K and I just returned from four glorious days in Noosa Heads, a breathtaking beachy locale that is one of my favourite places on earth. I’d been struggling with the final phase of my PhD and was on the brink of burnout when my mother—God bless her!—knowing how the beauty and relaxed elegance of Noosa never fail to uplift me, suggested K and I get away. Too exhausted to pack anything slinky and concerned that I’d be freezing (in fact, winter in Noosa is a sunny delight and the perfect time to visit) I stuffed an assortment of jeans, knits and jackets into various duffel bags, tossed in a hat and some sunscreen, and we hit the road. The next morning I awoke to a melody of bird calls and the promise of a day where my most difficult task was deciding when to schedule my afternoon nap.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. First off, breakfast—one of my favourite meals (admittedly I’m also fond of lunch and dinner) and a decision at Noosa that K and I never have to make. Without fail we start our day at the delightful Season Restaurant: quite simply the best brekkie spot on the Sunshine Coast and an amalgam of everything good in this world. Score one of the front tables that overlook Noosa’s sparkling main beach and I’d argue it’s one of the most uplifting places to start your day in all of Australia.

How you reach Season, though, is important. Whether you are on a day-trip from Brisbane, have arrived by taxi from the Sunshine Coast airport (a half hour drive away) or have simply meandered down to Hastings Street from your Noosa digs, you simply must approach the restaurant via a stroll along the boardwalk. Start outside the surf club, where the assemblage of bronzed bodies and squealing kiddy-winks sprawled across the sand at 9 a.m. may trigger a pang of regret that you didn’t hit the day several hours earlier (personally, I’d always rather the sleep-in.) Soak up the glistening ocean as you amble along the boardwalk for three or four blissful minutes…

Then get ready to pounce. Because while Season overlooks the beach its entrance is down the side, meaning a sneaky couple arriving from Hastings Street could nab one of those coveted front tables before you (K often starts running at this point.) But before you get all tense, relax. The easy going staff is attuned to their gob-smacking capital and understand that you want to sit – well, overlooking the water. So plop down on any old table, order a coffee and mention that you’d like to wait for one of the two front tables (not including the breezeless corner one tucked behind glass.) Miraculously, that athletic couple from Melbourne are just leaving and you score one of the prized spots in two minutes flat!

And the food? Well, here’s the thing. If you read this blog you’ll understand that while I’m a dedicated foodie, there are at times other factors when dining that I consider more important (for example, the spectacular view of the Louvre’s pyramid from Le Café Marly – as I explain in this previous post.) Season is one of these places. While the coffee is above average, the pancakes with ice-cream tasty and the big breakfast really rather large, what you have come for is the mesmerising view.

In order to soak up the experience all you really need is a pair of newspapers, a couple of coffees (happily the waiters are fine with you ordering just caffeine) and an uninterrupted couple of hours. Angle both seats towards the beach, gaze out at the twinkling water and allow those negative ions to do their thing. After a while you’ll be so blissed out you will forget all about that fractious PhD or stressful career. Which, come to think about it, is why you visited Noosa in the first place.

xo