Mount Coolum is the second largest rock in the world and is located south of Coolum Beach on the East Coast of Australia.  From the bottom it looks a long way up, but TAP determination and stamina never fails a risky challenge, so on foot they trekked to the very top.

The occasional cry of laughter and chatter kept everyone occupied while they journeyed up the mountain step by step.  Young Japanese student Kurumi, sighed at the sight of the mountain track becoming vertical but when she reached the top she knew it was well worth the hike.

At the top of the rock, we stood high above the canopy of trees and looked out over the vast blue Pacific Ocean.  Flowers were blooming, insects buzzing and birds were chirping.  Everyone was thankful that Nathan had carried an extra four litres of water to the summit particularly since this day was quite hot.

Nathan pointed out the surrounding landmarks of  Old Women Island, Mt Ninderry, Sunshine Coast Airport, Pt. Cartwright, Maroochydore River and even Moreton Island was visible in the distance, along with the Glass House Mountains to the south and Pomona Mountain to the north.   

Interesting Fact:  Mt Coolum is home to the fastest animal in the world, the Peregrin Falcon.  It can reach up to 200km per hour when hunting for its prey.

We did not get to see any Peregrin Falcons this time but we are always keeping our eyes peeled every Mt Coolum visit.

The great Mount Coolum had been conquered by Global Village Noosa once again, climbed up and down in just under two hours by 26 of our students.  Well done students and well done to the bus driver Barry and activity coordinators, Nadia and Nathan.