WHEN you think of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast these days, you think of more than beautiful beaches. You think of food – plates and plates of deliciousness.
The region recently upped the ante on destination dining with the news that The Curated Plate, a four-day destination food festival, will debut there on August 8-11.
Of course, the Noosa Food and Wine Festival, on this year from May 16-19, has set the bar very high. Each year the long-running, highly successful festival brings together the region’s finest produce with the best Australian and international chefs.
The new kid on the block has managed to snare Tokyo’s Zaiyu Hasegawa from the two Michelin Star restaurant Den. He will form a special collaboration with Sunshine Coast chef Daniel Jarrett at his one Chef Hat restaurant, The Tamarind.
But if you can’t make it to the Sunshine Coast for these two events, don’t worry, you won’t miss out on a fine food experience. With its coast and country setting the Sunshine Coast provides much of Queensland’s fish, seafood, fruit, vegetables and poultry exports, making it one of Australia’s premier regions for quality produce. Think avocados, ginger, pineapples, strawberries, macadamia nuts, fine beef and boatloads of prawns, swordfish, prawns, lobsters and spanner crabs.
The region has more than 740 restaurants, 400 food tourism experiences, six dining precincts, 13 new craft breweries and some of the best farmers’ markets in the country. Many are in the beautiful green undulating countryside of the Sunshine Coast’s hinterland which is interspersed with pockets of rainforest.
Award-winning Flaxton Gardens is a top-notch dining and events venue near Montville. If you want views along with fine food, this is the place to stop for morning tea, lunch, Devonshire tea, or dinner. Its views stretch from Noosa to Moreton Island.
It’s close to Montville and everyone who visits the Sunshine Coast agrees that it would be hard to find a town more charming than this. Perched in the Blackall Range, it is home to art galleries, cosy coffee shops and boutique stores where you'll find everything from hand-made beanies to one-off sculptures created by local artists.
You can rest your head at Lillypilly’s Country Cottages & Day Spa at nearby Maleny. The five country-style cottages on this country retreat overlook Lake Baroon or on to a tropical rainforest garden and boast glorious double spas, log fires, televisions, DVDs, stereo systems, kitchenettes and wifi and, best of all, hammocks on the private spacious decks. You can dine in several nights a week, with delicious meals served to your cottage, one course at a time. Josef Gruber, who owns Lillypilly’s with his wife Adele, was executive chef for 12 years at Sydney’s Sebel Townhouse.
For a meal out head into Wild Rocket @ Misty’s Micro Brewery in one of the most historic buildings in Montville’s main street. The former fancy goods and lolly shop has been transformed into a lovely restaurant space, with quirky nooks and crannies inside and out. Its owner, UK chef Peter Brettell, and his wife Belinda, source the best local produce and free-range organic meats and make everything onsite, from beef sausages, breads, stock, sauces and even the jams and chutneys served with scones.
You’ll need to walk off some of this food and there is no better place to do it than Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve in Maleny. Looking out over the Glass House Mountains, the 55ha subtropical rainforest is perfect for a leisurely stroll before spending time at the Mary Cairncross Discovery Centre, a new multimillion-dollar interpretive centre.
A stay at Noosa rounds off any stay on the Sunshine Coast beautifully. You are spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation, but for convenience Noosa Blue Resort at Noosa Heads is within walking distance to Hastings Street, Main Beach, Noosa National Park, the surf breaks and Noosa Junction. If you don’t feel like walking to Hastings Street, a bus will whisk you there in minutes. The resort has a year-round outdoor pool and sun terrace, and some of the spacious rooms come with spas.
IF YOU GO…
Sue Preston was a guest of Visit Sunshine Coast.
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