We had a really enjoyable afternoon at The Ginger Factory on the weekend, with the annual Ginger Flower & Food Festival on. The place was full of colour from ginger flower displays and there was live music, cooking demonstrations and roving performers for entertainment.
We picked up some tips on cooking with ginger in a lesson by top chefs Michael Jenkins and Dominique Rizzo and then had ginger ice cream and ginger beer spiders - yum! I did resist the temptation to buy more ginger plants this time; I usually end up going home with at least one tucked under my arm.
The Ginger Factory, which is in Yandina, is worth visiting any time of year, even if it's just for a wander around the gardens and an ice cream. My kids love the Overboard ride and the train, and you can do a factory tour if you want to, but it's free entry if you just want to have a look around.
The annual Noosa Festival of Surfing is also coming up, from March 11 to 17. It will be six days of surfing, live music and other attractions, down on the beach at First Point, which is one of Noosa's most famous surfing spots (just around from Main Beach and Hastings Street).
I'm not a surfer but I love going along to watch - let's pray for good waves. Along with the standard surfing, they have stand-up paddle surfing, which is a huge sport here, and I imagine the beach bar will be a pretty popular spot!
It's probably a good idea to book some accommodation if you're planning to come, as the festival has become pretty popular and brings a lot of people into town. Anywhere around Hastings Street, Little Cove, Noosa Sound or Noosa Junction would be an easy walk, but there are always buses and ferries from other parts of town if you're looking for an alternative.
For more details on the events of the festival, click here to go to their website.
Images courtesy Phill Jackson Photography
Noosa Qld
If you're thinking about a trip to Coolum or Noosa, you might want to time it to catch some of the action of the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman series, which is being held here next month.
I went along last year and it's a great spectator sport (read into that what you will!) You've got beautiful beaches, high profile competitors and a great atmosphere, with everyone cheering on the beach.
The Coolum event is being held on February 12, in front of the Coolum Beach Surf Club, then the finals of the series are being held in Noosa on February 19, on Main Beach in front of the Noosa Heads Surf Club. I'm there!
Noosa Queensland, Coolum Queensland