National eyes are on the hinterland ahead of key winter tourism embrace
By Sonia Isaacs
LOOK at moi! The beauty and bounty of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland is being showcased to a national audience as part of a broader push to capture the winter tourism market.
Visit Sunshine Coast last week invited journalists, bloggers and influencers to the region, with Yanalla Farms playing host to promote upcoming events including the popular Long Lunch as part of the Curated Plate, a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and the second Glasshouse Country Farm Trail.
Visit Sunshine Coast’s Peter Hook said being able to localise the Curated Plate and connect tourists with producers was invaluable to generating new and repeat visits to the region.
“The hinterland shows the diversity of what we are doing, and we need to sell it,” he said.
“Yanalla farms is exotic but it is also incredibly evocative of what the Sunshine Coast is doing right now, particularly with fruits.
“We want to show that there is more to the Sunshine Coast than just sunshine and coast.”
The Yanalla Farms event, hosted by Sunshine Coast Foodie, Martin Duncan, included a small taste of what people could enjoy with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (see pics p10) and highlighted the quality and diversity of our local produce to a national market.
A full scale Mad Hatter’s Tea Party will be held at Yanalla on July 26.
“Food is sexy!” Martin said.
Martin said the local Beerwah co-op had over 400 members and last years’ Curated Plate sponsored long lunch event at Yanalla Farm saw over 20 local businesses and producers involved.
“That we can bring together so many local producers and collaborate with local partners like our local schools and businesses is amazing, and a wonderful way to attract people to our region,” he said.
“We have so many producers doing really clever things and you don’t get a much better time of year to visit than late July and August.”
Cassie Secher from Yanalla Farms said it was important to bring people in to see what farmers were doing locally.
“We want to show the importance of keeping local,” she said.
“People want to know they’re buying fresh and locally produced products.”
“What they do here is just incredible for a locally managed family farm, particularly with their patent on their new variety of custard apple ‘PinksBlush’.”
Glasshouse Chamber of Commerce President, Tamara Hazelden, said the events created broader interest in Glasshouse Country.
“These events help put our region on the map,” Ms Hazelden said.
“It is absolutely imperative that the Glasshouse Country region is promoted to both a local and broader audience.
“Events like these that shine a light on our stunning scenery, wide variety and extraordinarily high quality of our local producers.”
The Curated Plate 2024 celebrate the Sunshine Coast’s farmers, chefs, and artisanal producers.
More details www.thecuratedplate.com.au/events/program-2024
Tickets for the Yanalla Farms ‘Mad Hatters Tea Party’ on Friday, July 26, www.events.humanitix.com/yanalla-farms-mad-hatters-tea-party.
Glasshouse Country Farm Trail will be held on October 12-13, for more details visit www.glasshousecountry
farmtrail.com.au/