It doesn’t take much imagination to work out how the Sunshine Coast got its name.
The day dawned crisp and clear. The rising sun cast a rosy glow across the morning sky and golden arms of sunshine lit up the sand. Like moths to flame, locals and visitors swarm onto the beach which quickly becomes a vibrant hive of activity. Walkers and joggers scamper along the shoreline. Swimmers plunge into the cool water. Paddle boarders and kayakers launch their vessels through the breaking waves. Surfers and body boarders compete for the perfect wave and beyond the breakers, yachts cruise on the distant horizon. Back on the foreshore, onlookers congregate just to watch all the morning beach action. Some meet for coffee while others take a yoga class on the sand. And of course, there’s no shortage of people taking obligatory sunrise selfies.
It’s my first morning on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and I’ve jumped out of bed at the crack of dawn to join the ‘sunrise party’. I’m standing barefoot on Mooloolaba Beach and I’m feeling similar to a kid in a candy store. You see, for us ‘inlanders’ a trip to the coast is always super special. It brings out our ‘inner child’ and I’m soon searching for sea-critters in the rock pools at the northern end of the beach.