WELL TRAVELLED
LEAVE THE BEACH Beyond the clear blue waters of Noosa beach, there is a host of fun to be discovered off the beaten track. WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY MARJ OSBORNE THE MENTION OF NOOSA HEADS brings images of an idyllic summer holiday. For many, this means Hastings Street, a leafy boulevard stretching out parallel to the beach; a street where visitors and locals wine, dine and shop. Yet Hastings Street has more to tell us. Symbolically, like two pointing arms, it reaches out to the Noosa National Park on one end and Noosa Spit Recreation Reserve on the other, parklands that guard both the headland and the mouth of the Noosa River. Follow that river and you’ll discover a hinterland that’s ‘off the beaten track’. It’s a land rich in natural assets and untouched beauty, full of quaint country villages, prosperous farmland and artisan producers; a land that tells us more about our country than a shopping street. Woombye, the oldest settlement on the Sunshine Coast, formed the halfway stopover on the way to Gympie’s goldfields. Now it holds liquid gold of another kind, thanks to CAVU Distilling, proud makers of Sunshine & Sons spirits. While waiting for their first rum release early in 2022, we can soak up their excellent gin and vodka, distilled over volcanic rocks collected from Sunshine Coast headlands, waterfalls and beaches. Tucked into the hills behind Woombye is Palmwoods, home to Tony Kelly’s third Asian street food restaurant, Piggyback.
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– Issue 88
With separate gluten-free and vegan menus like its siblings Rice Boi on Mooloolaba Wharf and Giddy Geisha at Maroochydore, the 180-seat Piggyback is notable for its exceptionally creative and tasty food and drinks. Settled in the 1880s as a timber town, the remnants of Cooroy’s history are clearly visible in the town. The Cooroy Mill Place Precinct spanning one side of the main street houses workshop facilities, sculptures and The Butter Factory Arts Centre where you can see local and national artists’ work on display. The Shed, on the outskirts of town, is a coffee shop come vintage wares shop with a lovely garden area. Nearby Copperhead Brewery brews beer for consumption on site only. It is a great place to enjoy a quality meal and local ale. Noosaville is a relaxed holiday destination spread out along the meandering Noosa River. It is common to see couples and families picnicking or walking along the riverbank at sunset, soaking up the tranquility. For restaurant and café dining, there is a plethora of choices scattered along the foreshore, from historical to modern, covering a range of cuisines. Maisie’s, named after local matriarch Maisie Massoud, whose family fish and chip shop on that site was a favourite dining place for troops during World War II and the Great Depression,
the floating restaurant Noosa Boathouse tied up on the riverbank since the 2000 Olympics, or Sum Yung Guys, co-owned by 2016 MasterChef runner-up Matt Sinclair, which offers some of our best modern Asian cuisine, are just a few of the dining options available. If you are in self-catering accommodation, there are two food destinations you should not miss. Noosa Farmer’s Market, held every Sunday morning on the AFL grounds, is one of the best food markets we’ve visited. It is the foodie alternative to the more eclectic Eumundi Markets, which are also worth a visit. Belmondo’s Organic Market, in Noosaville’s industrial precinct, is a thriving hub of organic food, produce, coffee and wellness products. Visit Belmondo’s for a great meal and coffee, leave with a bag of organic produce under your arm, or be inspired in the creation of your next meal. It’s an unmissable foodie experience. Noosa boasts three distilleries and seven breweries, including Boiling Pot Brewing Co. and Land & Sea Brewery, housed under the same roof as Noosa Heads Distillery, the area’s first distillery. Diners are spoiled for choice with drinks from either the brewery (beer) or the distillery (gin or vodka). We recommend pairing their Asian-inspired meals with Fortune Pho Gin … it’s totally cool. >>
