It’s now well into December. The holidays have started and Christmas is not far off, but it is also an anniversary. It is the anniversary of our moving in to the new house in Sunshine Cove. Last Christmas was our first here and was unlike any other we’ve had in the past. Sure, like any Christmas it was filled with family, joy and laughter, but it was also so very different. Everything was more relaxed, it felt easier and everything seemed to come together so much better in the warmth of the summer sun and new beginnings. As a family we came together and explored our new town and its surrounds. For the first time in a long time, Christmas felt truly special, truly magical. And so, with a year here on the Sunshine Coast, as a celebration, I’ve decided to write a reflection on some of the reasons I absolutely love living here, and would never look back. Here are my top three reasons for living on the Sunshine Coast.

The beaches! Yeah, I know. A total shocker that a benefit of living on the coast would be the fact that it’s made up of beaches, comes with the territory. Well you’re right, it was a little obvious, but I’m still going to talk about it. I lived my entire childhood in the big smoke of Brisbane, grew up a weedy suburban kid who ‘hated sand’, which is fair enough, it finds its way into everything. But as I’ve grown up a little I’m starting to see the bigger picture. I moved up here because the little lady wanted a sea change – I suggested a tree change. So we decided to compromise, and by that I mean the words ‘yes dear, sorry dear’ left my lips and we moved to the coast. I have to say, I’ve definitely been converted to the beach life – I still hate the sand, don’t get me wrong, but for me its all about the water. The beauty that it holds within its depths, the feeling you get when you sink beneath to explore, leaving behind everything else and entering this tranquil world filled with creatures of indescribable beauty. The only thing that tops it is sidling up to your best girl and enjoying a cold milkshake letting the warm sun dry you off. The bikini she wears doesn’t hurt either.

I didn’t completely roll over and give up on my tree change. The Sunshine Coast has some of the most beautiful forests and rolling green fields perched up high in the hinterland. Its beauty is completely awe-inspiring. Since I moved up here it’s rare that I don’t have my camera on hand, and as a result have collated an awesome gallery of images. It’s always surprising and beautiful. Even something as ‘ordinary’ as a cow munching on her lunch I was able to use, capturing a beautiful shot of her face as she spotted me. Looking deep into my lens, the setting sun putting a beautiful golden hue to her amused expression, its light reflecting brightly off her deep brown dew-drop eyes. Paired with an amazing backdrop of rolling green fields, the quaint little farm house perched on a far off set of empty hills, capped off with the deep dark greens of the forest and mountains beyond. I could spend limitless hours exploring the hinterland’s depths and beauty and never tire of it.

I’m used to living in a fast paced city. Starting the day with just a coffee, before racing off to be stuck in traffic on the way to a job in a grey box, typing away on a little white keyboard with just a little picture frame to remind me of my last holiday, which I crammed as much ‘fun’ into as possible, running myself ragged to fit it all in so I could think I ‘relaxed’. Sure I’m still sitting here typing away on my little white keyboard, but at least it’s at a coffee shop, watching happy ‘coasties’ milling around each other, others casually jogging along the length of the seemingly infinite white sands stretched out before me. I can do this everyday, pack up my laptop, take my beautiful wife by the hand, and have our morning coffee and toast on the esplanade, knees cross, leaning back comfortably in my chair, salt air gently wafting over me as I type about my silly adventures in and around the water telling you all about the best part of living up here, the lifestyle. You can’t recreate this in the city, you’ll need to come up and pull up a chair and drink it in.

And here’s to a great Christmas.