at Land&Sea– theFortuneNoosaGinwas
sodeliciousyoucouldsipit allafternoon.”
Moonstruck’sco-owner,BoyDriessen,is a Dutch
expat,andheandpartnerco-ownerMellThompson
moveduptothecoastfromByronBayfiveyearsago.
They’venoticedsignificantchangesinthattime,
particularlyonthedrinks’scene.“There’sbeena huge
creativeinputthere– we’vegotthreereallyimpressive
breweriesnow,andseveraldistilleries.Welookedat
a lotofplacesbeforeNoosa,butthelifestyleandthe
work-lifebalancehereis asgoodasit canbe.”
There’splentytokeepyouonthecoast,butto
trulytastetheregionyou’llneedhittheroad.
BoilingPotBrewingCoandLand&SeaBrewery,
withitssite-sharingNoosadistillery,allsitjust 10
minutes’drivefromHastingsStreetbuttheirlocation
feelsa worldaway,inanindustrialestatethat’salso
hometoindependentbrewer,HeadsofNoosa.Locals
havestartedreferringtoit asthe“BeermudaTriangle”- andwithgoodreason.
AtNoosaJunction,a oncehumdrumshopping
area,transformationis afoot,withcharacterfulvenues
liketheTurkish-leaningTelephoneCallfromIstanbul,
beerandburgerspecialistZePickleandmodernAsian
venues LightYearsandMr.Drifter,deepeningthe
destination’sappeal
Furthersouth,thecoastalhigh-riseurbancentres
ofMooloolabaandMaroochydorenowhavemoreto
offerthannamesakeMooloolabaprawnsandfamous
MSC-certifiedtunafromWalkerSeafoods.Trawling
the glorious hinterland brings its own rewards.➤
T
herearecitrusnotesofmakrutlime,a trace
ofmushroomyumami-nessanda suggestion
offishsauceinthemix.ButI’mnotslurping
noodles.I’msittingoutsideMoonstruck,
a moderncaféandginbaronNoosa’sHastingsStreet,
nosinga quirkygindistilleda meretenminutesaway.
It arrivesperkilyaccessorisedwithlocallimeand
a sprigofVietnamesemint.
A pho-channellingspiritmightnotbeeveryone’s
cupoftea,butit’sindicativeofhowthefoodand
drinkssceneis maturingat thisupscalecoastal
destination– becomingmorefun,andincreasingly
confidentaboutbackingitself.
ForyearsQueensland’sSunshineCoasthasproved
a fertilelaunchpadfora throngofcleverproducers
andgrowers– particularlyNoosaShire– a UNESCO
biospherejusttwohours’drivenorthofBrisbane.
It’salsosucceededingettingdiningright,enjoying
impressivebraggingrights,particularlyforsuch
a tourist-centricregion.
Classicvenuessuchasbreezyriverfrontdestination
RickysRiverBarandRestaurantat NoosaSoundand
neighbouringWoodFireGrillandLocale,a handsome
ItalianonHastingsStreet,allcontinuetowinfans,
fuelledinpartbyorganicbountyfromownerOgilvie
Group’s250-hectarehinterlandMaravistaFarm.
SailsRestaurant,overlookinga stunningsweep
ofNoosaMainBeach,is anotherlong-termchampion
ofproducethathasn’thadtotravelfar,whiletelevision
chefPeterKuruvita’sairyNoosaBeachHouseat Sofitel
Noosais a day-longattraction,notleastforKuruvita’s
deftuseoftheregion’sseafood.
Butmorerecently,a clutchofindependent
breweries,coffeeroasters,distilleries,andassorted
small,detail-driven,owner-operatedvenueshave
startedbubblingup,ensuringvisitorshavemore
diversitytoenjoy.
It’sa tastymixandonethatGourmetTraveller’s
BestNewTalent2020,chefAlannaSapwell,relishes.
She’sa SunshineCoastnativewhogrewup“inthe
bush”betweenGympieandNoosa.InJuly,shefound
herselfpulledbacktoNoosatoopenEsmay,a three-
monthpop-upat theformerriverfronthomeof
contemporaryJapaneserestaurant,Wasabi.
“I didmyapprenticeshiphere[inNoosa]withDavid
Rayner 10 yearsago– soit reallyfeelslikeI’mcoming
home,”saysSapwell,whocreditsRayner,formerchef-
ownerof Noosaville’sThomasCornerandRiverHouse,
withinstillingherkeenappreciationforgreatproduce.
It’sSapwell’sdriveforprecisionandexcellence
thatmarkedheroutduringhertenureat Arc,
Brisbane,andaidedthesuccessofEsmay,where
dishesarepunctuatedwithinterestingfeatureslike
Geraldtonwaxbudsandbegoniastalks,coraltooth
fungifromMontville’sMountaintopMushrooms
andpristinefishsnappedupfroma localwhodrops
anchorat theNoosaSoundjettywithhiscatch.
“I haven’thadmuchtimetoeatout– butwe
didventuretoBoilingPotBrewingandeverything
wetasted– likethePilotGuavaSourandtheSurvival
Ale – was standout,” Sapwell says. “It was the sameClockwisefrom
above:Alfresco
seatingatVanilla
Food;searching
forsurfatNoosa
Heads;Noosa
NationalPark.
PREVIOUSPAGES
Left:Sunshine
Beach,Noosa.
Right:surfingat
Noosa Heads.114 GOURMET TRAVELLER
PHOTOGRAPHY AMY HIGG (MAIN, OPPOSITE & VANILLA FOOD, THIS PAGE), TRACY NAUGHTON (INSET).