Day 50 Eumundi Markets

Well, here we are, Day 50 already.  The time is going so quickly.  Weatherwise, the last two days have been more than acceptable.  The days have been calm and sunny, although the nights and mornings have been cold.  It pains me to admit it, but I have to come clean and say that we have had our electric blankets on for the last two nights.

When we arrived people kept telling us that a visit to Eumundi Markets was a must-do when visiting Noosa.  Oh no, we thought, yet another small town market with all the usual rubbish.  Nevertheless, we did the right thing and drove out to Eumundi this morning.  We were most surprised when we got there. Firstly, every second car in Queensland seemed to competing for a car park.  We did the smart thing and paid our $5.00 for a paid park in a car park the size of which reminded me of the car parks at the Canberra Show.  We then attacked the market itself.  The first part of the Market area, Eumundi Square was a large set of purpose-built permanent stalls erected in a series of grid squares.  There must have been at least fifty or sixty stalls all stocked with high-quality merchandise, mostly women's wear, from hats to shoes to dresses and scarves.  Across an access road was a many times larger collection of the more traditional town market stalls selling the traditional wares.  The multiplicity of craft goods, produce, clothing, tarot readers, massage, food and incense stalls was only part of the attractiveness of the market.  We also found that the sounds produced by the several very talented buskers that we came across and the delicious smells arising from the hot food and coffee stalls also added a great deal to the atmosphere.

Eumundi village itself is just as much a tourist attraction as the market.  The main street is well equipped with a couple of popular pubs and several pavement cafes.  It is also the home of a very good book shop.  We went in and were astounded by the miles of shelving all completely crammed to the ceiling with books of every description covering what appeared to be every subject.  It was a browser's paradise. You could spend all day in here.

This afternoon, was spent sitting in the sun having a bit of a read, doing some cooking and generally having a rest.  However, I did take the opportunity  to take some photos of the caravan park, including its mascot.  We have discovered on our travels that many caravan parks have their unique birdlife.  In Ellis Beach it was the Stone Curlew,  In Rockhampton it was the world's largest collection of Lorikeets.  In other parks we came across Ibis and Plovers.  In this park the mascots are a pair of what I think are Chestnut Teal Ducks.  They are completely unafraid of us humans and wander around begging for food scraps.  Yesterday we saw them quacking at the door of a motor home obviously looking for a handout.  You will find them in the following photographs.

This caravan park, is relatively small.  It is well laid out with bituman roadways and concrete curbing.  The amenities have just been refurbished to a high level. It has a very inviting pool, however there is no indication that it is heated. It does not welcome pets.  Sites are relatively flat and have slab surfaces to the annex areas.  As I said in a previous post, they are relatively tight to get into and tow vehicles have to be parked in front of the caravan because there is no room at the side.  However, backing in is relatively easy because a staff member assists all everyone on arrival.

Eumundi Markets

Eumundi Markets

Eumundi Markets

Eumundi Markets

Eumundi Markets

Eumundi Main St

Eumundi Markets

Eumundi Markets

Our mate, the duck

Noosa Caravan Park