This was published 6 years ago
Traveller letters: Noosa is no longer an idyllic coastal retreat
Hastings Street Main Beach, Noosa.
TIGHTENING THE NOOSA
My family and I have been travelling to Noosa for more than 40 years. Noosa was idyllic in every way for families, campsites, caravan parks, a few shops, great beaches and clean water.
I have watched progress in and around Noosa to bring it to a point now where the beaches are overcrowded, there are lots of mediocre restaurants, overpriced accommodation, national parks which are loved to death along with a constant push to bring more people in to share the wonders of Noosa and its nearby areas, the hinterland and environs.
The locals are passionate about ensuring quality of life, clean streets and beaches but it is becoming like other spots worldwide such as Venice, the Amalfi Coast and Angkor Wat.
Parking is very restrictive in Hastings Street, the place to be in Noosa and come Boxing Day each year, there are so many tourists that free buses are put on to move people around as driving your car into town is a long and distressing trip.
Let's go in the quiet times you might say, well it has reached a point where there is so much happening in the district that there are very few down times. I was there just recently in October and glad to leave after a week.
Colin Dunn, Carlingford, NSW
LETTER OF THE WEEK: SKYE HIGHS
I read your annual special islands edition (Traveller, October 28) with interest. The breadth of destinations covered was absolutely commendable although I can't help but flag a couple of omissions.
I can thoroughly recommend the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland and the utterly beautiful Faroe Islands, located between Iceland and Norway, as top-class holiday destinations.
Both are unspoilt, and benefit from an inexplicable mysticism – you cannot help but fall in love with both places. Pack your hiking boots, embrace the changeable weather and get ready to enjoy some of the most breathtaking scenery you will ever see.
Neither are the easiest to get to, but they are so magical you won't regret the endeavour, particularly if you are planning a trip to Britain or western Europe soon.
Oliver Deed, Kirribilli, NSW
WATER TORTURE
I have been a long-time user of Airbnb, recently spending around three months per year in Airbnb apartments all around the world. Never again. I have an impeccable record and an abundance of positive references. Yet, when I had a problem in Paris, Airbnb sided with the host over me.
The apartment had "character" to say the least. The floor sloped and the bed pulled down from the wall, so that you tended to roll off the bed during the night. The building was used by several prostitutes, who plied their trade outside the front door and entertained their noisy clients late into the night. But, I had no problem with these.
The toilet ran continuously with a slow dribble of water. Therefore, the cistern needed to refill every few minutes, through narrow-bore piping. It was like Old Faithful. Every four minutes there was the screeching noise of water rushing through pipes for 13 seconds. Two possible isolation valves were broken and it couldn't be turned off.
Lying there waiting for the next burst was like Chinese water torture. I couldn't sleep. It drove me mad. At 3am, I was up and writing to the host. When I had had no reply by 10am, I booked myself into a hotel and requested a refund for the unused three nights. It was refused.
The host had had many opportunities to fix the problem – several previous guests had highlighted it. He claimed to have fixed it on the day I moved out and suggested it was not his problem but a building issue.
The next guest who left feedback identified the same problem. Airbnb couldn't care less. They just take their massive cuts and leave you to fend for yourself and out of pocket.
Chris Allen, Melbourne, VIC
LONGING FOR LONDON
I don't get it. Am I missing something? We can now sign up for a 17-hour flight with Qantas from Perth to London. But why would you do that?
Flying from Sydney to get on the flight – how long does that take to get to Perth? Four or five hours with at least an hour on the ground? Then 17 hours.
Where is the advantage over going via Dubai or Singapore or Bangkok or Hong Kong, or anywhere else. You are still in for at least a 22- to 24-hour flight, or flights, all told, to London.
Noel McPherson, Baulkham Hills, NSW
EASTERN PROMISE
Yet another Traveller story about Canada's "east" and it mentions only Quebec. For anyone travelling to Canada, please know that four provinces – collectively called the "Atlantic Provinces" – namely New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia – are the actual east. And we're considered Canada's friendliest folk, as well.
Check a map: Quebec is definitely in the middle of the country. It's about a 12-hour drive, mostly west, to get from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Montreal.
Don't forget about us.
Krista Sirota, South Yarra, VIC
BOWLED OVER
Further to responses to the letter, "Snap Decisions" (Traveller letters, October 28), travelling in Bolivia I was confronted by a great scene of bowler-hatted people in a witches market in La Paz.
Being sensitive to photographing people without permission and the impracticality of the large number involved, using my trusted wide angle lens, concentrating on and making it clear I was photographing a bridge in the background, I was able to achieve a great photo of the market crowds without concern.
Stephen Yeates, Dee Why, NSW
TELLING IT LIKE IT IS
Thank you, Loucille McGinley (Traveller letters, October 28) for the perfect letter to a travel page.
She advised that Bologna was a glorious place to visit, the weather would be good in October, gave a referral to an excellent hotel, told me when and where to catch a bus to see the sights, where to experience regional dining specialities and maybe buy ice-cream, all in less than 100 words.
It made me want to book a flight immediately.
Susan Poole, Mildura, VIC
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