Gorgeous GourMay at GourMay Mary Valley
Prepare to eat until your heart’s desire, because feasting season is upon us! Jodie Cameron explores the culinary delights coming to the Mary Valley this May…
Set in the rolling hills of the Mary Valley with its forty shades of green, just 45 minutes inland from Noosa, GourMay Mary Valley offers workshops, walks and wondrous flavours for the entire month of May. Now in its third year, the annual feast for the senses celebrates all things in abundance. We’re talking beef, cheeses, breads, avocados, persimmons, chickens, eggs (you might find out which came first!) wine, beer, and yuzu – get ready to soak up all that this vibrantly fertile region has to offer!
From progressive lunches to mystery picnics and everything deliciously edible in-between. Meet the people who bring food to our tables, through workshops, farm tours, breakfast, lunch and dinner events, camp oven events and bush tucker competitions, plus local art, film, music and dancing. Enjoy a diverse range of local events, the family-friendly Festival Day and the glamorous Gala Dinner Party event – there’s literally a smorgasbord for everyone to enjoy!
GourMay Mary Valley Event Director, Malcolm Oakley said it was all about “the people, places and produce that the region was home to”.
“Running the festival over the entire month means visitors can sink their teeth into at least one event, if not more,” he said. “There’s nothing quite like the experiences on offer as we invite visitors into our backyards to taste all the region has to offer.
“It’s a mix of new events and the return of old favourites this year and offers a great time for all ages. It’s a must-see, taste and stay month.”
On 1 May, the GourMay Opening Celebration at Woollahra Homestead will launch the delicious month-long program which includes the Dingo Creek Vintner’s Lunch at Dingo Creek Winery; a Forage Farms Farm Tour with third-generation regenerative farmers; and a Camp Oven Competition and Dinner at the historic Imbil Rail Park.
A Bushfood Long Lunch with Peter Wolfe at Kandanga Farm Store is not-to-be-missed; same for the Bellbird and back… a taste of the trail with sunset wine and cheese followed by a 2.5km walk along the Mary Valley Rail Trail where dinner, music and campfire tales await before returning for sweet treats and port. Woollahra Homestead offers a smorgasbord of delicious events including a Flowers & Food Workshop; the Mother’s Day Garden Party Brunch and a Paddock-to-Plate Long Lunch. It’s also one of the destinations along with Dingo Creek Vineyard, Wild Vine Imbil and Kandanga Country Club on the Flavours of the Mary Valley Culinary Tour.
Creative Tours will host the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Agricultural Tour with visits to Kenilworth Dairies, John Tidy’s Organics, and a walk through the Amamoor State Forest while learning the story of the wild macadamia; and Cheers and Ginger Beers sees Friends of Amamoor and Diablo Co take over the Amamoor Village Green with food trucks, live music, fire pits, a bar, and you can choose the option to arrive in style aboard the Mary Valley Rattler.
Slow Food Noosa will dish up Film with Food with dinner and a screening of Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution with a live discussion with filmmaker Dr Trevor Graham at the Kandanga Hall; and the Mary Valley Film Society will present French Food + Chocolat, a free screening of the movie Chocolat with French food, chocolates and cakes available to buy.
If immersing yourself in nature is more your thing, enjoy Walking with Macadamias tours with morning tea, the Mary Valley Mystery Picnic, or Sunrise Breakfast at the Avocado Tree Farm at John Tidy’s Organics; and for something different, head along to Amanda Emblem’s Songwriting Soup for a lunchtime of musical creativity, community and hearty food where local performer and recording artist Amanda will take inspiration from the audience to create an original song!
The free and family-friendly Festival Day on 10 May features cooking demonstrations by bushfood guru Peter Wolfe, sourdough expert Jodie Boulenaz, and more as well as competitions galore including egg painting, macadamia guessing, jigsaw puzzling, idiom gathering, a sausage roll relay, best ‘food’ sculpture, baking competitions and the great GourMay Mary Valley Quiz. The kids will love the Kid Zone with Mary Valley Circus, face painting and colouring in. Why not try your hand at the cooking challenge à la Ready Steady Cook Mystery Box style, where four Mary Valley locals will vie to be the coveted Cook of the Year!
Foodie favourite, and local Chef Matt Golinski will be fishing up and dishing up several events including Lake to Plate after the Lake Borumba Ladies Anglers Classic; Gourmet Grazing with Matt Golinksi at Belli Beef and Wild Barrel HQ, a lunch showcasing local grassfed beef, paired with organic barrel aged beer; and the traditional Seasonal Long Table Dinner at Kandanga Farm Store.
“I love the unique nature of the events paired with the produce that grows in the Mary Valley, and events like Lake to Plate and Gourmet Grazing are the perfect way to showcase some of the amazing collaborations that exist in this diverse food basin,” Matt said. “It’s not just about the food and the people, but more their passion for good, clean, fair food that is produced using sustainable methods.”
The Kandanga Country Club will offer RV and van sites for travellers for its events including the 7-course Mary Valley Degustation by Thistle in the Woods with matching wines from Barossa Valley’s Chateau Tanunda on 3 May; and the final feast on 31 May for the GourMay Mary Valley Gala Celebration with mingling, music by local favourites Tennessee Lights, magnificent munchies and magic with special guest, Tommy Magic.
So this May, get road trippin’ to the rolling hills of the Mary Valley for a belly full of goodness, and get amongst this seriously bumper month in foodie’s paradise, see you there!
For more information and to purchase tickets or subscribe to the e-newsletter for the latest updates visit
STAY & PLAY IN MAY
The Mary Valley is less than an hour’s drive from the Sunshine Coast, so an easy day trip, or if you are road trippin’ from afar make the most of your trip, and enjoy the change of pace with visits to these local attractions:
- Walk along the Mary Valley Rail Trail
- Take a picnic on the Fig Tree Walk or Timber Cutters’ Walk and enjoy a dip in Yabba Creek
- Ride on the historic Mary Valley Rattler
- Go fishing or kayaking at Lake Borumba or on the Mary River.
For more information about the Mary Valley, visit www.maryvalleycountry.au
