TNQ Writer
Ooray plum seasoning, smoked green papaya and monkey butter are just some of the unusual food offerings in Tropical North Queensland where a proud farming history has merged with a multicultural population to be finessed by creative chefs wanting a sea change.
Tropical North Queensland’s food story starts with the rich volcanic soils of the hinterland producing fruit, vegetables, coffee, nuts, dairy and meat, stretches to the coastal strip perfect for Asian greens and herbs plus an array of exotic fruits, while the ocean yields prawns, painted crayfish and prized fish like barramundi and coral trout. Keep heading north into Cape York Peninsula and you will discover the extensive food bowl of Lakeland where blueberries, mushrooms, and custard apples are among the diverse crops.
Cooking with Local Produce
Rusty's Market
Rusty's Market
Oaks Kitchen & Garden
Oaks Kitchen & Garden
Temple of Tastes
Temple of Tastes
Locals have been dining on low food mile produce for decades, enjoying juicy mangoes and lychees in summer, mud crabs in the cooler months, and biodynamic cheese and yoghurt year-round. Farmer’s markets have long been the local supermarket with the 50-year-old Rustys Markets now a star attraction for visitors to the city.
The vibrant restaurant, café and bar scene of Tropical North Queensland gives an enticing taste of the tropics. However, if you want to immerse yourself in the destination’s food story, travel around the region for the full tantalising mouthful.
Drive and try tropical flavours
Daintree Ice Cream Company
Daintree Ice Cream Company
Winery
Winery
Kuranda markets
Kuranda markets
With the spectacular World Heritage rainforest as a backdrop and the scenic coastal strip offering Coral Sea views, Tropical North Queensland is ideal for road trips. Taste the tropics with Kuranda and Outback Tours or follow a self-drive food trail to explore produce-driven landscapes north, south and west of the city.
Drive to attractions like Gallo Dairyland and Mungalli Creek Bio-Dynamic Dairy to sample cheese, Mt Uncle Distillery for award-winning spirits, Charley’s Chocolate Factory for a paddock to plate chocolate experience, and the Daintree Ice Cream Company for exotic fruit flavours.
Sample wines and liqueurs made from northern fruits at Shannonvale Tropical Fruit Winery, Murdering Point Winery and Golden Drop Winery. At Cape Trib Farm you can sample the likes of mangosteen and rambutan from more than 80 species growing on their property. In between the region’s farms are roadside street stalls where bargain-price bananas, limes and avocado can be purchased with gold coins.
Food gifts to take home
The Pocket El Arish
The Pocket El Arish
Skybury
Skybury
If you’re looking for Tropical North Queensland food gifts to take home, specialty stores including Scomazzon Farm Store, The Humpy, Winter & Mann, The Pocket El Arish and Jonsson’s Farm Market have an array of jams, chutneys, chocolate, cookies, freeze-dried fruit, tea and coffee.
Local coffee can be enjoyed on the farm at Skybury, Australia’s largest grower of red papaya and the country’s oldest commercial coffee plantation. Specialty grower Jack Murat and Jacques Coffee Plantation also offer coffee with farm views or stop in at Coffee Works for the bonus discovery of chocolatiers creating exquisite treats while you sip your favourite hot or cold brew.
Food experiences
Hook-A-Barra
Hook-A-Barra
Cairns Reef Fishing
Cairns Reef Fishing
Leave the car behind for a quad bike at KUR-Cow Barnwell Farm where you can explore a working cattle property before cooking different cuts of their wagyu on a charcoal Hibachi grill. Visit Hook-A-Barra for another fun food experience – catching barramundi at an aquaculture farm before enjoying a barra burger for lunch. Or head to the Great Barrier Reef with Cairns Reef Fishing and bring your catch back to the Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns for the chef to turn it into dinner.
First Nations flavours
Walkabout Cultural Tours
First Nations food experiences include joining Walkabout Cultural Tours hunting mud crab for lunch and discovering bush tucker along the coast. Mandingalbay Authentic Indigenous Tours has a Deadly After Dark Sunset Cruise with a Welcome to Country, cultural stories and locally sourced canapes before dinner at Ochre which specialises in native ingredients.
Something special
Ochre Restaurant
Ochre Restaurant
Nu Nu Restaurant
Nu Nu Restaurant
Ochre Restaurant owner and chef Craig Squire is one of the pioneers of incorporating native Australian ingredients into modern cuisine, celebrating flavours such as the rainforest fruit, Ooray plum. Like Craig, Nu Nu Restaurant co-owner and chef Nick Holloway left the city behind for the tropics to develop a unique menu celebrating seasonal tropical produce. It just may be the only place in Australia where you can try monkey butter – monkey bananas whipped into a tasty butter.
Harrisons Restaurant owner and chef Spencer Patrick is another sea changer whose resume boasts being part of the brigade who brought three-star Michelin glory to Marco Pierre White. Spencer and his wife Reina are behind the successful Taste Port Douglas, an annual four-day celebration of food each August.
Feast of the Senses in March celebrating tropical fruit and locally made produce is another key foodie event for Tropical North Queensland. In between there are a series of multicultural events including Indigenous, Greek, Japanese and the Cairns Italian Festival with stalls selling traditional food against a backdrop of culturally-inspired entertainment.
