Granite Belt Bike Tours are a family run business in Stanthorpe, offering guided and self-guided cycle tours and bike hire. If cycling through a region of wineries and apple orchards sounds like your thing then I recommend you get pedalling on their Castles, Cafes and Cabernet guided bike tour. On the morning of our tour, we're collected from our motel and driven to the start of the tour. Owners Jon and Vanessa are super friendly and happily answer all our questions. The tour … [Read more...]
Bamboo for body, mind and planet
Exploring the untapped potential of bamboo In Bali they use bamboo to build everything from schools to multi-level luxury hotels. While climate conditions and strict building regulations mean we can’t build with bamboo here in Australia, there’s so much more we can, and should, be doing with this amazing plant. My podcast interview with ‘Becky Bamboo’ convinced me that this plant has a bigger role to play, certainly for its health benefits, but more importantly for its environmental … [Read more...]
Blue Ginger Picnics in The Tweed
A beautiful view, an elegant picnic and a hamper of goodies. All organised for you. What’s not to love? Tania Usher is the owner of Blue Ginger Picnics. Her mission is to connect customers to nature, and her carefully curated picnic settings means she does just that. When you book one of her picnics you could find yourself nestled in the dunes with sweeping beach views, or perhaps perched up high with a panoramic vista of majestic Mount Warning. The Tweed is a picnicker’s paradise. … [Read more...]
Farm life with Hinterland Feijoas
Feijoas are as Kiwi as a meat pie and the All Blacks. The little green fruit are embedded in every New Zealander’s psyche. Every Autumn we get a little excited because for a few short weeks we get to indulge our tastebuds with a hit of our favourite, oh so delicious, fruit. (Aussies pronounce the fruit as FUH-Jo-ahs, Kiwis say FEE-Jo-ahs) For the 600,000 Kiwi’s in Australia it’s a bit harder to find feijoas. So, if you’re a Kiwi who doesn’t know about Hinterland Feijoas, read on! Up on … [Read more...]
Fair Game Wild Venison
As a Kiwi I grew up eating venison, small medallions cooked on the sizzling hotplate, rich and lean. Although it’s one of the healthiest red meats, I’ve never really seen it on menus here in Australia. After ‘meating’ fellow Kiwi Jonas Widjaja, venison is on my radar again. In fact I’ll be getting my hands on some at my local organic farmers market tomorrow. Can’t wait to taste it again, after all these years. I first met Jonas at a foodie event. He was showcasing his venison and offered … [Read more...]
The Patron Saint of Gin
A few years ago my friend Belinda travelled solo across Australia in her V8 Holden Commodore, with a mission of visiting as many craft gin distilleries as possible (a girl after my own heart). Travelling more than 12000km (including the Nullarbor) she introduced herself to dozens of regional craft gin-makers, from Applewood Distillery in the Adelaide Hills to as far afield as Busselton. She spent her days talking gin and learning about the industry. Her gin adventure turned out to be life … [Read more...]
The best way to eat oysters
Having spent a morning with Oyster Farm Tours Coffin Bay I have to say it's one of my all-time favourite foodie experiences. The oysters grown in Coffin Bay are highly sought after, both here and overseas. And now I know why, they are the freshest most flavoursome I’ve ever eaten, and even if you’re not partial to these delicate, salty creatures, you must, I repeat must, try one! Our tour starts at Oyster HQ, where we gather on the deck to look out over the oyster farm. Waterproof wadders … [Read more...]
The story of the bunya
Since travelling to the Bunya Mountains last year I’ve become smitten with the bunya tree and its giant dinosaur pine cones. These noble and ancient trees have a fascinating story which I feel compelled to share… Like nowhere else on earth The Bunya Mountains are home to the largest remaining stand of bunya pines in the world. Once upon a time, this Queensland native was widespread, but now there are just a few pockets left. They say bunya pines can live for around 600 years. Growing up … [Read more...]
Scenic Rim road trip
My photographer buddy @imagjen_ and I went exploring the Scenic Rim recently, two gals who love taking pics and eating good food – road trip woohoo!! It was such an incredible weekend that Madeline was inspired to dedicate a whole photo series to the Scenic Rim… and I launched a new Instagram account to showcase all the amazing foodie experiences out there (follow along at @tastescenicrim). I’m going to share my itinerary so you can plan your own weekend escape (OK, technically it’s a … [Read more...]
5 reasons to visit QT Gold Coast
The team at QT Gold Coast have served me some fabulous foodie experiences during the last year that are simply too good not to share… so here are my top 5 reasons to visit QT now: Cocktails at Stingray Bar A funky retro vibe welcomes you at Stingray Bar. Not too big, not too small, this groovy bar is cosy and spacious all at the same time. Originally a California-style tequila bar it’s now morphing into a high-end cocktail bar. Tequila still reigns supreme with an impressive selection of … [Read more...]
