Lunch Magazine » Queensland http://www.lunchmag.com The best ideas come from Lunch Mon, 03 Jun 2013 01:26:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Whitehaven Beach among world’s best http://www.lunchmag.com/whitehaven-beach-amongst-worlds-best/ http://www.lunchmag.com/whitehaven-beach-amongst-worlds-best/#comments Tue, 05 Mar 2013 07:21:51 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=8312 Whitehaven Beach in Queensland's Whitsunday Islands has been named among the world's best beaches yet again, with Trip Advisor's Traveller's Choice awards naming it number three in the world.

A seven-kilometre strip of stunning white silica sand, Whitehaven Beach is only accessible by boat or light aircraft. Its pure, pristine natural beauty sees Whitehaven regularly crowned one of the world's best beaches. 


Italy's Rabbit Beach in Lampedusa came in at number one, followed by Grace Beach in Providenciales, an island among the Turks and Caicos Islands

At last month's Australian Tourism Awards the Whitsundays was also recognised as providing the best caravan and camping accommodation and best tour and business events. Queensland won five gold awards in total, three of which marking tourism in the Whitsundays.

 


www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au 

 

]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/whitehaven-beach-amongst-worlds-best/feed/ 0 Culinary stars on the Sunshine Coast http://www.lunchmag.com/culinary-stars-on-the-sunshine-coast/ http://www.lunchmag.com/culinary-stars-on-the-sunshine-coast/#comments Fri, 16 Nov 2012 01:06:47 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=7632  

The Noosa International Food and Wine Festival is set to start the new year off with a bang, with an impressive line-up of culinary stars for their tenth anniversary event.

Ten illustrious chefs including Mark Best, from Sydney’s award-winning Marque Restaurant; Carlo Cracco, two- star Michelin chef from Milan's Ristorante Cracco; Peter Gilmore from Sydney’s famed Quay restaurant; Ben Shewry from Melbourne’s Attic; and Tetsuya Wakuda, with award-winning restaurants in Sydney and Singapore; will come together to entice festival-goers with a series of presentations, talks and cooking demonstrations throughout the 2013 event. 

Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, Jann Stuckey, welcomed the culinary masters to Queensland. 

“The Noosa International Food and Wine Festival continues to offer visitors to the Sunshine Coast a superior culinary experience in one of Queensland’s most iconic tourism destinations." 

“It is with great pride we welcome such an impressive selection of highly-acclaimed interstate and international chefs to Queensland.”

The festival will offer opportunities to mingle with the globally acclaimed stars, commencing with a 10th Anniversary Opening Night Celebration where all ten chefs will feature in a gala concert of ‘edible music’ and guests can eat their way through a sensory feast of gastronomic and music delights. 

 

Noosa International Food and Wine Festival, 16-19 May 2013

Tickets on sale from 14 January 2013.

www.noosafoodandwine.com.au

 

]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/culinary-stars-on-the-sunshine-coast/feed/ 0 Canapés under the canopy http://www.lunchmag.com/canapes-under-the-canopy/ http://www.lunchmag.com/canapes-under-the-canopy/#comments Mon, 05 Nov 2012 02:01:13 +0000 mark http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=7444  

By a special Lunch Correspondent
 
“Ssssss,’’ The cool water hisses and bubbles as it hits my sizzling skin. I’ve just completed a gruelling 18-minute walk through the rainforest to a magical place of bubbling waters, singing rapids and waterfalls large and small a trifle north of Silky Oaks Lodge, Mossman, The Daintree Queensland, Australia. 
 
Ignoring all advice I had set off on the trek in my flip flops. Fortunately I’m still in reasonable shape and make the trip with only minor injuries and now I ease my tired sore carcass into the mere. 
 

The sky is blue, the forest steamy and seer. The freshwater spray from a nearby waterfall overpowers the jungle’s fecundity. I can think of few more pleasurable things than walking out of a rainforest track, stripping off sweaty clothes and easing myself into the cool waters.
 
The creek is fed by an ancient fossil aquifer locals say stretches up to Papua New Guinea. It takes 1000 years for this billion year old pure flow to make it to Queensland.
 
This is how it works: swim up the side of the creek (so you're out of the flow), then balance yourself precariously on a rock and throw yourself into the middle of the maelstrom.
The creek whisks you down for 50m or so. Repeat til it's time to throw yourself panting, face down on a warm smooth rock..
  
Back to the Lodge. I don’t want to wax too lyrical about Silky Oaks Lodge. Except to say that a muted sibilance of crystal waters gently gliding over smooth stones creates a muted sibilant madrigal that surrounds and enfolds a place of beauty, calm and couth.
 
As I contemplate the aural, visual and olfactory gestalt that is Silky Oaks Lodge, I rub my chin, as men are wont to do on vacation and haven't shaved for a day or two, and say: “Soothly, darling it’s like totally time for a glass of champagne, a steak and a bottle of red. Whaddayareggon?''
 
As we walk across suspended walkways from our treehouse to the restaurant, which is also cradled high above the river, I am taken once more by what owners Paul and Barbara Van Min have achieved with this place, which, (as you can see from my ramblings above) is difficult to do true justice in prose. 
 
You can see it in the photos with this story, but you're on the inside, not looking at its glowing warmth from the opposite bank, which it manages to do while blending in with the environment like an Ewok's lair. You perambulate around the lodge on suspension bridges which carry you over ancient creek beds, at night they are soflty lit and the stars just visible through the canopy overhead.

Although the fantasy setting, accommodation, climate and bubbling brooks is reason enough to go to Silky Oaks lodge, you would probably dine in its restaurant no matter where it was – a jail cell on Pluto perhaps.

And there's nothing like fresh air, perhaps just a little bit too much to drink and a midnight disportation by the billabong after a nightswim to build up an appetite for food, among other things.
 
I break my fast with sausages, bacon and eggs with this and that on the side in the sun-dappled dining treehouse and then hit the chowline for fresh sliced mango and other tropical delights and a tonne of fruit juice.
 
After breakfast it's a choice between a lie in the hammock on the deck to build up my strength for luncheon or a rainforest walk. I'll let you guess which one I picked.
 
Lunch is sesame-crusted reef mahi mahi on an Asian vegetable and green tea noodle salad with spicy mango dressing. Its sweet piquancy is matched perfectly with a NSW semillon.
The wait for dinner is almost too long. I trip coming up the stairs, such is my eagerness to come to grips with chef  Laurent Pedemay's next revelation.
 
Dinner. The starter is a seafood risotto – brimming with crustaceans recently pulled from the nearby ocean. The entree's saffron and lemon notes go rather nicely with gallon after gallon of Moet. 
 
Then twice-cooked Thai glazed Pork Belly on an Asian herb and vegetable salad with a soy and sesame dressing, juicy, smooth and luscious, along with a big Australian red.
 
I glance down – but hist! There's something in my wine –  I look closer, thinking some jungle critter is using my goblet for a night swim … but it's only the Moon, reflected back at me. floating in the Australian red's silky oakiness.
 
What a place. 
 
 
Silky Oaks Lodge
 
Finlayvale Road,  Mossman, Queensland
 
Australia
 
+61 7 4098 1666 (resort reception)
 
 
 
 
 
]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/canapes-under-the-canopy/feed/ 0 Superyachts on reef call http://www.lunchmag.com/superyachts-on-reef-call/ http://www.lunchmag.com/superyachts-on-reef-call/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2012 01:55:13 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=6750

Making waves... superyachts on the reef

Superyacht Australia will now have a greater voice when it comes to protecting the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.

 

A key issue for the organisation is the ability for superyachts to cruise through the World Heritage listed zone.

 

Superyacht Australia CEO, MaryAnne Edwards, stated “Superyacht Australia has made huge inroads to ensuring they are acknowledged as a key stakeholder that has an interest in the Great Barrier Reef”.

 

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks Authority is conducting a strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the nearby coastal zone.

 

The goal is to ensure the World heritage values of the Great Barrier Reef are protected while creating a long term plan for sustainable development in the region.

 

Superyacht Australia will have a representative at the strategic assessment workshops to ensure the voice of the superyacht sector is heard.

 

The Great Barrier Reef continues to be a major attraction and an iconic destination for visiting superyachts.

 

Currently Superyacht Australia is working with industry to further develop cruising itineraries for the Great Barrier Reef that meets the needs of visiting superyachts.

 

www.superyacht-australia.com

 

www.tq.com.au

 

]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/superyachts-on-reef-call/feed/ 0 Get ‘mugged’ in Queensland http://www.lunchmag.com/get-mugged-in-queensland/ http://www.lunchmag.com/get-mugged-in-queensland/#comments Thu, 30 Aug 2012 14:10:40 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=6590 The whale-watching season is in full swing in Hervey Bay, along the Queensland coast, with daily ‘muggings’ from pods of humpbacks. 

A mugging happens when the inquisitive humpbacks come in close for a better look, often spending hours at a time circling a boat and playing up to visitors.



Founder of the Pacific Whale Foundation, Greg Kaufman, says “these ‘muggings’ are very unusual and have made whale watching in Hervey Bay legendary”. 



Kaufman has been conducting vital research in Hervey Bay for more than two decades and said the area is the only place in the world where humpbacks consistently approach vessels.



“The curious humpbacks of Hervey Bay provide some of the most unusual and prolonged encounters with humans,” he said.



Whale watching in Hervey Bay is not just a one-off experience either, with three distinct seasons during the migration.



“Hervey Bay is a preferred area for yearlings and sub-adult (sexually immature whales), followed by mature females in late August, and then we begin to see mothers with newborn calves in September and October,” says Kaufman. 



By mid-September the mature males have found the bay, and the waters come alive with their haunting songs.


“The arrival of the males also means increased activity with males competing with one another for access to females.”


“This means more aerial movement such as breaching and many head, tail and flipper displays.”

www.tq.com.au 

]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/get-mugged-in-queensland/feed/ 0 ‘Smoasting’: The new travel trend on the rise in Queensland http://www.lunchmag.com/%e2%80%98smoasting%e2%80%99-the-new-travel-trend-on-the-rise-in-queensland/ http://www.lunchmag.com/%e2%80%98smoasting%e2%80%99-the-new-travel-trend-on-the-rise-in-queensland/#comments Fri, 17 Aug 2012 07:30:05 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=6456 Last week Miranda Kerr tweeted a ‘selfie’ from Hamilton Island to her 1.1 million followers, joining a growing list of ‘smoasters’ – social media boasters – who love Queensland.



A selfie – taking a photo of yourself – while on a beautiful beach or under a rainforest waterfall has become the modern day postcard.



Most Aussies, it seems, are prolific photo posters, uploading 136 million photos to Facebook each month.



But it’s not only Australians who love to ‘smoast’.



Research from UK company T-Mobile suggests that there are a growing number of British travellers using social media to share and brag about their getaways.



Three in five Brits smoast while on holiday, four in ten log onto Facebook and Twitter at least once a day while overseas, and almost half will only tag themselves on a holiday photo if the location is glamorous and makes them look good.



And with 200,000 Poms visiting Queensland in the last year, that’s a lot of smoasting back to the Motherland.



Tourism Queensland Digital Marketing Director Chris Chambers said plenty of research existed to indicate travellers were sharing their experiences on social media during a holiday.



“With the use of smartphones, tablets and free WiFi, travellers are snapping themselves silly and sharing everything from their breakfast to the view from their hotel,” Mr Chambers said.



Research shows that 85 per cent of leisure travellers use their smartphone while abroad and taking photos is in the top five uses of the device while on holiday.



Queensland is also home to five of the top ten most ‘checked-in’ places in Australia, which include Brisbane Airport, Gold Coast Airport, Surfers Paradise, Suncorp Stadium and Movie World.





Mr Chambers said that many potential travellers were making decisions about their next holiday based on their friends’ social media activity.

http://tq.com.au/index.cfm

 

 

]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/%e2%80%98smoasting%e2%80%99-the-new-travel-trend-on-the-rise-in-queensland/feed/ 0 Total eclipse of the Tropical North http://www.lunchmag.com/total-eclipse-of-the-tropical-north/ http://www.lunchmag.com/total-eclipse-of-the-tropical-north/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:00:53 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=4744

What are you waiting for ... run to Tropical North Queensland

You don't have to be a Twi-hard to experience your own Breaking Dawn. In nine months to the day Tropical North Queensland will be the only place in the world to experience the earth's total solar eclipse.

When dawn breaks across Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef on November 14, the early bird call will be replaced by an eerie silence. The temperature will drop as the moon passes across the sun, plunging the tropics into darkness.

It may only last for two minutes but 40,000 visitors are expected to flock to the region for this celestial experience.

Beginning at 6:37am in Darwin, the solar eclipse shadow will sweep across the Gulf of Carpenteria and Cape York, before the central line crosses directly over Port Douglas's Oak Beach, the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea at 6:39am.

The eclipse will be visible from Innisfail to Cooktown and inland to the Atherton Tablelands, with the best vantage points stretching across Cairns, Port Douglas and Mossman.

A series of major events are set to coincide with the eclipse, including a marathon and family-oriented event at Port Douglas, an indigenous festival at a yet-to-be announced venue and a six-day electronic music and lifestyle festival about three hours northwest of Cairns.

The Solar Eclipse Marathon in Port Douglas will see 2000 runners meeting before sunrise at 5.35am on Four Mile Beach to start their 42km run as soon as the corona is broken by the sun re-emerging from behind the moon.

For more information about Solar Eclipse 2012 go to www.eclipse2012.org.au

Looking for more heavenly holidays?

Go on an astronomical journey at the Cosmos Centre in Charleville. Ooh and aah over the incredible beauty of the Milky Way Galaxy through powerful telescopes as you look up at the spectacularly clear outback sky.
www.cosmoscentre.com

There are a lot of bush yarns in Outback Queensland, but the people of Boulia reckon the pick of the bunch are the ones about the mysterious Min Min Light. To preserve the history and myths, the Min Min Encounter Complex is a theatrical experience, introducing you to characters like Gunna and Bluey who have 'seen the light'.
www.boulia.qld.gov.au

 

Experience the dazzling natural phenomenon of the summer solstice in the Capricorn Caves each December and early January. Due to the alignment of the sun over the Tropic of Capricorn, brilliant direct sunlight penetrates the darkness of the Belfry Cave at midday creating a mirror ball effect.
www.capricorncaves.com.au
 

Go stargazing at the Maidenwell Astronomical Observatory, east of the Bunya Mountains. With no light pollution from streetlights to interfere, the night sky lights up with stars, moon, planets and constellations, viewed clear and crisp in the observatory's telescopes.
www.starsabove.com.au

 

]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/total-eclipse-of-the-tropical-north/feed/ 0 World ending in 2012? Kick your bucket list off in Queensland http://www.lunchmag.com/kick-it-in-queensland/ http://www.lunchmag.com/kick-it-in-queensland/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:26:01 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=4094 According to the Mayan Calendar and Hollywood's most fantastical reveries the end of the world is nigh. 

Hence, there's no time like the present to compile one's very own Bucket List. If you're considering where one might potentially live out those final apocalyptic days, the pine-mango flavoured tropical climes of Queensland are an attractive option. It's a place where you can achieve personal goals, give back to the environment, and splurge like a rock-star until you finally feel you have experienced the depth and breadth of humanity. Whether or not the human race will make it past 2012, here are a few ideas to get you kicking in Queensland before you hit that proverbial bucket: 

1. Eat a Curry Camel Pie from the Birdsville Bakery

It’s a long way to the shop if you want a sausage roll, but it’s worth the trip! If you haven't been outback before, don’t miss all the action of the 130th anniversary of the iconic Birdsville Races this August. Of course, no trip to Birdsville would be complete without tucking into a Curry Camel Pie from the Birdsville Bakery.
www.birdsvillebakery.com

2. Compete in the Gold Coast Marathon

Forget freezing in New York, or jostling for space in Paris – Achieve a huge goal closer to home and run the picturesque coastline course of the Gold Coast Marathon.
www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au

3. Go wine tasting like a rock star
There’s simply no better way to get acquainted with Queensland’s burgeoning wine scene than with a wine tasting tour with Pterodactyl Helicopters. Enjoy picturesque views of the Fassifern Valley as you chopper between some of South East Queensland’s best boutique wineries for tastings and lunch.
www.pterodactylhelicopters.com.au

4. Become a whale researcher in Hervey Bay
Wally and Trish Franklin from The Oceania Project know whales. They’ve been conducting their research trips in the protected waters ofHevey Bay for the past 23 years and anyone can join them. This year, live and work on their research vessel Moon Dancer for a six-day stint during the whale season to be involved in vital whale research.
www.oceania.org.au

5. Catch a wave at 1770
Still a relatively 'secret spot', even amongst Queenslanders, this gorgeous beachside haven happens to be home to eastern Australia’s most-northern surf break. It also boasts one of the best beachfront camping spots on offer.
www.queenslandholidays.com.au

6. Dive the Yongala
If you haven’t got your dive licence yet, make this year the cut-off and experience one of the world’s top dive sites just off the coast ofTownsville. The S.S. Yongala sank in 1911 with the loss of all aboard creating one of Australia’s most intriguing maritime mysteries as she lay undiscovered for more than half a century.  
www.yongaladive.com.au

7. Help a just-hatched turtle make its way to sea at Mon Repos
You don't have to be a rum drinker to enjoy a trip to Bundaberg with the annual attraction of the turtle nesting and hatching at Mon Repos an affordable and must-see event for every age.
www.queensland.com/turtles

8. Go glamping on Orpheus Island
Leave the tent pitching and bush toilets behind you, and discover the world of glamping on Orpheus Island. Recently re-opened following an extensive refurbishment, this exclusive island just off the coast of Townsville provides a refreshing new option for island hoppers. New eco tents are due to open in March 2012.
www.orpheus.com.au

9. Give back to our planet with Eco-Barge in the Whitsundays
Since kicking off in 2009, Eco Barge Clean Seas Inc. has hauled more than 59,000 kilos of marine debris from the Whitsundays. Founder Libby Edge and some dedicated volunteers have been working tirelessly as guardians of our oceans to remove the threat of marine debris from turtles and other marine animals.
www.ecobargeservices.com

10. Become a Master Chef

Sign up for one of Vanilla Zulu’s six-week cooking courses to brush up on your skills in the kitchen, or lack thereof. Brisbane’s newest cooking school also offers Gluten-Free Cooking Classes and ‘Men Behaving Badly’ men’s classes. You can even bring your own wine to enjoy with your gourmet creation when you finish. 
www.vanillazulu.com.au

 

 

]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/kick-it-in-queensland/feed/ 0 Hyatt Regency Coolum gives kids a free pass http://www.lunchmag.com/hyatt-regency-coolum-gives-kids-a-free-pass/ http://www.lunchmag.com/hyatt-regency-coolum-gives-kids-a-free-pass/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:44:56 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=3632  

Hyatt Regency Coolum is offering families a generous mix of fun and luxury this summer with a great value school holiday offer.

 The resort's new Family Fun Package combines five-star accommodation with family activities and free dinners for kids, creating the perfect excuse for a pre-Christmas or post-New Year's Eve escape to Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

 Valid for stays of three nights or more, the package is priced from $A460 per night and includes accommodation for two adults and two children in a two-bedroom villa with continental breakfast daily, and free dinners for children from the kids' menus at the resort's popular Village Square.

 Plus, guests receive a free family day pass to either the nearby UnderWater World or Aussie World fun park (one per stay) and other activities including children's bicycle hire for the duration of stay, adult entry to the Spa, tennis court hire and weekday golf clinics.

 As one of Australia's favourite luxury resorts, Hyatt Regency Coolum offers a wealth of holiday enjoyment for any generation, from its Camp Hyatt kids' club to its famous Australian PGA Championship golf course.  Located among vast sub-tropical gardens beside a stretch of pristine white beach, the resort is home to an extensive range of facilities including nine swimming pools, a tennis centre, a beach club and the largest spa centre in the southern hemisphere.

 For full details and bookings contact Hyatt Regency Coolum on 1800 COOLUM

(1800 266 586) or visit coolum.regency.hyatt.com.  Quote offer code CLM017.

 

 

 

 

 

]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/hyatt-regency-coolum-gives-kids-a-free-pass/feed/ 0 Queensland’s hidden secrets revealed http://www.lunchmag.com/queenslands-hidden-secrets-revealed/ http://www.lunchmag.com/queenslands-hidden-secrets-revealed/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:36:40 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=3041 Download the hidden secrets handbook here

The Hidden Secrets Handbook takes you to the heart of what makes Tropical North Queensland so special.

With two World Heritage areas side by side, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree rainforest, Tropical North Queensland truly is Adventurous by nature.

More than 600 tours depart daily, matching superior natural encounters with spectacular tropical landscapes.

Dive the depths of the Great Barrier Reef, soar above the world’s oldest rainforest, discover the accessible Outback, experience Indigenous culture and encounter wildlife. Test your nerve rafting a rainforest river, explore the flavours of the tropics, lose yourself in an island daydream and follow the footsteps of explorers in the wilderness.

Download the hidden secrets handbook here

 

Wallaman falls, Tropical North Queensland

 

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