La Balsa - a park with a story

On the Buddina side of the Mooloolah River is a lovely little park whose name commemorates a great adventure.

In 1970 a crew of Ecuadorian expeditioners landed near here, after completing the then world's longest raft journey. They had sailed 13,700km on their balsa wood vessel, La Balsa, to highlight the likelihood of such journeys across the Pacific taking place also many centuries ago. They arrived here after 161 days, and thereby doubled the distance covered by Thor Heyerdahl's Kon Tiki in 1947.

More here, courtesy the Sunshine Coast Council: La Balsa arrival story