Let loose in Noosa

Summer seems endless when you're ripping up the waves and reeling in the fish, finds Paul Rush.
Paddle! Paddle! Paddle! As soon I hear the command my arms respond, digging deep into the water and thrusting back. I feel the surge as the breaking wave picks up my surfboard and propels it towards the shore.
My mind is racing. It's up to me now. We've practised the routine on shore. It's simple common sense, even for a rookie-surfing "grommet" like myself. Arch your back, jump to your feet in one fluid movement, stand sideways on the centre line with knees bent and arms outstretched, looking straight ahead at the beach.
Sensing the right moment, I launch myself upward. So far so good. But my eyes are riveted to the leading edge of the board. I'm mesmerised by its erratic weaving and turning at the whim of the wave.
The result is inevitable. Within two seconds my brain registers the unsteady motion of the board and I fly through the air and bellyflop into the surging white water. It's a classic wipeout. My short break in Noosa on the bustling Sunshine Coast, that's definitely back in business, begins with this challenging shore break on Noosa beach under the guidance of Craig Lalor of Go Ride a Wave surf school. I naively thought that after a dry run training on the beach, I would just add water and become an instant surfer.
The other trainees are ecstatic after sharing the waves, the lifestyle and the vernacular. "I'm really stoked," they say. "Those whitewash waves were really shredding and we were 'ripping it up'." Even a newbie surf cadet like me knows what they mean.
Later I check out Noosa's deep sea fishing potential, choosing a dedicated charter-boat skipper, Mark Edwards, a surfer and fishing guru who has a gentleman's agreement with the local whitetip sharks. "I bring them up to the boat and quickly release them so they don't bother me when I'm surfing off Noosa National Park," he says with a glint in his eye. "If the sharks do get me I'll still take my Laguna Charters Shark Cat out with my peg leg and a parrot on my shoulder."
We no sooner hit the top end of Sunshine Reef when I have a hook-up. My rod bends alarmingly and nylon screams off the reel. Slowly I gain on this powerful fish with a heroic will.
Mark sweeps a hand net into the sea and brings up a sleek bonito - a bright flash of silver in the intense sunlight.
Soon we are chasing massive "work-ups" of bait fish, churning up the surface only 3km off Noosa's Main Beach. Pearl perch, coral trout and red emperors throw themselves recklessly on to our baited lines, and even an evil-looking "happy moment" fish is snared but quickly released by Mark as the creature has deadly toxic spines. It's all part of the water-based fun here, which reaches a peak in early spring when a whole shoal of mad-keen Kiwi fishermen descend on Noosa. Mark pulls out every sheep joke in the book at that time but kindly leaves me alone today.
Fishing options are legion, with fly-fishing for trevally and tailor in the Noosa River, jigging for bass in the Noosa everglades and surfcasting on 4WD beach tours. The newest venture is "catch a mud crab" on a luxury cruise where visitors can catch, cook and eat these big, juicy gourmet delights.
For me, Noosa is primarily a water world of fun and adventure - the ideal sunshine short break and holiday getaway spot. Within a five-hour time warp I can fly the Tasman, drive an hour from Brisbane Airport and be back in summer temperatures - making waves and cruising the waterways. Noosa is better than it gets. It's the top spot to get wet.
The next morning I join Kayak Noosa's dolphin cruise around the magnificent Noosa National Park coastline. Rod Withyman has introduced visitors to the friendly bottlenose dolphin pods for a number of years and it's not long before we see the telltale dorsal fins slicing through the water.
Our sleek next-of-fin are hypnotically graceful in their up-and-under passage between our kayaks and one beautiful creature rolls on to her side, lifts her head above the water and seems to give a wide grin as if to say, "G'day cobber, want to play?". She quickly dives and then jumps high in the air, twisting and turning in one rhythmic motion before crashing back into the sea.
When the sea breeze stiffens a little, we flick a cord to release the triangular kayak sails, lie back and enjoy a smooth ride. Laguna Bay is alive with cool coastal action today as jet skis carve up the ocean and jump waves, leaving a plume of spray in their wake.
Light aircraft and scenic flight helicopters buzz overhead, giving passengers an aerial view of the "coast with the most".
Multicoloured parasails can be seen streaming out behind motor boats. Scallop-edged parachutes gently lower tandem skydivers on to the beach after a 60-second freefall through the blue. We also spot a bevy of high-voltage, kiteboarding thrillseekers skimming the wave tops and soaring skyward as we reach the river mouth.
As we nose back into the Noosa River I ask a question that has been weighing on my mind: "Are there sharks in the river?"
"Yes," replies Rod with a smile. "They've been here for thousands of years and, if you're lucky, you might see one."
I find his answer only slightly more reassuring than one that I've heard before, namely: "No, there are no sharks because the crocodiles ate them."
Remarkably, with all this water-world fun behind me, I have still only scratched the surface of Noosa's adventure activities. Cruise boats run up the Noosa River to lakes and the unspoilt waterways of the everglades, often called "the river of mirrors" since it's glassy smooth and teeming with wildlife. Pontoon boats can be hired for a family day out and a moonlit night cruise on board a Venetian-style gondola offers an even more intimate encounter with the river.
There's also an underwater world of diving, with regular trips to the HMAS Brisbane dive wreck and coral reefs that extend out from Laguna Bay. Wolf Rock is a special place where divers can swim with large schools of grey nurse sharks and frolic with marauding manta rays. I can't quite see myself joining this school as eagerly as the surf school, but I would like to swim with the cute green turtles at other dive locations.
Knowing there's much more water fun to be had is an incentive to return to Noosa one day. For now, I'm happy to relax in my apartment at the Hyatt Regency Coolum.
Then I discover that the resort has its own water world - a private, outdoor, geisha plunge spa that unknots every wave-bounced, paddle-stretched muscle I possess.

NOOSA FACT FILE
Air New Zealand, Qantas and Emirates fly to Brisbane from  New Zealand's main centres. Most major rental car agencies have offices at Brisbane Airport. Buses run regularly from Brisbane airport to the Sunshine Coast. Noosa Ferry makes regular trips along the river from Noosa Marina at Tewantin to Hastings St, Noosa Heads.
WEBSITES
www.noosaeguide.com
www.tq.com.au (Tourism Queensland)
www.lagunachartersnoosa.com.au
www.kayaknoosa.com.au
www.gorideawave.com.au
www.coolum.hyatt.com