Craft Beer & Cider Festival
When I heard that the Sunny Coast was getting a new beer festival I was pretty happy. Then I heard that it was going to be ON my birthday and my excitement levels really peaked – what could be more perfect?
The Sunshine Coast has a slew of craft breweries and this festival gave me a chance to sample them all – plus a few more from around the country – in one spot.
Despite a rainy forecast, the Saturday dawned hot and sunny (possibly next time a little more shade might be required…it is HOT in Queensland at the end of November peeps!)
Gates opened at 1pm and the day promised more than 160 beers and ciders from Australia and New Zealand available for tasting and with our tiny sample pots, I am sure I made a fair dent in that number!
Local brewers represented included Eumundi Brewery, Your Mates, Moffat Beach Brewing, Bargara, Brouhaha and Buderim Ginger.
You didn’t have to worry about cash on the day which was nice. Your entry wristband could be loaded with whatever money you wanted to spend and you just scanned it at the stands around the stadium for your food and drinks. No chance of losing it and at the end of the event (which finished up at a very respectable 9pm) any unused funds on your band could be refunded to you.
If the sample pot wasn’t quite big enough for you, or you found a tipple that really took your fancy, you could purchase larger drink sizes as well.
There really was a beer, or cider, or ginger beer, for everyone. I tried everything from heavy, malty flavours to lager-style, easy drinking brews and I probably missed a few as well. A girl can only drink so much!
In addition to the many drinks on offer, there were plenty of food trucks (think mexican, donuts and kebabs!), giant TV screens (for the cricket fans…) and live music.
There was room to set up your own picnic rug on the grass or if you were lucky, grab a free hay bale to rest your weary beer-drinking feet.
This was pitched as a family-friendly event and while there was a little for the kids to do and food for them to eat – I am not sure it is the right space for children – especially later in the day as a few of the beer taps ran dry and people got a little rowdy.
The icing on my birthday cake was that there was a lucky door prize and I happened to be one of the winners – definitely a first for me.
If I have one complaint, it actually started before we entered the Sunshine Coast Stadium – the queue was at least 20-25 minutes long and we had all pre-paid for our tickets and ‘express entry’. A more streamlined entry system should be looked into for future events.
Given this was the first year, there is room for growth and I will be back in 2018 to check it out all over again.
Sunshine Coast Marathon and Running Festival
I have always believed that running is a great way to explore a place and an organised running event just means you have a few extra people exploring with you.
With a little trepidation – it has been a few years since I ran anything more than 7km – I decided to enter the half marathon event on the Sunny Coast.
Taking place towards the end of August, the idea is that this is a cooler time of year to run, but coming from the south, this winter was the warmest I have ever experienced so training was a little harder and it was definitely warmer on the day than I anticipated…
One of the best things for me was that a local group – associated with radio station and event sponsor Hot 91.1 – organised a free running club 12 weeks out which ran part of the course once a week. This meant was not only was I training with other people (essential), I was also getting to know what most of the course would feel like.
Even though this would be my 5th ever half marathon, the hard work beforehand never gets any easier!
The run was certainly very picturesque – starting at the Alex Beach Surf Club just on sunrise.
For the run itself, the one and only hill is pretty much right at the start. For me this is a good thing because I can get it out of the way and the back 10km are mostly flat – and this is where I generally feel the pain.
The run takes you south at first, from Alex to Mooloolaba along the beachfront before heading back north and along the South Maroochy River.
The beach and river front streets are closed for the duration of the event so runners have plenty of room to move.
Given the hotter day, I stopped at more of the drink stations than I have in the past and I was very grateful for the frequent hydration options.
To be honest, twenty one kilometres is a long way. Running that far requires patience and persistence. There's a lot of time to talk to yourself - in your head, not out loud because that would make you look like a crazy person, plus you want to make sure you are breathing properly. But that’s the good thing about an event like this, there are hundreds of other people right there doing the same thing and people on the sidelines cheering you on. The atmosphere definitely helps you get to the finish line.
Once over the finish line, my friends and I celebrated our achievement with something cold and bubbly - it is tradition after all!
I was definitely not in the running, but 2017 saw Australia’s fastest male and female distance runners will not only vie for line honours at this year’s 7 Sunshine Coast Marathon, but a $25,000 pay day if they break the country’s long-standing half marathon record in the Red Hot Half.
The event just gets bigger and better every year and if 21.1km is too overwhelming for you, there are five distances to choose from including 2km, 5km, 10km, 21.1km half marathon or challenge yourself to the full 42.2km marathon.
Deep Sea Fishing
Given that my man has a thing for fishing, it was inevitable that we would head out on a deep sea fishing adventure sooner or later.
After a bit if Internet research, we headed out one sunny Monday on board Wild Thing with Noosa Charters after an early drive to get there.
On the day we headed out, there were only a couple of other keen anglers which meant there was heaps of room – something I need so I don’t tangle my line with anyone else’s!
We picked a full 9-hour trip because, according to people who love to fish, the time really flies and I can honestly say it did.
As we sped out of Noosa Heads, a whale sighting was a good omen for fish-catching…
We bounced along for a bit and enjoyed some cheese and bacon pull apart before dropping some lines on an offshore reef somewhere along the Noosa North Shore. Almost immediately, small, but pretty, red emperor were being bought on board the boat.
The crew have obviously been fishing around here for a while, because not only do they know where to fish, they can tell almost at a glance if the catch is a legal keeping size.
I couldn’t keep up with everything being hauled in which made for a pretty exciting experience.
I did stop my own fishing when someone else managed to snag an octopus who was sent on his way as soon as he was free of the line and hook.
When the frenzy died down, it was rods away and up with the anchor to find a new spot where the fish were biting.
Aside from the red emperor, moses perch were being caught left, right and centre.
On our way north toward Double Island Point, we headed out into much deeper water – up to 60 metres – to try and catch something much bigger. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day for it.
After a late lunch of ham and salad rolls and some chips, - all supplied - we were losing some daylight so the trip back to Noosa was swift but entertaining as we bounced along and even saw some more whales.
Nine hours really did fly by and the final moments of the trip were exciting as we crossed the Noosa bar at almost low tide – something only for the experienced boat captain to attempt.
The sun was setting as we pulled back into the pier and took our weary bodies home – along with a few fish to have for dinner of course!
Grapest 5km, Ocean View Estates
There is something about a fun run and a couple of drinks that just go together for me. It must be that wine is the perfect reward for vigorous exercise!
Enter the Grapest 5km - only the best idea ever.
The Grapest 5K Run is an event combining a jog through a picturesque vineyard setting, followed by wine tasting – and this year it took place between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast at Ocean View Estates.
The drive took me just over an hour and the second half was actually a scenic Saturday trip through winding country roads before arriving at the vineyard – complete with a dozen horses out front.
I was pretty early so I had time to stroll around and take in the beautiful views and snap a few pics at the photo booth the event organisers had set up.
Around 3pm (start times seemed pretty flexible…) everyone bunched up at the start line for what turned out to actually be a pretty challenging 5km. Vineyards are FULL of hills and uneven ground, especially when you are literally running in between the vines.
Luckily, this was most definitely a fun run and people weren’t taking it too seriously and happy to walk whenever it suited.
Once the running part was over, you collected your medal – complete with a wine stopper – and wine cup with a lanyard before strolling to the first of four wine tasting stations on the 1km walk back to the start.
Each tasting station had two wines to sample so you won’t go thirsty but they were also handing out bottles of water at the finish line, so that helped.
Okay, so you don’t actually have to do the first 5km run at all; you can be a total slacker and simply stroll through the stunning vineyard and sample wines as you go – but then, would you have earned it?
Once the tastings were done, you could buy more wine or grab something to eat from the special event menu running out of the vineyard kitchen before settling in to watch the live music, making this much more than just a running event.
Given this run took place in June, packing a warm change of clothes for when the sun goes down is essential – that mountain chill was definitely in the air!
The event organisers realise that after all that wine, driving isn’t really a safe option, so if you planned ahead, you could glamp within the vineyard grounds for the night and make a weekend of it.
Ocean St World Festival
If there is one thing to do for this festival, it is to come hungry.
Come Easter Sunday, the entirety of Ocean Street and part of Duporth Street in Maroochydore closes to cars and fills with food stalls, live entertainment and people.
Kicking off at 10am and running right through to 10pm, this is the perfect spot for an epic Sunday Session.
2017 was the 6th year for this free festival and it was epic.
You won't know where to start with the all the enticing smells coming from every angle.
Featuring food from all over the world, I spent hours tasting empanadas and dumplings and everything in between. I even made room a little later for some spicy wings, washed down by a nice fruity drink in a reusable cup.
It really is a culinary journey around the world.
To distract from my ever-growing stomach, you can watch acts ranging from fifteen to forty-five minutes including Bellydancing, Tonga, Samba, Salsa, Latin and much more. We couldn't seem to escape the Brazilian dancing and music as they moved up and down the streets.
All ages were catered for so this would be a good event to bring the kids along to.
If you were keen for a spot of people watching and a beer, a couple of the restaurants set up pop-up laneway bars - some with couches - along the side of the street sponsored by the likes of Newtown brewers Young Henrys.
I will definitely be back next year - maybe after a run so I can try even more of the delicious food!
Mooloolaba Mile
My love of the ocean knows no bounds so of course the first event I took part in was an ocean swim - the Mooloolaba Mile on 5 March.
According to my sources this is one of the most popular ocean swims in Queensland and my first event struggle to park on the day somewhat proves that!
The main event is a one mile (1.6km) course at the southern end of the beach but given my complete lack of training or exercise prior to my impulsive decision to enter, this time around I opted for the half mile - just to wet my feet. There is also a 3km course for more proficient ocean fish.
The event takes up the entire morning so there is plenty of action for everyone but the beach is big enough for all so regular swimmers and sun bakers won't be too bothered.
So I donned a pink cap (I always seem to end up getting the pink ones...) and did a slow - not very Baywatch-esque run into the sea and hoped my muscles would remember how to swim for about 20 minutes.
The swim itself was great with perfect conditions, clear water and loads of that sunshine we love so much.
If you do make it into (and out of) the water, there is a complimentary event shirt that will be given as a token of gratitude for joining the swim.
This is definitely one event I will be putting on the 2018 calendar - hopefully feeling fit enough to do the full 1.6km course.