Yandina is one of those places that appears on a map but isn’t a
easy to get to hence despite it lying between Coolum and Noosa
tourist Mecca, the sunshine coast of queensland, many tourists
are unaware of the range of things you can do there.
The Yandina Ginger Factory(It actually takes the name Buderim, but that is fifteen kilometres away so don’t
be confused by the name) runs a thriving ginger goods production
and distribution business as well as a tourist driven side to it’s
business. There are several options to see the grounds including on foot or using a miniature custom
built train, of it’s factory and it’s extensive tropical gardens and
it has a range of fairy ground rides for kids. It also has a retail
outlet selling a large range of ginger based products and it runs
seminars which teach people how to cook using Ginger, showing newbies as well as
chefs who make a living from cooking on how to amalgamate ginger into their cuisine. Two weeks ago
the Ginger factory ran a 3 day Ginger festival marketed at the
tourists still in the area due to school holidays, it was a great success.
Every weekend Yandina plays host to an open air market, a great
place to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables if you are staying
locally in a Noosa,Coolum or Mooloolaba resort.
There are a range of other stalls but the highlight is the fruit and
veg,especially the organic version.
A few hundred metres from the markets is a particularly unique grower and retailer of intimidating wines, it is known as The Little Morgue Winery.
In 2003 the proprietor took over the building that had previously
been used as a morgue, storing dead bodies. The stained glass
windows in the cellar area are a relic of the old morgue chapel
where families would pay their last respects to a loved one.
The winery uses it’s interesting history to run Murder in the
Morgue mystery dinners and is particularly popular at Halloween.
Finger foods known as “Morgue munchies” are served daily along with a range of the home made wine
wednesday to sunday, tasting such morbid sounding varieties as
may leave you positively stiff namely Dead Smooth, RIP and Supreme after life.
The Ginger cooking school is not the only Cuisine academy in town.
The Spirit House run a very popular thai food cooking programme,
classes cost around $125 for a 5 hour class, where you will learn how
to create the old traditional but delicious fish cakes,Pork Curry Phrik King
and many other sizzling and milder dishes. It has a class on virtually
every day of the year and you will dine on what you cook during the
class washed down with complimentary wine and thai beer.
So next time you are driving on the Bruce highway and you see that
lonely sign for Yandina, think about giving it a try.