The Land of Beautiful People and Hippies





Rod and Penny drove us to a lively open air market in an inland town north of the Campbells' home, where we browsed scores of stalls selling handmade goods: woodwork, jewelry, soap, clothing, and artwork. The sun was bright and direct, but there was a cool breeze. 


From there we stopped at the posh seaside town of Noosa where the sidewalk cafes arrange a portion of the chairs facing outward to facilitate people-watching. The beach was stunning and the entire setting reminded me of the French Riviera.



Designer labels, surf shops, and galleries lined the shaded main street. There's Gauss getting some cash from the ATM next to the surf shop.



When we entered one of the galleries, Rod pointed out paintings done in a unique local style. After the artist applies paint to a canvas, he sets the painting on a flat surface and covers the image with a clear resin that levels to a mirrorlike glaze. If the paint has been thickly applied in spots, the high points stand out above the sheen. The technique intensified the colors and gave the paintings a decidedly modern appearance. 


I was really taken by two paintings very similar to the ones above by Australian artist Linda Vario. These images are from her website. If I hadn't had to pay for this trip I could have afforded to buy one of them!



After lunch, we drove inland to a range of hills for another view of the Glass House mountains. The road wound up and down the ridge, past farmland and small villages. We stopped in a small town between the mountains and the coast to pick up a selection of cheeses for dinner. The village has a large population of aging hippies and tree huggers. The co-op where we bought the cheese was prominent along the little main street, and other businesses included book stores and galleries featuring local artists. Platypuses populate the creek running through town, and Penny told us that the citizens were largely boycotting a recently-constructed supermarket because the parking lot was too close to the water.

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