The taxi was a little early, which was fortunate as the driver took a rather convoluted route to the M8.  We assumed that he was trying to avoid traffic lights with potential red light cameras and he certainly kept within the speed limit at all times....

It rained during the night but the sky was blue as we set off to explore the local area.  Our plan was to follow the coastal route towards Moolooloba and out to the spit, stocking up with supplies on our way home....

With 60km southerly wind gusts forecast, we knew it was going to be a slow ride along the Coast Path to Caloundra. Fortunately, we didn’t have to worry about possible showers and we enjoyed the views across the Mooloolah River and the excellent cycle path...

We hoped to avoid the worst of the forecast rain as we set off but it wasn’t long before we had to stop to put on our rain gear. Heading north, at least the 60km wind gusts were behind us. It was very windy and we felt its impact any time we changed direction....

Our exploration of Noosa started from home as we walked into Hastings Street for coffee.  The heart of Noosa was very busy and traffic was at a standstill, with one lane closed, whilst work was underway on a building site....

It was wet as we waited for the ferry, having purchased a hop on/hop off ticket for the day.  We took the ferry to its end point at the Noosa Marina in Tewantin and walked to the CBD for an excellent coffee at Café Ritual.  

The Noosa Regional Gallery was free to enter, and we explored the three little exhibitions....

The tour bus was right on time and picked us up just across from our accommodation. We had opted for the Everglades Eco Safari tour as pick up was included in the price and offered the option of canoeing through the Everglades....

We followed the now familiar river path to Tewantin then took a bike path to the turnoff to Lake Coorobah where it suddenly stopped.  Fortunately, the road was quiet and we soon turned off onto an even quieter road....

For a $7 fee, Polleys coaches takes cyclists and their bikes on the morning school run to Kilkivan departing at 6:30am. Our accommodation was just over a kilometre from the bus station and it was a cold, dark and foggy ride as we left around 6am....

It was a clear, cold morning and we were rugged up in our warm weather gear as we departed. The sun was surprisingly warm and it wasn’t long before we needed to remove some layers.  The winery route took us through farmland and we were soon back at the main road with its link to the rail trail....

Our host had warned us about the annual South Burnett Express Rail Trail relay with the course covering 60km from Kingaroy to Wondai and return. Teams of 5 – 8 runners registered to complete the course, with some 150 participants anticipated.  We didn’t see many of them – though it looked like the local police may have entered a few teams....

Located on a large acreage, we felt assured of privacy, and were surprised to see a truck appear.  It turned out it was the local operator doing his quarterly inspection of the septic system.  He clearly enjoyed a chat and told us about his recent business expansion and daily inspection routine....

We retraced our route from the day before, stopping briefly at the park where we were reassured we were heading in the right direction.  We kept an eye out for horse drawn carriages but only saw a group of cyclists whiz past us on robust mountain ebikes....

Blackbutt’s claim to fame is as the birthplace of international tennis star, Roy Emerson. The dedicated local museum wasn’t open so we settled on admiring the life-sized bronze statue. 

According to Des, a local volunteer, people get good photos by sticking their heads through the tennis racquet....

We had a quick look at the Two Galah gallery before passing the brightly coloured cow near the Toolgoolawah station. It was nice to have bridges to cross rather than making the steep climb in and out of the gullies....