100 COU NTRY ST Y LESEPTEMBER 2019
HUNDREDSOFTINYTURTLESf lip-f loppingtheirwaydown
thesandastheybegintheirperilousjourneytothesea,or
mantaraysglidingtowardstheiridescentbeautyofthe
GreatBarrierReefarememoriesmanyvisitorswilltake
homeaftera holidaytoBundabergandQueensland’sCoral
Coast.Increasinglytheyarealsopackingcarsandeskies
withfruit,nuts,vegetables,preservesandbespokegin.
Bundaberg,a rivercityjustinlandfromthecoastabout
fourhours’drivenorthofBrisbane,issurroundedby
a tapestryoffarmsthankstofertileredvolcanicsoiland
a mildclimate.Consideredthesoutherngatewaytothe
GreatBarrierReef,Bundaberghaslongbeena favoured
destinationfortravellerswishingtowitnessthefascinating
butfragilebeautyofthereefanditssealife.Smack-bang
insugarcanecountry,it’salsofamedfortherumthatwas
createdbya coupleofenterprisingmateslookingforways
touseuptheexcessmolassesleftoverfromsugarprocessing.
ThissameingenuityisnowdrivingtheBundaberg
region’sexpandingfoodtrails,wheregrowersarebypassing
themiddleguytoconnectdirectlywiththeircustomers.
Manyfarmsandcellardoorsnowwelcomevisitorsandoffer
immersiveexperienceswitha personaltouch.
OnesuchfarmisTinaberries,whichyou’llfindafter
a shortdrivetothesouth-eastofBundaberg,skirtingthe
highlyreveredfarminglandaroundTheHummock(the
remainsofa dormantvolcano)throughbanana,dragon
fruit,chilli,garlic,macadamia,sugarcaneandsweetpotato
farms. The picturesque journey provides a broad insightintowhat’sgrowninthisabundantfoodbowlthatsupplies
a quarterofthenation’sfreshproduce.
AdrystonewallheraldstheentrancetoTinaberriesfarm,
hometoTinaandBruceMcPhersonwhogrowstrawberries
andpassionfruit.Herevisitorscanpurchasefreshlypicked
strawberriesthroughouttheseasonfromJunetoOctober.
“PeoplearebecomingawarethatBundabergandthe
regionhavesomuchtooffer:accesstothereef,beaches,
theturtleexperienceandhand-in-handwiththatgoesour
dynamicculinaryanddrinkexperience,”52-year-oldTina
says.“Visitorsareinterestedinwheretheirfoodanddrink
comesfromandwehaveitallondisplay.”
TheMcPhersonsalsosellstrawberryandpassionfruit
ice-cream(andmangoinsummer).Thelandscapedgarden
andlawnneartheirhomeisfilledwithfamilies,couplesand
groupsoffriendswhocometoenjoyice-creamanda tasteof
farmlife.“Peoplewanttochattothefarmer,hearthestory
ofthefarmandwhatwedo,”Tinaexplains.
TinaandBrucepurchasedthefarm 16 yearsagoafter
“traversingtheglobewithagriculturaladventures”.Bruce
wasa formerruralbankerwhogrewupona dairyfarmin
NewZealand,whileTina,fromBrisbane,originallyworked
inmarketing.Theyrana dairyfarminRotoruaforfive
yearsbeforeembarkingona pastureprojectinUruguay
(withsmallchildrenandtwokelpiesintow).Theyhave
beeninvolvedindairyenterprisesinEastJavaandInner
Mongolia,buteventuallychosetheCoralCoasttoputdown
their roots, drawn by the opportunity for relaxed living. >Bundabergissurroundedbya tapestryoffarms,
thanks to fertile red volcanic soil and a mild climate.
JOURNEYBUNDABERG QUEENSLAND