Finding a bit of Canada in Australia
Today I find myself on the “Everglades Bar-B-Canoe” Tour, one of the must-do activities of Noosa. The boat takes us up along one of the only rivers in Queensland that runs parallel to the ocean coast, where we see all sorts of wildlife and natural beauty. Our fantastic and informative guide Ben tells us heaps of intriguing facts: The Cooloola Coast we are on stretches 65km from Noosa to Fraser Island and is the largest sand mass in the world — a part of the Great Sandy National Park; this Everglades region is one of the two Everglades systems in the world; the mangroves we see along the riverbank are nurseries and protect the trees on the land, allowing them to repopulate; and no crocodiles live in this area seemingly perfect for them as it is too cold and doesn’t have the type of fish they prefer to eat (barramundi).
Soon we cross paths with one of the few lakes along the way and are told that it is the largest tidal lake in Queensland, meaning it is affected by the tide of the ocean. As we are about to enter the everglades area to begin our 5km canoe paddle, we are told to take in our surroundings. We see an island of pelicans sunbathing, a local sailing his boat through the lily pads, and in the distance we see a golden sand dune that we are told is 212m above sea level and that it connects with Fraser island further north — another beautiful place I have yet to visit.
We exit the boat to pair up in the canoes, but are first led to a camp-like area where we enjoy a delicious snack to give us energy for the 5km paddle. On the canoe adventure up the river we take in all the beauty…this river has been made reflective and black from the tea tree leaves that dip in along the riverbanks allowing us to see a mirror of the sky in the water, and all we hear are the calls of wildlife and the splashing of our paddles.
A long and rewarding 5km later, we arrive at the BBQ site where our guides have already begun preparing our feast — fish, steak, sausages, salads vegetables — something for everyone. We take a quick dip in the fresh river water, feeding and swimming alongside the dozens of catfish before we head back on the boat. We learn a lot more about our surroundings: the yellow leaves on mangroves are where the salt is emitted to keep the rest of the plant healthy; without mangroves there would be shore erosion and less fish species (over 70 species of fish have been recorded!); the sand we see around us and that makes up the ground of the river comes from sand washed north from the river systems in New South Wales over millions of years; and over 44% of Australia’s birds reside in this region.
At the end of this cruise it is easy to see why it is considered one of the most spectacular canoeing adventures in Australia. I had just spent my day exploring the magnificent wonders of the Everglades in classic Canadian canoes — something far more excitingly different than anything I could have expected out of Australia. This is a tour to not be missed when arriving in Noosa, especially as there are shorter and longer tours to fit everybody’s time schedule, and it is perfect for all different ages! One of the best things about this tour was that it reminded me of canoeing around the cottage-country lakes back home in Canada, a warming piece of homely comfort I didn’t think Australia could ever give me. I’ve always heard how Canadians and Aussies are similar, but it was nice to feel a bit at home hundreds of thousands of miles away in the land Down Under.
