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With international borders still closed (aside from travelling over the ditch to NZ) and on and off again Australian national borders suddenly slamming shut every time a state or territory experiences Covid19 rearing its ugly head, it seems a safer option to book your next holiday a little closer to home.

For us it was time to have a little break away in what we think must be the most dog friendly place in Queensland.

The Sunshine Coast, spanning around 60km with over 30 pristine beaches, national parks, stunning hinterland, climate so forgiving it allows all year-round swimming and surfing and its pretty dang dog friendly too.  What more could you ask for?

Beautiful Beaches!

With just 2 nights booked at dog friendly Lindsay Cottages in beautiful Buderim,whilst also coinciding with my birthday, we decided to visit just some of my most favourite places.

The Velo Project for my birthday lunch, Mooloolaba Beach, Peregian Beach (& village), Alexandra Headland and finally, world famous Eumundi Markets.  Phew a lot to do in just 2 days so let us get cracking and check it out….

The Velo Project is a quirky little café that is super dog friendly.  With a strong focus on supporting local farmers & local suppliers of produce we thought right now with the devastating effect that Covid19 has been having on cafes and restaurants, what better way to try and support giving back than to choose a café with these values.  With a seasonal menu I was keen to try their latest autumn salad bowl.

“Courtney Act” – roasted sweet potato, avocado, pomegranate, currants, fresh mint, baby spinach, turmeric dukkah & lime cashew dressing – topped with halloumi

Of maybe try a brekkie burger…..

Fried egg and halloumi

Now off to Mooloolaba with its stunning sun-drenched beach, you could literally just sit on one of the many benches all day and just watch the waves roll in.

Amber & Indy Love Mooloolaba!

All this before check in time has arrived for Lindsay Cottage.  To my surprise, owners Janine and John left me a little cake and chocolates to celebrate my birthday!  Oh, and the bottle of white chilling in the fridge went down a treat!  What lovely hosts.

My Birthday Surprise!

After good nights sleep we are off to Peregian Beach and time to stroll around their relaxed community spirited village.  It is so dog friendly that nearly every shop has a water bowl out front and welcome your pooch into their shop with open arms.  How nice is that!

The village also has a handful of café and restaurants to choose from and all of them are dog friendly to boot!  We chose to eat at Baked Poetry Café as I just love their Vollkorn bread with Hummus.  Yum.

Hummus, sundried tomato, feta on vollkorn bread

It may look like a humble little bakery, but the sandwiches are huge, you can’t use your hands…a fork and knife is a must…

Chicken sandwich with salad, chive mayo dressing

With a couple of hours to spare before sunset we had just enough time to squeeze in a little stroll around Alexandra Headland.

Alexandra Headland – Love Lockets

This is an extremely popular destination for dog walkers and surfers alike so parking along the beach front can be difficult to snag.  Today was no exception, in the hope to get a parking spot we drove up the hill further than usual and are so glad we did because we stumbled across a war memorial site that also had a War Dog Memorial that we have never seen before. I must admit upon reading the plaque I felt heartbroken that these devoted beautiful dogs never made it back home to Australia.

Fallen War Dogs. the purest of souls. never forgotten.

Our final day on the Sunshine Coast is approaching.  Before heading back to Brisbane, we were sure to get up bright and early and swing by the famous Eumundi Markets.  Lucky we did because it was so busy that by the time we arrived, one carpark was already full and the second one only had a couple of spots remaining.  Good thing we got there early!

World Famous Eumundi Markets!

The Eumundi Markets opened on 24^th March 1979 by three marketeers. With just eight visitors attending that very first day, they made a turnover of $30.

Fast forward to today, The Eumundi Market now has over 600 stalls and more than 1.6 million visitors a year!  Making it Australia’s largest premier artisan market.  Open every Wednesday and Saturday, rain, hail or shine it has some of Australia’s best locally made artisan treasures, live music & entertainment, fresh & delicious local produce, you will go home with more than one treasure to remind you of your time on the Sunshine Coast.

Well that was our little break in a nutshell.  Amber and Indy were so knackered they slept the entire two-hour drive home!

So Sleepy……..

Author Bio:  Nikki is pack leader at Pressplay Pets, a blog for the modern age pet parent interested in health & care, news, reviews & personal accounts of unconditional love & at times heartfelt pain of pet parenting.  She is also proud mum to cute and cheeky Papillons ‘Amber’ and ‘Indy’! 

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