Category Archives: Sunshine Coast Secrets

A Walk In The Park

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Lexis English Noosa students took advantage of a perfect summer day with a walk in the Noosa National Park to spot some Koalas and Dolphins.

Thanks to the local bus service for providing free buses in the festive season. The ride over the hill gave the students a lot more time to explore! They had a quick stop for a  Koala lesson at First Point near Noosa Main Beach where Cindy the activity coordinator explained to the students how to spot a Koala and what trees to look out for. Tourists and locals watched on as 30 people slowly walked up the boardwalk to the national park with their eyes to the sky. They arrived at the national park with no Koala in sight as yet. After a chat with the park rangers who informed them that they had not seen a Koala all day either, the students set out to the ‘Koala hot zone’ at the back of Tea Tree Bay. As one student said “The Koalas must be out surfing today”. With thirty sets of eyes looking around, there was still no Koala to be found! However some students did see a pod of Dolphins having a play as they made their way back to main beach for a swim.  Hopefully they will spot a Koala on their next visit to the national park. 

Free Holiday Buses On The Sunshine Coast

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From Monday 26 December 2011 to Sunday 8 January 2012, council in partnership with TransLink, will be providing free public transport for everyone on the Sunshine Coast! It’s a great opportunity during the Christmas break to see as much as you can of the Sunshine Coast for FREE!

Here our some suggestions of things to do and see:
- Visit the Eumundi markets on a Wednesday or Saturday
- Go to the Sunshine Plaza in Maroochydore on 26th December for the Boxing Day sales
- Take a day trip to Mooloolaba and visit the ‘loo with a view’ and Underwater World
- Get cultural and see an event at the Caloundra Cultural Centre
- Hire a boat at Pelican Boat Hire and catch some dinner on Maroochydore River
Or just jump on the first bus that comes along and have an adventure!

Golden Breed Specials for Global Village Students

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The team at Golden Breed are all experienced surfers and will equip the students with the right board depending on their experience and height. As the student progresses in their surfing experience, they will get to hire different types of boards to better suit their surfing skills.

The students can come anytime during opening hours seven days a week and pick up a board and drop it back so they don’t have to carry the board everywhere. The team will also ensure that the students receive all the helpful hints and local knowledge they need to have the best surf experience in Noosa. They will recommend to the students the best place to surf depending on the skill level, let them know daily tides and the correct etiquette when in the water.

They also have second hand and new boards for sale if students wish to purchase a board.

Special GV Noosa Rental Price

Daily: $30

Weekly: $90

Monthly: $220

Month +: Price can be negotiated

Wet Suit

Wet suits and rash vests are including in the hire price.

How Far from GV Noosa

Golden Breed is located at the start of Hastings Street. 10 min walk from GV Noosa and 2 min walk to the beach.

http://www.facebook.com/goldenbreed

http://twitter.com/#!/GoldenBreed

http://www.goldenbreed.com.au/

http://www.pacificlongboarder.com/news.asp?id=3289&category=1

http://www.surfersvillage.com/surfing/52243/surf-news.htm

ANANDA’S FAREWELL

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Brazilian student Ananda Assmar Oliveira studied at GV Noosa for over 1 year.  At the end of last year many of her friends left the college and she stayed on to finish her BEC course.  Today it was her time to go.

Ananda participated in most activities and always put her best effort into her studies.  She was a familiar face around the school and no short of friends.  Last night over 100 students gathered at a local party to wish Ananda a safe trip home.

Today she visited the school to express her final farewell to what she has known as home for the past year, GV Noosa.

“Just now I realise how hard it is to say goodbye!  When I decided to come to Australia to learn English, I had no idea how important it would mean to my life.  Living in Noosa and studying at GV made me realise the true meaning of learning English.  Learning English helped me not just in my professional life but in my personal life too.  Learning English I could make lovely friends, learn new cultures, understand the world better and admire its differences.

I would like to say thank you for everybody who was part of my learning process, my homestay who helped me when I could say nothing, my teacher’s Phil and Tim and the others from the optional classes, the GV management, to my lovely friend Nadia who always helps us with everything and to all my friends from Noosa!

I had a really wonderful time here in Australia and I owe it all to you guys!  I hope to see you again in some part of the world!

Kisses!   Ananda

WE WILL MISS YOU!  TAKE CARE AND GOOD LUCK!

GV Girls Star in an Aussie Film Clip

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Lovely ladies from Switzerland Melanie and Aurelia took part in a Sunshine Coast video shoot on the weekend.  They had to catch a ride with Bob from Tribal Travel down to the Caboolture Historical Village where all the action took place.

The film clip won’t be released until late November/early December.  Here is a sneak preview of what the two girls were getting up to.

You can check out the film clip later in the year at www.myspace.com/nadiacolbourn  

 

 

The Global Village Noosa Project

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Last week some of our very talented students and teachers put together a creative pictorial project on studying at Global Village Noosa.

Teachers Rachel and Dionne said that the project gave the students the opportunity to use the their English in a creative and productive way. They interviewed students, visited locations and interacted with locals in the community to put together a montage of ‘life in Noosa’.

“When we watched this special presentation it touched our hearts and reminded us of how beautiful Noosa is.  There really is no better to place to study in Australia”. 

 We are all very proud of the effort that  David, Barbara, Ana, Min-Ju and Vivienne put into this project.  You have put together a wonderful masterpiece we will cherish forever.

It’s That Time of Year Again!

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From now through to the end of March it is typical for low pressure systems to develop in the Coral Sea off North Queensland. These systems can produce large swells and often develop into cyclones which produce even bigger waves.

This photo was taken at Noosa’s ‘Boiling Pot’ in early 2009 when cyclone Hamish was hanging around. When these conditions occur, Noosa National Park gets some of the best waves in the world. Lets keep our fingers crossed for another swell like this in the near future!

Great surf information resource

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Check out this great online resource for everything you need to know about your favourite Noosa surf spot….really, everything!!

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Noosa Points:  http://magicseaweed.com/Noosa-Points-Surf-Report/544/multiSwell/europe/ 

Noosa A-Bay: http://magicseaweed.com/Noosa-Alexandria-Bay-Surf-Report/1003/ 

Sunshine Beach: http://magicseaweed.com/Noosa-Sunshine-Beach-Surf-Report/1004/ 

If you know any other links like this, let us know!

Sunshine Coast Website

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Tourism Sunshine Coast have a new website

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It’s quite a good resource if you’d like to explore the Sunshine Coast region, or if you have friends or family coming   for a visit.   Why not take the time to learn a bit more about the region, and perhaps plan a weekend adventure at one of the lesser known attractions on the Coast?

Check it out here – www.tourismsunshinecoast.com.au

Introducing David

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Today we introduce, to those students who don’t already know him our very own jack-of-all-trades, David…

David profile pic 

Job: Activities Assistant / Student Services / General English Teacher

What do you actually do? Aside from brightening up the place, my job at Global Village varies from morning to afternoon. In the mornings I work as a General English teacher. In the afternoons however, my job is to help organise activities, student parties and events and to help students make the most of their time at GV Noosa. I also help students with many of their enquiries, from booking trips to Fraser Island to finding part-time work in Noosa’s hospitality industry.

What’s your favourite place in Noosa? I love the bays around Noosa. You just can’t beat lying in the sunshine on one of our great beaches.

Where would we find you at 9pm on a Saturday night? Hopefully not at home watching the Saturday night movie on TV!

Give us one Sunshine Coast secret: Second Bay at Coolum, which is about a 20 minute drive south of Noosa. It’s so well hidden that you feel like you are a million miles away from anything.

What advice would you give to a new student arriving in Noosa for the first time? Try to get to know the locals! Noosa is such an easy place to meet people, particularly compared to a big city, and you will make some wonderful, life-long friends whilst you are here.

Sunshine Coast Secret #5 – Noosa Farmer’s Markets

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Living so far away from Mum, you’re just not eating your vegetables, are you…..?

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Thankfully, there’s a great place to get inexpensive and very fresh fruit and vegetables within easy walking distance of Noosa Junction.  The Noosa Farmer’s Market runs each Sunday morning (from a very early start to late morning).  It is held at the AFL ground, on Weyba Rd.  You’ll see it when you’re there – there are cars everywhere.

Prices range from very cheap to suspiciously inflated…keep an eye out for a bargain, though, and you can head home with a fridge full of vitamin C at a very reasonable price!

You can read more about the markets at http://www.noosafarmersmarket.com.au

Loggerhead Turtles on Sunshine Beach

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A usual walk on Sunshine Beach took an exciting turn on Sunday when Becky came across newly hatched baby turtles.

The little turtles had just left their nest in the dunes and were struggling down to the ocean under the protection of the local life guards. These turtles are very rare and are a protected  animal. It was very exciting to watch their brave efforts as they crossed the beach and entered the ocean. Sometimes the waves pushed them right back up the beach and it was very hard not to ‘help them’ but the life guards told everyone that they must not touch them.  Eventually every little turtle made it into the ocean and swum away to the cheers of all the delighted people watching. We are so lucky to live here, aren’t we!

Sunshine Coast Secrets #4 – Sunshine Plaza and Noosa Civic

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Noose is well known in Australia as a boutique shopping destination…but with Summer coming, sometimes it’s nice to lose yourself in an air-conditioned shopping mall for the day.

Here are two options for you:

Noosa Civic – Noosaville

Noosa Civic is a relatively new centre located in Noosaville.  It has around 80 shops, restaurants and other service providers.  It isn’t a huge shopping mall, but it is big enough to have most of what you need to buy on a regular basis.

Take Bus#628, 629.  Check out the timetable at http://timetables.translink.com.au/db/timetables.php?route=&op=12&submit=search  

Read more about Noosa Civic at http://www.noosacivic.com.au/naturally/

Sunshine Plaza – Maroochydore

Sunshine Plaza is a huge mall of over 220 shops and department stores. It also has bars, restaurants and a large cinema complex.  Sunshine Plaza is large enough that you can get lost there for a day of window shopping, and with a river running through the middle of the mall, it’s a quite pleasant place to wander around.

Take Bus #620 to get there.  You can check the timetable here – http://timetables.translink.com.au/db/timetables.php?route=&op=12&submit=search 

Read more about Sunshine Plaza at http://www.sunshineplaza.com/

Sunshine Coast Secrets #3 – Markets

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Do you fancy some weekend shopping, or just a walk in the sun at a Sunday market?  Check out all the great market options on the coast…..

Did you know that there are over 30 weekend markets held in the area around Noosa?  Everyone knows Eumundi markets (and you should check it out at least once while you’re here!), but there are lots of other great locations to pick up a bargain.

Some of the smaller markets can be difficult to get to via public transport, but many are held in the smaller villages around Noosa, and these can be really worth the effort.

During the month of December, Eumundi also has its famous ‘Twilight Market’ on Thursday evenings (from 5pm to 9pm). This can be a great activity after school, and we recommend a quiet pint in one of Eumundi’s great old pubs after your shopping.  You can read details here – http://www.eumundimarket.com.au/

To find out the best transport options, check out: http://timetables.translink.com.au/db/timetables.php?route=&op=12&submit=search 

Full a full list of markets, check out: http://www.sunshinecoast.org/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=06D984B6-CC6F-C99A-6076-E3DA393FBE55&siteName=rtn2

Sunshine Coast Secrets #2 – Peregian Beach

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Do you know Peregian Beach?

 

Peregian Beach is one of the nicest little seaside areas on the coast, and is located only 10 minutes by bus from Noosa.

Peregian is a great surf beach, but is much less crowded than Noosa and also offers great swimming and kilometers of sand for walking.

The Peregian Beach Shopping Centre has a number of small boutique arts and craft shops, as well as a range of restuarants.  You can grab a hamburger and head down to the beach, or sit down to a great thai meal. 

If you feel like a beer while watching the sun go down, try out the Peregian Beach Surf Club for a cheap pint and a great view of the ocean.

The best time to head down is a Sunday, so you can enjoy the Peregian Beach Weekend Markets.  These run on the 1st and 3rd Sunday each month. Stay on after the markets for great music, with free concerts from 1pm each market day.

Learn more at:  http://www.peregian-beach.com/

Sunshine Coast Secrets #1 – National Park

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Why not get some exercise and enjoy one of Noosa’s unique features, our stunning National Park…?

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Three great walks:

Palm Grove Circuit:  This is a 1km walk that winds its way through the rainforest section of the park.  This is one of the nicest places to be in Noosa on a hot day!

Coast Track:  A 5.4km walk along the stunning beauty of the National Park beaches.  On this walk, you will pass rainforest, open woodland and coast heath.  Keep you eyes open for the last of the year’s humpback whales, and watch the trees for one of our famous koalas.  Check out the water for sea turtles, too.

Tanglewood Track:  For a longer walk, take the 6.9km Tanglewood Track from the picnic area to Hell’ Gates.  This walk goes through rainforest, eucalypt woodlands and closed woodlands.

Do you want more information?  Drop into the Noosa National Park Information Centre, or visit www.epa.qld.gov.au .

Hint:  Check out some of the ‘secret’ beaches in the park….they are not necessarily on any of the maps!!  If you find them, you can most likely have a whole beach to yourself.