Huon Tasmania display
We have spent several days now exploring Mooloolaba, Maroochydore and Cotton Tree. It is a very pretty place with golden beaches and all the trappings of holiday culture. Nice to be part of for a while. The most interesting thing we have done in the last few days was take the bus to Noosa to visit the Wine and Food Festival. It took just over an hour to travel north along the coast enjoying the great views that you can only get from the height of a bus. Noosa National Park looked inviting as we drove past and we had already decided to explore this later.
Having decided to pay the $40 entry fee each Peter and I set about enjoying ourselves. We were there early and many stalls were not yet open. Fortunately for us we discovered a large marquee set up with many small traders advertising their wares and supplying free samples. Being early we were able to partake without the crush of the general public. It must have taken us an hour to taste and talk to stall holders and by the time we had finished the marquee was becoming very crowded. I had my first ever taste of caviar - I now know why I haven't partaken before. It wasn't impressive, but the smoked salmon dip was divine. During our hour we tasted all manner of cheese, meat products, fruit and vegetable dishes, condiments, herb infused olive oils and numerous other tasty treats, from as far away as Tasmania, Yarra Valley and the Barossa. Having filled up on all these tasty delights we finished off with a cup of coffee. Later on in the day I paid for my indulgence by having to endure a period of queasy tummy.
We moved on to a smaller marquee set up as a forum for guest speakers and panels to discuss various issues relating to food and food production. When we arrived the panel was discussing food in the future including directions in genetically modified food, world food security etc. Near the door was a couple of young people offering 'future food' samples for tasting - meal worms and crickets. Normally I would not have entertained the idea of eating either of these, but maybe the caviar had me thinking things could only improve from there. Meal worms are OK, crispy and crunchy. The crickets were interesting, not unlike munching on a very small bundle of sticks. Both could make a good substitute for potato crisps.
The wine part of the festival
By this time we had had enough. The place was becoming very crowded and due to copious quantities of rain recently, the grounds were turning into a quagmire. Time to walk off all the rich food we had sampled by taking a hike through the Noosa National Park. The surf was up, the sun shining and being a Saturday people were everywhere. We walked around the coast to Hells Gates at Noosa Head. It is easy to see why people flock to this part of the coast. It is very beautiful.
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