Eumundi’s mega-market; phrasal verbs and a self-indulgent flashback; curmudgeonly customer in a continual quest for coffee; Imperial Hotel and Joe’s Waterhole; those profusely perspiring Poms who headed for the hills; Dr Seuss in Montville; Maleny, a supermarket kinda town; Yandina, home of Buderim ginger; other recommendations from Max
We arrived mid-morning on a Saturday, one of Eumundi’s two weekly market days – described as the biggest craft market in Australia. (It also has a permanent, covered market.) Our Brisbane friends Max and Trevor having entrusted us with the keys to their gorgeous Eumundi house, we had set off in good time for the market, which closes at 2pm.
“It’s a great place to use as a base for Noosa and the beaches south of there. Plus there’s the cute towns of Maleny and Montville just 30 minutes away.”
To the market of markets, to buy… a belt?
A possibly interesting fact: Eumundi means “black snake”, and may be derived from the Aboriginal word “ngumundi”.
It had been unusually cold and rainy in Brisbane, which is supposed to have dry and gloriously sunny winters, like in my hometown, Durban. Eumundi was no different – colder, if anything. One cheery stall-holder commented that everyone had arrived rugged up* at the market this morning, and by noon they were “carrying their wardrobes”. It was that sort of a day.
- As far as I can tell, the phrasal verb rug up applied to humans is peculiarly Aussie. In other parts of the English-speaking world, you are more likely to rug up a horse (using a special horse blanket) against the cold.
Self-indulgent flashback: what is a phrasal verb?
If phrasal verbs are a mystery to you (as they were to me before I was commissioned to write a grammar book about them in Singapore), here’s the cover of an edifying little tome published about 18 years ago – everything you never wanted to know about phrasal verbs. (Amazingly, it may still be purchased online, here, for a paltry $23.90. Why did I never insist on royalties?)
At the end of a trek around 1,000-odd stalls, here’s all we had to show for our efforts: a black belt for Roy and a tan one for me (leather; we’ll have none of that sanctimonious veganism – no offence!).; some lemon myrtle and ginger tea; and a bottle of honey harvested from a hive in the stall owner’s back yard. (Now if only there’d been a Zara or a Tommy Bahama, we might have done a lot better.)
Totally unnecessary was this Jorkel ice-cream (above) – especially in the middle of winter. You kid yourself you’re having something coconut-ty and therefore healthier than dairy snow-freeze. But it’s full of sugar – let’s face it. What’s more, the “corn-based” wafer sticks to your teeth like glue and tastes frankly weird. (There are things that should not be messed with, and snowfreeze in a proper cone is one of them.)
Continuing the quest for coffee
Most necessary, however, were a couple of caffeine boosts from two cafés in the middle of market territory: the first in the sunny back garden of Humdrum Espresso, and the second at Eats*.
- Eats had an interesting feature. Instead of having to queue to order, you can seat yourself at a pavement table and use a remote device contained within this napkin holder to place your order via your phone.
Unfortunately, this technological breakthrough isn’t much good for Roy – a man who requires (a) to know how many shots come in the small flat white, (b) to be shown exactly which container the barista plans on using, and (3) to convey the message that it must be not “extra-hot”, nor “extra-extra-hot, but “extra-extra-extra-hot”. Ordering in person at the counter remains the only way. (The number of extra flobs in the mug remains at the barista’s sole discretion.)
Lunch and dinner in Eumundi
Eumundi’s Imperial Hotel (now also featuring Eumundi Brewery and a Gin Room) first opened in 1911. An “integral part of the hinterland village of Eumundi”, it is definitely the liveliest spot on the high street – especially on this Saturday, when it was doing a roaring trade. (It offers a free, hour-long brewery tasting tour that sounded like fun to me. But not, alas, to Roy.)
We had lunch on the dappled terrace, to the strains of a laid-back jazz duo. Our order was: a beer and the lamb and haloumi tacos for me; and water with the haloumi salad for the virtuous Roy.
For dinner, it was Joe’s Waterhole – more-or-less “worth crossing the road for”. (We could have opted for Sala Thai, but less-than-stellar reviews put us off.)
Joe’s fare wasn’t terrible, though perhaps not the greatest selection. It was the barramundi and veggies for Roy and the pork ribs and coleslaw for me, with the unexpected pleasure of 80s music videos playing on one of the multiple TV screens.
Montville and Maleny – and Yandina
From Eumundi, it’s a pretty half-hour drive through hilly countryside, culminating in the winding Razorback Road that brings you into the hilltop retreat town of Montville. (From Brisbane, it would take an hour and 25 minutes.)
Montville has a long history of tourism, established as it was in the late 18th century to be a summer retreat for Brissy’s British settler society.
It’s interesting how 19th-century British and European expat and settlers, finding themselves in hot, humid coastal locations all over the world, would head for the hills and establish hinterland retreats where the more affluent among them could escape the heat of summer.
Just off the top of my head, while thinking of places we’ve visited, there’s Kerala’s Cochin and Munnar (the British); Vietnam’s Hanoi and Sapa (the French); and Da Lat (again the French). I’m not sure if Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands (the British, again) qualifies, but it has that feeling.
On a clear day, there would be spectacular views from Montville down over the valley and all the way to the coast – but you can’t get to the terraces of the restaurants that hog these views without “registering” your presence; and I had one of those not-infrequent moments when I didn’t want to be told what to do. So I missed out.
Instead, after enjoying the Dr Seuss exhibition and ordering a coffee at Camphor Cottage Café, we trawled half-a-dozen galleries and I finally managed to buy something – not for myself, but for daughter Blaire’s birthday. At Eumundi market, I’d fallen in love with a wind-spinner (made of 316 grade marine stainless steel, so impervious to rust) – and here it was again, at Bedlam.
Dr Seuss Art Exhibition at Camphor Cottage, Montville
Maleny, a more pragmatic town
It’s not far from Montville to Maleny – another picturesque town, but less touristy and more a place where you’d get some groceries in and have a dental check-up.
I’d been wondering where Montvilleans bought their cornflakes – unless they survive on a diet of takeaway breakfast toasties, Buderim ginger bears, artisanal gelato and single origin flat whites – but now I would guess that they do the 15-minute drive to Maleny’s IGA and Woolworths supermarkets.
Roy liked these Art Deco façades and asked me to record them for posterity. So here they are.
Yandina – the home of Buderim Ginger
Knowing my proclivity for all things ginger, Max had suggested a visit to the Ginger Factory at Yandina – self-proclaimed home of the famous Buderim ginger. Not just a factory, it’s more like a theme park dedicated to ginger, with strong nods to chocolate, too.
There’s a miniature train, an adventure ride, a live bee house and more – quite strange, when you think that most children can’t take the spiciness of ginger and will go into a tailspin at the sight of a bee.
My sugar addict persona immediately bought and devoured a packet of ginger pieces dipped in dark chocolate. The shop stocks a variety of other stuff, too, including ginger candy bears (just as bad as they sound, even for a ginger freak like me); naked ginger, and ginger beer – both virgin and alcoholic.
I regretted not stocking up on the naked ginger; this is far, far nicer than what’s available in WA. After we got home, I ordered quite a lot of it from their online store. Unfortunately, the very next day I started a low-sugar regime, in an attempt to quell the sugar monster that dwells within me.
Other recommendations
We didn’t get to them, but here are a few more of Max’s recommendations:
Cooroy is another nice little town, she said – an arty-farty place with an unusual little butter factory. (Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre, 11A Maple Street, Cooroy.)
Mooloolaba has a beautiful beach with a surf club and a seafood bar. It was recently voted Oz’s sixth-best beach on TripAdvisor.
The Glasshouse Mountains National Park (57km and 37 minutes from Eumundi) has interesting geography featuring intrusive plugs, remnants of volcanic activity that occurred 25 to 27 million years ago. First sighted and named by Captain Cook.
The Mary Valley Rattler: a heritage railway line that conducts steam train trips and tours from Gympie through the Mary Valley using the former Mary Valley railway line. Managed by a not-for-profit organisation. Gympie is 50km roughly northwest of Eumundi – a half-hour drive. It’s best to prebook, said Max. But the train only runs on Sundays and Wednesdays, departing at 10am, and by the time I checked it was too late.
Next up is Noosa and the Sunshine Coast!
Love the Eumundi Markets, always call in there when I am in the Sunny Coast. Enjoy
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