Noosa where? Noosa may be Australia’s best kept secret
Noosa where?
As far as Malaysians are concerned, Noosa may be Australia’s best kept secret, but not for much longer.
Noosa is Australia’s best kept secret,” said the brochure. “just 90 minutes’ drive from Brisbane, visitors love Noosa for its pristine beaches, temperate climate, world-class dining, sophisticated shopping and outdoor adventure activities.”
While it had yet to make it to the Typical Malaysian’s Top Ten Travel Destinations, the seaside town in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland seemed to inspire rave reviews from people who had been there.
“it is not for nothing that people from all over the world come to Noosa for a visit and never leave….one day of brilliant sunshine blends effortlessly into the next,” one travel blogger wrote.
By the time I hopped onto a plane, I still didn’t know much about my destination. Then again, flying blind is the best way to explore uncharted territory, yes?
Is that a bird?
As our group of two Malaysian and two Singaporean journalists entered Noosa, my first feeling was of overwhelming relief.
All those superlatives in the brochures were justified, at least where its natural beauty was concerned. From dramatic headlands, lush forests and sprawling farms on the outskirts, the landscape became progressively chic the closer you went to the town centre.
Hastings Street, where we put up for the night, was packed cheek to jowl with art galleries, bookshops, low-rise hotels and picturesque houses, more restaurants than you can poke a breadstick at, and… “Is that a bush turkey?” somebody squealed.
Indeed it was, standing pertly on the doorstep of a designer boutique. Even more extraordinary, none of the pedestrians seemed to think it was strange.
“It must have wandered out from the Noosa National Park at the end of this street,” Keith, our guide, explained, smiling at our expressions.
“Nature literally sits on Noosa’s doorstep. If you come at the right time, you can even spot the Humpback whales when they bypass our shores during their yearly north-bound migration.”
Once a sleepy fishing village, Noosa is being hailed as Australia’s next tourist jewel. Aware that tourist development often comes at a price, its environmentally-savvy community has worked hard to maintain the town’s clean and green ethos. As part of its commitment, there is a ban on high-rise buildings, roundabouts are used to direct traffic instead of lights, and a population cap reduces urban sprawl.
“For its efforts, Noosa was awarded the prestigious Biosphere Reserve status by Unesco,” Keith revealed proudly.
Oh, and four cars at any roundabout is considered a serious traffic jam.
“Can I move here already?” someone piped up.
Intoxicating
Terry Sampson from the Noosa Hinterland Tour briefed us the next morning.
“Noosa’s Hinterland region has long been hailed as a fondle mecca, thanks to the combination of fresh, locally grown produce and some of Queensland’s most innovative chefs.
Many of these producers are small, family-operated businesses tucked away in the pictur-esque corners of the region, We take small groups to visit producers who are not open to the public or simply hidden away. It is a rare opportunity for overseas visitors particularly to meet real Aussies, away from the tourist venues, and sample a slice of their daily life.”
As enthusiastic as he sounded, I still had my how exciting could a farm-hopping marathon be?
First up was a tour of Noosa Reds, a hightech hydroponic tomato farm that employed
state-of-the-art technology to grow tomatoes in a space-age-looking greenhouse, where
temperature, humidity and solar radiation could be controlled. The tomatoes were allowed to ripen naturally on the vines, as opposed to gas-ripened commercial tomatoes.
Hanging heavily from their vines, the Noosa Reds looked plump and juicy. Our hosts, Gary and Glenda Coleman, invited us to sample some freshly-sliced fruits. Sweet, firm and succulent – little wonder the farm sells a tonne of these babies to restaurants around the region weekly.
After this luscious mid-morning snack, we hightailed it to an Organic Tropical Fruit Farm, where a light morning tea was on the cards.
Light morning tea was a gross misrepresentation. Plates of warm scones, fresh whipped
cream, home-made cake, grilled brandy-drizzled bananas, and pots and pots of home-made fruit jam that Glenda had made just that morning awaited us. It was a feast fit for a queen.
When Gary invited us for a stroll around his fruit farm, we gladly seized the chance to work off the calories.
“We have 24 acres (9.7ba) of farmland which yield fruits all year round,” Gary said. “We’re lucky to be in a strategic location, and escape the frost that afflicts other parts of Queensland. While some fruits like avocado and rosella are seasonal, bananas and papayas grow through-out the year. The fruits provide raw material for the jams which Glenda makes and sells, about 20 bottles on a good day.”
“It sounds like a lot of work,” I remarked. “And how many people do you employ?”
“Just me and my wife Glenda.”
A shocked silence ensued. Two peole, running a 24 acre farm? We could certainly learn a thing or two about maximising resources from these self-sufficient farmers.
Breakfast barely digested, we were then whisked to a wine-tasting and lunch at the Dingo Wine Vineyard, which consisted of a quaint wooden farmhouse which had been
converted into a restaurant, surrounded by lush vineyard and undulating fields. After ushering us to the patio, where a table had been set with silverware, napkins and wine
glasses, our host Marg Gillespie said modestly, ‘I’ve cooked a simple lunch for yon.”
We had kangaroo sausage (delicious and not gamey at all), light buttery quiche, sparkling fresh salad and scrumptious damper bread, while imbibing Dingo’s home-made wines. It was so relaxing, I could feel my pulse slowing down.
“Why would anyone want to dine at some stuffy restaurant?” I wondered aloud. “When
you could eat this beautifully prepared meal amidst the great outdoors?”
“Hear, hear!” my group echoed, clinking our glasses.
Suitably wined and dined, we then took a slow drive to Kybong Crayfish Farm, where a informal lesson in biology, freshwater Redclaw crayfish and one of the liveliest guys I’ve ever seen, awaited us.
If our previous hosts had been warm and laid-back, Hilton Kudzor was a live wire who
reminded me of Australia’s other charismatic nature-savvy rock stars like Steve Irwin and Paul Hogan. He ]eapt into our van, dittstreaked shorts and shoes, and announced,
“Hello everybody! My name is Hilton – no relation to Paris though…”
During the drive to one of their 42 crayfish ponds, which Hilton and his wife manage all by themselves, he explained: “We breed the RedClaw species because it is robust, has a simple life cycle and straightforward production technology, and is economic to produce. And because it looks like lobster, it is positioned at the premium end of the crustacean market.”
With soft red sides and gleaming eyes, the crayfish were beautiful creatures, that it
seemed almost a pity to eat them. But all it took was one bite of freshly boiled crayfish,
with a light squeeze of lemon, and our humanitarian inclinations disappeared as quickly as the critters did from the plates. No wonder they were giving lobsters a good run for their money.
Our tour ended at Belmondos Fresh Food Market, where we relaxed over coffee, browsed through the amply-stocked aisles of gourmet items and compared our notes for the day.
Great food, picturesque scenes and highly educational too – who would have thought
that farms were such fun? I never thought l’d say this, but if you had only one day to spend in Noosa, you should go for the Hinterland tollr, rio nuestinns asked.
Montville in the mountains
If you’ve decided to spend several days at Sunshine Coast, why not go a step further
and drive up to Montville for some crisp mountain air?
Set in lush green rolling hills and gentle pastures, Montville is just an hour north of
Brisbane. Think cosy cafes, quirky galleries and whimsical craft shops housed in log and
stone cottages, and you’ll get what I mean.
Vintage lovers will go gaga over the primitive handmade dolls, wooden wares and
quilts at A Countw Lane. Even adults would be awed by cavernous Shabby Lane, a temple to fairy-tale fixtures with its floor-to-ceiling stocks of Christmas and cutesy ornaments. (Clue: a prominent Witch’s House signboard graces the shopfront.)
As they are one-of-a-kind knick-knacks made by local artists and designers, do ask for
permission before taking photographs. They might even help you take a photo, like the
sweet old lady who obliged while I hammed it up beside the life-size Pinnochio wooden
doll at the counter,
On the way down to a seafood lunch at the award-winning restaurant Terrace at Melaney’s, we drove past more picturesque national parks, scenic walks and inspirational lake views, No wonder Montville is a popular getaway destination for Australian City dwellers. While this highland resort town hasn’t made a firm foothold in our Asian travel itineraries yet, it’s worth at least half a day’s tour.
Have camel, will trave
No motion sickness? Thrill-seeker? Beach-lover? If your answer is yes to all these questions, you’ll love camel riding at Noosa North Shore. Think Lawrence of Arabia with an aquatic theme, and oh, don’t believe everything you read.
“Aren’t they supposed to kick, spit and stink like mad?” somebody whispered fearfully,
Though often dubbed the divas of the animal kingdom, the truth is far from it. Linked together caravan-style, each tethered to the one in front, they lied tamely on their stomachs as we mounted them awkwardly, and seemed more docile than my pussycats.
With one mighty heave, they rose to their full height, and our fleet of eight camels were
soon rocking and swaying through gritty Australian coastal bush, before finally lumbering out to the beach, where the open shores and strong coastal winds awaited.
“You having fun yet?” I yelled to my partner Maria.
She yelled back, “Uh huh. It’s like a cross between a horse ride and the I-gallop.”
The camels did a loop around the beach, before returning to the bush clearing. Our collective groins and butts felt a tad tender but other than that, I could have easily gone
much longer than 1.5 hours. Through it all, our beasts of burden were as well-behaved as
professionally-trained butlers.
At the cameleer’s cue, the camels collapsed like poles and sank to the ground. My camel, Chan, knelt on his front legs and folded his hind legs so that I could remove myself from the stirrups and dismount.
Back on terra firma, I studied my 2-metre high, 750kg new friend closely. With his milelong eyelashes, his graceful, athletic legs and regal smile, he looked unmistakably aristocratic. So that’s why camels are called ships of the Desert, I thought.