Gourmet Getaway Tour - May 23-26 2024

Day 1 began with coach pick-up at The Gap & on the route north by 8 a.m. Our first stop was Bells Ck at Q Camels where camel cuddles & feeding, morning tea & Birthday Cake for Beryl awaited us.

 Continuing northwards, we visited Puzzles on Next was up the Blackall Range & to Kenilworth for lunch - delicious pies, huge sausage rolls, cheese/yoghurt/ice cream, coffee or chocolate - the choice was all tempting & gourmet approved.

Yabba, a private home in which the ground level is the most amazing gallery of extraordinary jigsaws! There are floor to ceiling puzzles on all walls & some free-standing models of famous worldwide buildings & scenes, even a champagne bottle with realistic contents. The latest in the collection has 53,000 pieces.

So then to Gympie for 3 nights in a comfy, recently refurbished motel. Dinner at the Gympie RSL was another opportunity for “B’s Birthday” Celebration.

Day 2 was a leisurely start for the coach to deliver us to Gympie’s old Railway Station,heritage listed. We spent 2 hours on the “Silver Bullet” (antique rail motor) tour to Dagun & return, with delish Morning High Tea, as the Mary Valley scenery drifted by. Definitely another gourmet experience.

 Returning to Gympie, we then headed east to the Coast at Rainbow Beach, where most enjoyed the walk to & on the Carlo Sand Blow -which reveals the powerful winds changing dune topography constantly.

On the return route to Gympie we made a brief stop at Sublime Farm & viewed a brilliant sunset - the perfect end to our day.

 Dinner was at Impressions Restaurant, which is in one of Gympie’s historic houses.

 Day 3 We made a morning visit to the Eumundi Markets. That found most of the group in sidewalk cafes enjoying coffee and local delights! Then it was off to the coast again, this time Elanda Point for lunch at the Habitat Complex on Lake Cootharaba, We spent several hours on a cruise, firstly across the Lake, then up the Noosa River to the “Everglades” in its upper reaches.

A sharp shower & perfect rainbow across the Lake was a fitting end to the cruise. Our “last night” dinner was at the Copperhead Restaurant in Cooroy - definitely a gourmet meal to end the Tour.

 Day 4 We were on the road before 8 a.m., heading west to Goomeri for the town’s Pumpkin Festival & its many fun & food experiences - street parade, pumpkin soup, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pie, etc.

 So then we headed down the Highways back to The Gap after 4 days with a fun-loving group who really embraced the Probus 3F motto (fun, friendship, fellowship, but we’ve added a 4th. FOOD!

 Report by Wendy Bell and Photos by Conrad Almeida, and Google