Taste Paradise - Drive North Queensland

Taste Paradise
Treat your tastebuds to a tropical tour
www.cairnsgreatbarrierreef.org.au
Savour the Tropical North
Queensland lifestyle
on a gourmet tour tasting plump mangoes dripping with
juice, salty prawns straight from the trawler and aromatic
coffee where it is grown.
Exotic flavours are plentiful in Tropical North Queensland
where incredible seafood is harvested from the sea and
an array of tropical produce grown on the land.
Tropical fruits can be tasted at farmer’s markets or on a
farm tour. Discover new tastes such as mangosteen, learn
just how good a lychee can be when it’s freshly picked from
the tree or spice up your holiday with locally grown pepper,
cardamom, ginger and the heady scent of fresh herbs.
Of course fresh fruit can be enjoyed in many other ways
such as the creamy ice cream made with local organic
milk and the likes of dragon fruit or banana and coconut.
Tropical fruit wineries are plentiful on the Atherton
Tablelands where you can taste sweet and dry styles
made from mango, mulberry and Davidson’s plum.
The Atherton Tablelands is also where you can get
everything you need for a great cuppa – tea, coffee, sugar
and milk. Visit a dairy to try their cheese and yoghurt, a
smokehouse for cured meats or an aquaculture farm for
red claw or barramundi.
New flavours grown in the Daintree include cocoa and
vanilla which many local chefs mix with the region’s
sugar to turn into exquisite chocolates and desserts.
The seafood is incredible with sweet coral trout, painted
crayfish and big juicy prawns caught in the ocean and
wild barramundi in the rivers.
With such good quality produce, it is no wonder there is
an enormous choice of restaurants featuring tropical and
international cuisine.
Whether you want to visit a farmer’s market and cook
a beachside barbecue while you enjoy the view or relax
while an award-winning chef turns tropical produce into a
meal to remember, Tropical North Queensland is a feast
of foodie experiences.
An Eventful Journey
Torres Strait
Poruma Island
Thursday Island
DARWIN
GR
EA
T
BA
CAIRNS
RR
R
Bamaga
IE
Horn Island
R
EEF
AUSTRALIA
BRISBANE
CANBERRA
PERTH
ADELAIDE
SYDNEY
MELBOURNE
HOBART
Great
Barrier
Reef
Weipa
Taste of the Tablelands Festival
Atherton
September
Visitors to the Tableland will be able to have the
full food experience from the land to the table
at this festival. Farmers from across the region
will be selling their produce on the day allowing
visitors to see fresh produce at its best.
Palm Cove Reef Feast
Palm CoveOctober
Gulf of
Carpenteria
The beachfront esplanade of Palm Cove comes
alive with the local vendors opening up their
restaurants and offering great value food samples.
Enjoy the entertainment and sample some of the
best creative food that Palm Cove has to offer.
Peninsula
Kowanyama
Laura
Cooktown
Cape Tribulation
Palmer River
Daintree NP
Mornington Island
Port Douglas
Cairns
Kuranda
Mareeba
Burketown
Hell’s Gate
Karumba
Normanton
Atherton
Yungaburra
Innisfail
Mission Beach
Cardwell
Ingham
Townsville
Port Douglas Carnivale
Port Douglas
May
A magical festival held during the last two weeks
of May within the seaside resort village and its
surrounds. There’s music, arts, sports, food, culture
and all styles of entertainment every reason to head
to Port Douglas for a ‘taste of paradise’.
Take a week to:
FLAMES OF THE FOREST
Start your gourmet journey at Port Douglas where you can follow in the
footsteps of presidents and movie stars who have enjoyed dining in the
village’s world-class restaurants. Fresh local produce is turned into star
quality meals like grilled tiger prawns with watermelon gazpacho.
Enjoy dinner beneath the rainforest canopy at Flames of the Forest,
an enchanted evening of entertainment and fine dining in a secluded
rainforest location.
A GOURMET AUSSIE BARBECUE
Join the locals at the marina buying fresh prawns straight off the trawler.
Take them down to the beach for a gourmet Aussie barbecue.
Catch your own dinner while you explore Dickson’s Inlet at Port Douglas
from a pontoon boat. Once you’ve hooked your mangrove jack or barra
it’s time to fire up the on-board barbecue and tuck into the freshest fish
you’ll ever eat.
BREAKFAST WITH THE BIRDS
ATHERTON TABLELANDS
Head up to the food bowl of Tropical North Queensland, the Atherton
Tablelands, where many of the region’s farms can be found.
At the top of the range stop at Kuranda to buy sweets for the journey.
Choose from home-made fudge, rock candy made as you watch or treats
made from local honey. If you haven’t got a sweet tooth then an authentic
German wurst or a savoury French crepe will hit the spot.
Try coffee at its source in Mareeba where the bulk of Australia’s coffee
is grown. Savour the aroma of freshly ground coffee and see how it is
harvested and delivered to your cup on a plantation tour.
After a restaurant lunch featuring Tableland produce, visit a boutique
winery to sample the local wines, which are made from tropical fruits like
mango and lychee instead of grapes.
Call in at roadside stalls to gather fresh produce to enjoy in the comfort of a
cosy bed and breakfast where home-made gourmet delights, a hot spa and
the log fire will keep you inside for the night.
YUNGABURRA
Breakfast with the birds is a unique start to the day before a visit to the
Daintree where tropical fruits, tea, vanilla and cocoa are grown. This is
the place to try local barramundi served up fresh for lunch.
Stop at a tropical fruit farm where you can discover black sapote fruit
that tastes like chocolate pudding, try rollinia and be amazed by its
likeness to lemon meringue pie or eat your fill of luscious rambutans.
Cool off with a home-made tropical fruit ice cream before crossing the
Daintree River and driving the scenic coastal road to Palm Cove for
dinner at an award-winning restaurant overlooking the beach.
RUSTY’S MARKETS
Start the day with a serene hot air balloon ride, gliding across the
Tableland’s patchwork landscape of farms.
Visit a farmer’s market to select fresh fruit for breakfast, taste local
macadamia nuts and sample tropical produce from around the region.
Buy extra for a picnic and tour the waterfalls of the Tablelands snacking
as you go.
Spend the night at Yungaburra where a number of great restaurants
and charming cafes will tempt you for dinner. Indulge in a massage or
walk to the platypus viewing platform at Peterson Creek to spy on the
shy creatures.
Shop at Rusty’s Markets in the heart of Cairns city where you can talk to
the farmer who has grown the pineapples, bananas and array of tropical
produce on offer. Locally produced smallgoods, seafood, beef and a
diverse range of coffee, dips, cheese, yoghurt and breads are all part of the
vibrant mix of these colourful markets.
Take a picnic to Crystal Cascades, a popular local swimming spot in the
rainforest where the cool mountain water tumbles over boulders into
picturesque pools.
Try Aussie tucker at a restaurant serving the likes of crocodile, emu
and kangaroo matched with bush ingredients including lemon myrtle,
Davidson’s plum and finger limes.
NERADA TEA PLANTATION
Sample yoghurt flavoured with Indigenous fruits plus a variety of hard
and soft cheeses at the Mungalli Creek Dairy where they are made.
Exotic flavours can be found at Tarzali Lakes Smokehouse Café where
fish and red claw from the aquaculture lakes are smoked on the premises
along with chorizo, kangaroo sausages and chicken.
Enjoy a Devonshire tea at the Nerada Tea Plantation where you can learn
how tea is grown and processed.
Top Travel Tips
Getting there
Queensland is Australia’s second largest state with plenty of open spaces and amazing
adventures to be had. To prepare yourself for a drive journey in north Queensland we
strongly encourage you to visit the following helpful sites before you leave;
North Queensland is a remote region geographically and
that is one of our greatest attractions. That said, the region is
a major tourist destination and it is easy to find your way to
paradise. Our major cities of Cairns, and Townsville are well
serviced by Airlines, Rail, Coach and Cruise options or you can
stop in as a highlight of a major drive holiday.
Once in the region there is a multitude of transport options
available.
The following key websites may assist you with planning your
visit;
www.jetstar.com
www.virginaustralia.com
www.qantas.com
www.queenslandrail.com.au
www.greyhound.com.au
www.avis.com.au / www.thrifty.com.au and www.britz.com /
www. apollocarrentals.com.au
www.drivenorthqueensland.com.au Drive North Queensland
www.driveqld.com.au Qld Drive Tourism info hub
www.racq.com.au Qld automobile association
www.131940.qld.gov.au Qld Road conditions hub
www.bom.gov.au National weather info hub
Basic Road Safety
› All vehicles travel on the left side of the road.
› Do not travel faster than the signed maximum speed limit.
› Calculate your distances, ask the locals and share the driving with regular rest stops
› Always carry a current road map.
› Ensure your vehicle is in good working order and has been serviced recently.
› Slowdown in country areas and on unsealed roads.
› Watch out for wildlife especially when travelling into the night. Slow down but
DO NOT swerve.
› In an Emergency, phone 000 for police, fire or ambulance.
› Carry sufficient water on board as lengthy delays may be experienced if you have
a breakdown.
› Be aware of road hazards including road trains, potholes and animals on the road.
More information
For more ideas and assistance when planning your adventure;
www.drivenorthqueensland.com.au
www.cairnsgreatbarrierreef.org.au
www.tasteparadise.com.au or download the mobile app
www.tasteparadise.com.au/mobile-app-2/
› Queensland can have seasonal weather events and flooding.
› Seatbelts - All occupants of a vehicle must wear seatbelts at all times.
› Crash Helmets are compulsory on all motorbikes, scooters and cycles.
Join the conversation at
www.facebook.com/tropicalnorthqueensland
› Hand-held mobile telephone - Drivers are not allowed to use mobile phones
whilst driving.
› Drink-Driving - Avoid drinking alcohol before driving. Australia has strict laws on
‘drink-driving’. Some indigenous communities have alcohol restrictions.
Help along the way
› Many towns throughout Queensland will have accredited Visitor Information
Centres which are staffed by local volunteers. They can be identified by the yellow
“I” symbol
which is widely recognised as a professional and reliable source
of information. Staff are generally passionate and knowledgeable about the local
area and can steer you into some hidden secrets and local events.
› Fuel stops and roadhouses are also a reliable source of up to date information on
localised road conditions.
› Your vehicle is just a part of the journey. To get the most out of your experience
we encourage you to explore and some great ideas include; take a walk in our
National Parks, join a local day tour, visit a local attraction, take a scenic flight or
join in one of many local events along the way.
Download the Drive North Queensland app for free from
www.drivenorthqueensland.com.au. Available on iPhone,
iPad and Andriod phones.