TRAVEL
Sunshine Coast dreaming Borders are opening and destination Queensland is tantalisingly close. SONIA CAEIRO ALVAREZ discovers adventure riding in paradise with triple Olympian Alex Watson.
A
fter six months of border closures and upheaval, armchair travel is edging closer to
the real deal. As the Sunshine State gradually moves towards opening up to interstate visitors, there’s good reason to make plans to find your true north, at least for a weekend. Nestled within rich tracts of beach, bush and hinterland, Noosa and its surrounds offer almost perfect weather, clear water, and stunning vistas best savoured with rides along beaches and inland trails. Triple Olympian and eight-time national champion pentathlete Alex Watson, knows this better than most, having called this stretch of paradise home for the last 17 years. “It’s perfect on many levels,” Alex says. “There’s a diversity of terrain and trails within a short radius. From the beautiful beaches to the hinterland, there’s a wonderful range of experiences and wildlife biodiversity.” It was these features, coupled with the region’s strong horse-riding culture that convinced Alex and his wife Rebecca that they’d found the perfect location for Equathon, their shared dream for a professional riding operation providing quality horses and experiences for customers in the tourism, recreation and sports sectors. Importantly, it was also the place in 74 | H O R S E V I B E S N O V / D E C 2 0 2 0
which Alex was most comfortable to face
pleasant climate means Noosa has a
the next chapters in life after his Olympic
steady visitor capacity throughout the
career, and where he discovered an
year,” Alex says, “and the Sunshine
unexpected nostalgia. “The Sunshine
Coast is well served with a convenient
Coast felt a lot like the Sydney northern
airport of its own, and Brisbane Airport
beaches where I grew up,” he says.
just one and a half hours away. We
Alex and Rebecca are competition equestrians with decades of experience,
also benefit from large drive markets from Brisbane and the Gold Coast.”
and they’re passionate about sharing
Equathon maintains a team of five
their love of horses, and the natural
staff, as well as two satellite coaches
beauty of the diverse region with visitors
specialising in general riding and
from all over the world. “The year-round
Olympic disciplines. A Queensland
