Noosa Part One

Manoeuvering  in and out of the carpark at the Coolum units was a challenge, that involved both Jo and I riding shotgun.  On Friday morning, our aim was clearly not quite true, as Jan's car had a close encounter with a rock wall.  There was nothing to be done, so we tried to forget about it and headed for Noosa.

First up was The Hub (Christian Outreach) at Noosaville.  It was raining quite heavily, but Jan drove into the closest parking space...of course.  This is another one that has two sections; the main one having men's and children's clothing, as well as a grocery section where those in need can purchase very cheap food.

Outside is a separate little donga containing the women's clothing and accessories, rather like Bardo's Bazaar, but small and unsullied by staff.  I guess they trust their customers.  I liked it, but there was nothing there for me.

Next was Waves of Kindness, also at Noosaville.  I had never heard of this place, but it was the highlight of the trip for me.  There is a big undercover area outside, where the CDs, videos, children's books, some of the bric-a-brac and larger miscellanous items are set up, then you walk inside and it is HUGE!

Clothes are up one end, sadly not sorted into sizes, but this was no challenge to Jo's Sportscraft radar, as she zoned
straight in.  I already had my clothes for the last day, so I didn't bother trying to find larger things in their sea of fabric.

Larger items are out in the middle, eg a pianola! And a rather nice saddle. The book section up the back is excellent, and there I found one of my treasures for the trip, the complete book of the texts of Gilbert's and Sullivan's operettas, in excellent condition, and only $4.

Then there is another large section of older and vintage goodies, next to better quality bric-a-brac.  The kitchenware is probably the most beautifully displayed I have seen, and, like Lifeline at Coolum, they have found quite creative uses for cutlery.

All up, I bought six items there, all good value for money, and one of them was my big hope for an award at the end of the trip, in the Quirkiest Souvenir Objet category.

From the best oppie of the trip, we moved to the most upmarket, Making Lives Matter.  Apparently, this is the love child of a very wealthy local woman, and it is very chic indeed.  When you walk in, it doesn't look like an op shop at all.  Unfortunately, it is not a good area for parking, although Jan (of course) found the only spot for blocks, directly over the (very busy) road. 

I didn't find anything to buy there, but gave it the award for the nicest change
room.
 

 

Hello Possums

Jan had a earned a good lie-in, so Jo and I went for a long morning walk.  We reached the small Coolum Lifeline just as it opened.  I bought a plain but lovely top there and was impressed by the hooks in the dressing room that were made from flattened spoons.

Next stop was a leisurely coffee at a little shop in the back streets, followed by a visit to Regain Hope.  I had been here before and had high hopes. It is a packed, low-cost place, but there was nothing for me this time. I was, however, surprised and impressed by their wall of herbs and spices, something I have never seen in an oppy before.

We then had a look at the beach, but the cloudy skies and strong wind made it not very appealing.  By the time we returned to the unit, Jan was up and about, and it was time to time to head south again.  At least we didn't have to lug baggage because we were staying there for a second night.

First stop was Lifeline at Pacific Paradise where I found a book that was on my Wanted list.  I also found three round soaps for the round soap dish at home.  Then it was time for lunch at a nearby eatery.

Aerodrome Road, Maroochydore, is famous for its oppies and it was in our sights.  We started at Fusion, which I had not heard about before.  It was an excellent find.  There is the shop at the front, which could be a stand-alone oppy of high quality, but then there is a large shed full of extra goodies at the back.  

I was tempted by Possum Pam, handcrafted in New Zealand from genuine possum fur.  By purchasing her, I could "help save New Zealand's forest and birds", but at $30 I decided they would need to save themselves.

Another thing that impressed me there was that their underwear section was labelled Bums and Boobs.  

We asked a staff member to take our photo, as we were red-white-and-blue themed, but a customer muscled in and said she was a professional model with years of photography experience.  The whole process took much longer than any other photo we have ever had taken, and is probably the worst of them.

Mingary Care was next, where I found a handbag that was just what I was looking for. Right next door was Bloomhill and what should I find there but another possum!

Katie Rose Hospice shop was the last one we had time for, and there I bought a pair of scissors. At home I had lost a pair of mid-sized scissors and had been searching for them for at least two months.  These would be be the perfect replacement. I found the original pair the day after we returned home! 

Back to the unit, where we recharged the batteries, then walked to the surf club for dinner.

The C Side: Caloundra and Currimundi to Coolum

We cobbled together enough food for breakfast, despite the lack of plates, then lugged our bags back up those fourteen steps. This made us later than we planned, as the first op shop in Maleny opened at 8.30 and we didn't leave Tranquil Park till 9am.  We fluked a park right in front of the Red Cross. If you know how busy Maleny is, you would realise just how special this was.  It was actually becoming the theme of the trip, as Jan seemed to be able to summon up parking spaces close to our destinations whenever we needed one.

The Red Cross turned out to be the most expensive store of the whole trip, although I did buy a few things there.  We decided to cut our losses and head down the range to Landsborough, only to discover that the lovely little Vinnies there had vanished.  No problem: Caloundra was close by.

Caloundra has lots of oppies and we couldn't do them all, so we started at the two that are virtually side by side, the Salvation Army and Neighbours Aid. Somewhere along the way, we had learned that Salvation Army shops and Salvos stores are different. Salvos are the retail arm, and actually act as a business, with the profits supporting Army works. The other shops sort of cut out the middleman. 

In the SA shop, which is a cracker, I must say, I saw a woman wearing the same shirt as me, one I had purchased the previous day. I started chatting to her and she said hers was oppy-bought as well.

Our next stop was the interestingly named Bardo's Bazaar, which it turned out I had visited some years before with my friend Shelley.  It is on the edge of the hospital grounds and is divided into two sections.  The shed part contains all the bric-a-brac and mens' clothing, and what a fine collection it was. Also dirt cheap.  

You then walk up a ramp to a separate building which contains the women's clothing and accessories, and is very nicely set up.  I found a bra larger than size 20 there, so it was "Bingo!" for me. We then
asked a staff member to photograph us as this was Mad Hatters Day.  

There is a sign on the wall there explaining that "bardo" is a Buddhist term meaning the transition between life and death, something they know a lot about at the Health Service. 

We really liked the place, and, how convenient, it is directly over the road from the RSL. Guess where we had lunch?  The food was nice, but the spelling on the menu wasn't. The view out the window included a helicopter on a pole, which was a little different.

That was all we had time for at Caloundra; next stop Currimundi, where the Beautiful You Cancer Charity runs the Funky Op Shop.  Their car park was full, but guess who found a park right out the front?  It is quite a funky shop, but there was nothing there for me, except a dozen free-range eggs which came in handy later for breakfasts.

Next was the small but interesting Kidney Support shop in the middle of suburbia, where I had been before but Jo actually hadn't. A miracle! The prices were very cheap to start with, but when I went to pay for a pair of PJs for Michael, they turned out to be half the marked price. $2 in fact.

Then we visited good old Lifeline at Bokarina, such a huge shop, followed by the new CAYAC store at Kawana.  Nothing terribly inspiring here, and they need to sort their novels into alphabetical order.  Jan was flagging, but made it through our last shop for the day, Neighbours Aid at Mooloolaba, where I found my earrings for next day's outfit.

Coolum was home for the next two nights, on the second floor, but we knew about these steps in advance.  We had difficulty getting the keys out of the key safe - again - this happened at Bilinga last year, but eventually found ourselves in a spacious unit with a sea view from the balcony; and promptly collapsed. After we revived ourselves with a glass of wine, we entertained ourselves by watching the traffic lights change.

 

 

Morayfield to the Mountains

From Bribie, we headed south-west to Morayfield, which has rather a lot of op shops.  I had been coming out there regularly during the past two years while participating in two vaccine trials, so had done some excellent recce work for Jan.

We started out at Lifeline, where I found a pair of reading glasses and the first ball of wool for my friend Suzette. She knits pullovers for children in Syrian refugee camps, and needs a steady supply of pure, or almost-pure, wool.  Acrylic is not acceptable and that is mostly what you find in op shops.  Or unlabelled yarn, or miscellaneous bundles, all of which are no good to either me or Suzette.

Next stop was the big Vinnies that you access via a labyrinth of back access roads, where I found clothing and a jigsaw.  I had been trying to resist jigsaws on this trip, as I have so many at home, but this was a good one.  It was in this shop that Jo cried "Bingo!" and the first trophy for the trip had been won.

I also spotted a purple lace dress and jacket that I thought would be a perfect mother-of-the-groom outfit for Jan in 2023, but she seem less enthusiastic than me.

The third big Morayfield oppy we visited was the Salvos and there I found two mosquito nets. My friend Ruth wanted me to seek them out so she could use them as pest covers for her soon-to-be-planted orchard at Goombungee.  I had looked in fourteen shops by then without success, and then the fifteenth had two!

Although the Neighbours Aid around the corner beckoned to us, we decided we had run out of Morayfield time, and headed for Woodford.  

On an earlier road trip, we visited the original Woodford Lifeline, which was crammed into a tiny double-garage, with barely room to squeeze down the aisles, and bloody hot in summer.  Then it moved to a little old shop in the main street which was cute but not entirely practical.  The third incarnation is an old church and its hall on the eastern side of town, and here they have finally got it right. I found another mozzie net there.

While the girls were still trying on stuff, I trekked down to the other end of the shops to get a head start at the Anglican, only to find that it had closed at 3pm.  I was back in Woodford a few weeks later and thought I would have another try.  I arrived at 1.25pm, only to discover that, because of illness, there were closing at 1.30. Sigh.

That was it for the day. We had conquered eight op shops and were ready to relax.  Jan drove us up many steep slopes and through many green fields until we arrived at Tranquil Park, Maleny, just as it started to rain (lightly). Jan and her husband John had stayed there some years before and were entranced by the view, so this was to be a special treat.  

The first disappointment was discovering that their Irish restaurant, where we had planned to have dinner, was not open that night.  No problems: we'll improvise.  We headed for the door of room 17, which looked like an ordinary motel room door, but inside it was a hidden staircase, and we had to lug all our baggage down to the next floor.  One of the reasons we stopped staying at country pubs was we decided we were too old for long staircases.

The next surprise was discovering that no maintenance had been done at Tranquil Park since Jan and John had stayed there.  As a result, we had a swallows nest in the alcove next to our room, and there was rather a lot of rotting timber about the place.  As far as dinner went, there was a fridge and a jug and that was it; not even a toaster.  But we op shop road trippers are ever adaptable, so we dined on wine and cheese and biscuits, while gazing out at the view, which, despite the weather, was still breathtaking.

I was lucky enough to have the room next to the view, so I saw the night version as well.