which brings me to a commentary on the names of Australian rugby teams. In the NRL finals, the Melbourne Storm were playing the Parramatta Eels. When I hear "eels" all I can think of is one of my favorite sushi (unagi) and wonder how an NRL team feels about playing for a team named after a green, snake-like eel? Or how about the Rabbitohs or the Roosters? Not very intimidating or fierce in my book.

Since I was up so incredibly early, I headed to Noosa Beach to watch a few brave and dedicated men and women enjoying an early morning swim. The water was incredible smooth and calm and I was reminded of that time I joined my swimming friends from the Decathlon Club for a swim in Carmel, California. Totally opposite from Noosa, it was FREEZING!