#weekendawaits

You’re relaxing on the beach, reading your book and soaking up some sun when out of no where a Jet Ski comes flying past. You can see the look on the drivers face and immediately you start reflecting on your own overall satisfaction with life. Somehow between your book and that 9-5 office job, your thirst for life is not being satiated. Well, with over 10 available Jet Ski hire shops on the Sunshine Coast, why not give yourself that well earnt adrenaline rush this weekend or even get your licence? Not sure where to start? License, no license, fast, slow, freestyle or guided, Weekendawaits has you covered!

🤷‍♂️ No License and No Experience

If you are like me and don’t have any experience or a Jet Ski Licence, don’t worry. None of the Jet Ski hire huts located on the Sunshine Coast require you to have a licence. The minimum age to hire a Jet Ski is 16 and if you are younger you need an adult with you (18 and over). They will give you a full run down on how to ride the Jet Ski and the safety involved. The Jet Ski’s themselves are easy to operate and all hire Jet Skis are within a power restriction. So if you accidentally hit the throttle you won’t take off like a rocket to the moon.

⭕️ FAST CIRCUIT or 🗣TOUR?

You will generally have a choice of two options when you go to hire your Jet Ski, either to do a river circuit or an ocean tour.

The river circuit is a designated circuit where you can go out on your own and ‘freestyle’ (AKA  drive around in Anti-clockwise circles repeatedly). This is great if you want to go as fast as you can but an hour of it will make you feel like you’ve just eaten a week old burrito from your local 7 eleven…The area is not the largest and it does get a bit overdone after 30mins of driving around in a circle. I actually started to feel a bit sick so decided to go the other way and try a few tricky things, but as soon as we started mixing it up we got in trouble by the jet ski guide…only once 🤥. Our advice to you is instead of getting a Jet ski each and driving around for an hour (costs $180 per vessel) save yourself the money (and nausea!) and instead go with the half hour option ($80 per vessel). Up to you if you share one, sharing can be lots of fun when you discover that you can throw your loved one off the ski in one radical turn, it’s also cheaper and = less circuit traffic. Either way, you will get much more bang for your buck!

Your other option is to go on an ocean guided tour around the local area. This is a great way to see the area and get your salty appetite wet. But if you want to quench that thirst for speed then you may be disappointed as there are far more water traffic rules and your guide is only as fast as your slowest tour member.

Ocean tours can vary depending on where you are going on the Sunshine Coast but generally you are looking at around $180 per hour.

PLEASE SIR, CAN I HAVE SOME MORE!?

If you are like us and become obsessed after your first jet skiing experience you will want more! We ended up borrowing our friends jet ski and taking it out at the Noosa bar, National Park Beaches and Old Woman Island off Mudjimba. If you have your own ski, you only need one person with a license to freestyle. They can sit behind you and ‘supervise’ whilst you drive.

If it’s air you are after Maroochy river and Noosa river bar’s have some crazy waves. Just be wary of other Jet Ski’s in the area (keep a 60m gap if you are going faster than 6 knots) and watch out for low tide… Jet skis will start to suck up sand in water levels under 60cm and switch off. This can be very bad news if you’re trying to get out through the bar in low tide when waves are crashing or if you’re fanging it along at 80km/h when you hit an unexpected sand bank.

If you just want to have a cruisier day exploring the beautiful sunshine coasts waterways, why not take the jet ski upstream Noosa or Maroochy river? Or alternatively you could take the ski out to Noosa’s National Park beaches or Old Woman Island (just make sure you know your jet skis fuel consumption so you make it back!). Not only will it be exceptionally scenic, you might see turtles and humpback whales this time of year!

⚓️ GETTING YOUR OWN LICENCE

So you’ve decided you want the real deal? I highly recommend getting your boating license in Queensland as it lasts forever unlike other states where you need to renew it every 1,3 or 5 years. Having recently done it myself, I recommend booking through Australian Boating College (ABC) which operate from Maroochydore, Caloundra and Noosa. Bare in mind you can’t get your PWC (Jet ski) license without having your boat license first so you will need to do both.

To get your boating and PWC license you can either do your theory online and then the practical face to face which is $250 or you can do it all face to face which costs $300. The theory can vary in duration, it may take you 1 hour or 5 depending on how well you know the content and how quickly you can flip the script. Doing it online first will mean you have only 3.5 hours face to face for the practical component. The full day of face to face training is 4.5h theory, 2h prac + lunch so you are looking at at least a 7h day.

I did the online theory at home and practical component on Maroochy river which was awesome! ABC are super informative, keep the content relevant and interesting and give you a fair go. If you do what I did and put the boat into reverse instead of neutral and run over and kill the imaginary real life person they will give you a second go 😉. Or if for whatever reason you realise you are inept when it comes to boating you can get lessons through the ABC site to help get you over the line :)

So now you’re all set to go! Just don’t forget what the navigation markers mean (which can be difficult!) I once had a really bad night drinking port so I remember it by “if you want to go up (upstream) in life, then port should be LEFT at home. If you want to go down (downstream) in life then port is the RIGHT choice (see below for clarification).

So there you go guys, get out there and enjoy it!

Weekendawaits rating:

Excitement /4

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Fitness Required /4

🙂😯

Scenery /4

🏔🏔🏔

Overall Experience /4

😴🙂🤗

Cost /4

So you’re looking for something active to do this weekend that doesn’t involve crowds? Why not head up to Noosa Everglades for a Kayaking trip!?

There are two accessible points into the Everglades. The first is through Boreen Point which is easily accessible for any vehicle and opens directly out into Lake Cootharaba. The second is via Harry’s Hut which is located further upstream. If you choose to take the route to Harry’s Hut be warned, the road although scenic is not for the Barina. A 2WD ute will do the job unless it has been raining the day before and then we would recommend a 4WD.

The 5km stretch of winding river bends that link Harry’s Hut into the ever expanding Lake Cootharaba is perfect for those seeking a unique and tranquil escape (You can see on the map here how to access these points). Just be careful not to get too caught up in the beauty of the Everglades if you are lacking in fitness, bladder room or H2O as you may forget you have the same distance to paddle back!

If you are looking at staying longer than a day you most certainly can camp at both points but don’t forget to get yourself a camping permit first from parks and wildlife QLD to avoid ruining a great weekend with a hefty fine.

Must haves if accessing Noosa Everglades via Harry’s Hut:

🚙 A car which can handle the road.

🛶 A Kayak or Canoe…if you don’t have one, we recommend you beg your neighbours for theirs or if needed hire one from a local hire shop such as Lake Escapades at Boreen Point.

🌯 FOOD AND WATER! Harry’s Hut is a weathered old shed, not a shop as we learnt the hard way. We went soo hungry after paddling for 7km that we nearly took a random mans offer up on some mangley Vegemite sandwiches. If you do however find yourself in the same conundrum, the Royal Hotel in Gympie puts on a good feed and is definitely worth a shout out!

🚫 Mosquito repellant +++++ (mozzies are thick!)

🦈 What about Sharks I hear you say? There are signs up advising people not to swim as there are sharks in the area. Given how far the Everglades are upstream from Noosa River, local fisherman say it’s unlikely. Personally we couldn’t find any evidence that there have been sightings let alone attacks but this is S’traya we are talking about and you are entering at your own risk.

Overall, a fantastic low cost trip suitable for anyone with a medium level of fitness. Why not immerse yourself in what the Noosa Everglades has to offer this weekend for an experience that will leave you believing you are exploring the Amazon itself.