I was asked a question the other day about an advertisement that said “on the Sunshine Coast and Noosa”. The person asked me why Noosa wasn’t on the Sunshine Coast.
My answer was simple: because it doesn’t want to be part of the Sunshine Coast. It’s Noosa and must protect the brand (well, that’s according to it, anyway).
If it wasn’t for my good friends at the Pirates rugby league, golf and surf clubs, I’d have no reason to go to the golden sands of Noosa ever again.
Speaking of golden sands… I read last week that Noosa Council has raised its fees for having outdoor weddings on or near the golden sands of Hastings Street to $799.
Any other council-run area is now $399. Wow, that really puts in perspective the difference between the north and the south: you can obtain a permit down our way from Sunshine Coast Council for $83.
Of course, Noosa will have you believe it is classier than us, and a fair bit smarter, but I am not so sure about the latter.
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Someone was refuting claims by a wedding industry expert who was saying how much revenue they were losing because of the fee hikes and downturn in overall revenue for the area. The response was that there was a downturn in weddings Australia-wide. What a coincidence.
I know I am only a bottom feeder from Wurtulla in the deep south, miles away from the rarefied air of Noosa, but my thoughts would be: maybe the council should revisit its fee hike and see if magically the national wedding average returns to its normal numbers.
I must say, though, that if the council was determined to keep the events at $799 in Hastings Street, there is probably one way of boosting numbers: give free parking spaces with the permit. That would probably be a big seller, as parking in Noosa is as scarce as common sense in politics.
Another thing that stands out about the blue-ribbon north is its roundabouts. Apart from Canberra, I can’t think of anywhere with as many – so many, in fact, that I nearly get lost on the rare occasions I go there, which may be its cunning plan.
Noosa is a beautiful place, particularly the national park, but is it nearly 10-times better than the rest of the Coast? Probably not. Someone just forgot to tell it that.
Ashley Robinson is Mets Caloundra CEO, chairman of Thunder Netball and a lifetime Sunshine Coast resident.
