Passion. Fervour. Commitment. Call it what you will but it is what Australian farmers have been doing since colonisation. Determination to produce the very highest quality hyper-seasonal food from the land. In a region where nature’s treasures never give up – Noosa and the Sunshine Coast enterprising newcomers and generational farmers are leading the way.
Many have learned and adapted what the traditional owners – the Gubi Gubi did here for millennia; working with the land instead of against it while adapting, mitigating, and conserving resources and producing more and more sustainably each year.
Park & Cove Noosa
Much-loved celebrity chef and local Matt Golinski started working closely with the surrounding producers before handing the baton to Chef Andrew Wilcox last year. Third-generation Noosa-born and bred Chef Wilcox and his kitchen team have assembled an outstanding collection of regional growers and artisans to fashion a new menu for Park and Cove Noosa.
With an even greater emphasis on ethical and sustainable ingredients, the exclusively-Queensland wine list and 100% Indigenously owned Jarrah Boy beer made with native ingredients add to these local heroes’ stories.
Chef Andrew Wilcox
Andy Wilcox started his food journey earlier than most working in his first kitchen at just thirteen. After completing his school-based apprenticeship and gaining more experience in Noosa restaurant kitchens he booked a one-way ticket to Melbourne and skilled up running big kitchens before the call of home grew too big to ignore.
As part of the Noosa and Sunshine Coast agri-tourism revolution, producers and chefs are making every plate more delicious. Grown with intention, each mouthful is better for you and the planet.
The growers, artisans and producers
Fruit and vegetables come from indigenous ingredient specialists Noosa Natives, strawberry farmers Cooloola Berries and local legends Noosa Reds Tomatoes. Delicious bread is supplied by Ten Acres Sourdough and pork by Piggy in the Middle. Spanner crab comes from K’gari, and oysters from Moreton Bay.
There’s more from Lindols Macadamia Farm, sweet treats from Noosa Natural Chocolate Co. and Happy Pops Noosa are joined by local gin distillery Sunshine and Sons while Kim Wallace crafts outstanding ceramics.
Peppers Resort is built for families, and the kids haven’t been forgotten with a special Little Foodies menu. There are all the favourite main courses, from fish and chips to spaghetti but they are just the opening act with Happy Pops ice creams with select-your-own toppings for dessert.
Park and Cove Noosa recycles food waste into organic fertilizers, harnesses green, renewable energy and plants trees to minimise its environmental impact and maintain a thriving local ecosystem.
Peppers Noosa Resort and Villas
The restaurant shares a particularly serene patch on the hill with Peppers Noosa Resort and Villas. The resort was designed to make the very most of its sub-tropical location and is noted for a sustainable focus on solar energy and rainwater irrigation.
There is resort accommodation with stylish and practical apartments and lavish penthouses as well as luxurious multi-level villas – all only a short stroll from the protected Noosa Main Beach and Hastings Street. The resort runs a buggy service between reception and a designated drop-off/pick-up point closer to Hastings Street. It comes in handy when you have had a big day of beach and or shopping.
Our one-bedroom apartment opened up to the Noosa National Park treetops and glimpses of blue. It’s tranquil with only birdsong cutting the air.
Fully self-contained with a good kitchenette (including a cooktop) and comfy lounge area it’s a perfect base for a couple. There’s a full laundry and bathroom with an oversized shower and a spa bath. Why is there never time for me to luxuriate in a bath? One of our fave amenities (and Australian bush-scented) Appelles skin and haircare is on hand in large pump packs.
There’s also a heated lagoon pool and lap pool. There’s a well-equipped gym and steam room and definitely make time for a Stephanies Ocean Day Spa treatment or massage.
