Book a three-day sustainable itinerary on the Sunshine Coast. Photo / Trevor Templeman
Combine sustainable restaurants with luxe off-grid glamping and environmentally responsible tours on a sustainable Sunshine Coast holiday, writes Tiana Templeman
Kermit was wrong when he sang, "It's not easy being green". The world's most famous frog should pack his bag and visit the Sunshine Coast where being a "green" traveller is as simple as going on holiday. With sustainable restaurants and cafes, environmentally responsible tours, and a thriving local food scene where you can meet local producers and sample their produce, spending 72 hours on Queensland's Sunshine Coast is as good for you as it is for the planet.
Avoid the traffic heading north from Brisbane and fly into Sunshine Coast Airport at Maroochydore with Air New Zealand, which recommences direct flights in July. From here, it takes just 30 minutes to drive to Starry Nights Luxury Camping, which is as eco-friendly as it is luxe. Settle into your 75sq m tent decked out with a huge bed with organic linen sheets, a large lounge area and kitchenette, fireplace, flushing toilet and a rain shower, and a large freestanding bathtub that begs you to crack open the complimentary bottle of bubbly in your room and jump in. Only the butterflies and the birds can see you enjoying a soak as you listen to the chorus of kookaburras in the surrounding bush.starrynightsluxurycamping.com.au
Pre-order a breakfast hamper and cook up a morning feast using local goodies like organic sausages, eggs from Starry Nights' chickens, Turkish bread, and yoghurt and milk from Maleny Dairies, then get set for a delicious day exploring the local food scene on a Hinterland Farm to Fork Tour. Kick off your guided culinary adventure with a visit to a boutique coffee roastery for a roasting demonstration and freshly brewed espresso before a stop at The Falls Farm with tastings as you tour. From here, you'll meet farmer Ken Coey at Maleny Wagyu where spent grain from the nearby Brouhaha Brewery is used to feed the cows. Paddock to plate comes full circle with a brewery tour and a four-course lunch with beer matching at Brouhaha, where the head chef and head brewer will join you for a chat.
creativetours.com.au
If you would prefer a self-guided culinary adventure, sample light-as-a-feather house-made scones at Montville, meet the cows at Maleny Dairies (malenydairies.com) or drop into Flame Tree Vineyard (flamehill.com.au), a family-run winery where the restaurant's produce is sustainably sourced and chickens keep the bugs away in the vineyard.
If you would prefer an icy cold beer, Terella Brewing (terellabrewing.com.au) at nearby North Arm uses water from the Vertical Farm next door to produce their brews. In return, carbon dioxide by-product from the fermenters is re-injected back into the farm's grow cells to produce fresh greens. Every weekend, food trucks provide the snacks and talented local musos provide the vibe.
On your return to Starry Nights, enjoy another soak in that gorgeous tub with your complimentary cheese platter as the sunset creates a kaleidoscope of colours overhead. After the light fades, drive to The Tamarind where the contemporary Thai dishes are created using local produce, much of which comes from the restaurant's own market garden. Each plate is designed to be shared although you might want to keep the crispy twice-cooked duck with lemongrass, coriander, mint, and lychees all to yourself.
thetamarind.com.au
After breakfast with the birds at Starry Nights, drive to the Original Eumundi Markets, which showcases the region's fresh produce and thriving local art scene every Wednesday and Saturday. It is easy to spend a whole morning browsing at this eclectic outdoor market, where everything is locally made. Eumundi is the perfect spot to pick up a unique souvenir and supplies for a picnic lunch or homecooked dinner so before you leave Starry Nights in the morning, grab a chilly bin or an insulated bag with a freezer brick.
eumundimarkets.com.au
From Eumundi, it's a 30-minute drive to the departure point for Saltwater Eco Tours, which combines owner Simon Thornalley's passion for the ocean with his Indigenous heritage and showcases the stories of the local Kabi Kabi people and the beauty of the Sunshine Coast. Slip off your shoes and board Spray of the Coral Coast, a historic century-old gaff-rigged wooden ketch, and sail down the Mooloolah River, so pristine that dolphins are often spotted in the waters near the river mouth. Sip a signature lemon myrtle cocktail and enjoy a lunch featuring dishes such as oysters served with finger lime and fresh Mooloolaba prawns as the sound of a didgeridoo swells around you.
saltwaterecotours.com.au
On the way back to Starry Nights, drop into Mapleton Falls National Park, where Pencil Creek cascades 120m over an escarpment, or Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve that is spread across 55ha of rainforest. The view of the Glasshouse Mountains from the deck at the information centre is superb. Kondalilla National Park is home to the tumbling waters of Kondalilla Falls (and more than 300 stairs if you do the Falls Circuit walk). For a less strenuous stroll, drive to nearby Gardners Falls then head back to Starry Nights for dinner made with produce from the Eumundi Markets.
Start your day with an early breakfast then pack up and head to Boreen Point near Noosa, the departure point for today's self-guided kayak tour of the Noosa Everglades which begins at 8.30am sharp. The Noosa Everglades, a series of freshwater tidal parklands covering 150,000ha, are world-famous for their natural beauty and wildlife and form part of the Noosa Shire's Unesco Biosphere Reserve. When you are gliding through the crystal clear waters of Lake Cootharaba, marvelling at the mighty wingspan of square-tailed kites wheeling overhead, it is hard to believe Noosa is only a short drive away. Kayaks come equipped with chilly bins and laminated maps with reference photos to assist the navigationally challenged or you can book a full-day tour with a guide to show you the way.
kanukapersaustralia.com
If you don't want to spend a full day at the Everglades, you can return your kayak early and join the locals for lunch at Vanilla Food Organic Cafe (vanillafood.com.au) at Noosa Junction where colourful salads, nourishing pasta dishes and refreshing blended juices or kombucha are the order of the day. All produce at Vanilla Food is grown locally and organically and everything on the menu is made in-house.
Or, you could drive to Noosa Heads and pull up a chair at Aromas, (aromasnoosa.com.au) where the wicker chairs face outwards in classic European style and all of the vegetable waste and coffee grounds from the cafe are taken to Maravista Farm in the Noosa Hinterland where they're turned into compost and used to grow produce for Aromas and other restaurants.
If you have time, finish your day with a surf at Main Beach, where there's a stall with boards for hire or go for a walk in Noosa National Park. Stroll along the Noosa National Park Coastal Track, keeping an eye out for koalas overhead and dolphins in the sparkling ocean below. Plunging into the crystal clear waters at Little Cove or Laguna Bay on the return journey is pure bliss.
For more travel ideas, see visitsunshinecoast.com
Check entry requirements, vaccine requirements and Australian Government Department of Health before travel. health.gov.au
'We can make three days feel like a week,' one expert said.