Farm gate is best! Or so we found on our trip to Cooloola Berries at Wolvi, near Gympie and the Noosa hinterland.
Friends were given a Cooloola Berries voucher for a present – and invited us along, to something I wanted to try for a long time – Paella Sundays!
We were greeted with generous platefuls, reasonable prices and enticing desserts. The strawberry ice cream is divine. The premises is licensed, and lends itself to long lunches and grazing on the picnic rugs listening to Sunday’s live music.
Owner Jason Lewis gave us a tour – they sell other local produce for farmers, have an air-conditioned function room popular with tours, a larger ‘packing shed’ room which is a great space for weddings, a long ‘al fresco’ covered area for dining as well as picnic tables with umbrellas. Plans are in place so couples can have wedding ceremonies on-site as well.
Jason pointed out the strawberry and blueberry fields, where you can pick-your-own and the fragrant lavender was right next to the cafe.
It has been a really tough year for Jason and his wife Kim, last October a hailstorm destroyed up to 900kg of strawberries, worth about $20 000. Lack of rain means the strawberry season will finish before December, unless more rain comes. In spite of the weather, some days they have 300 customers through the door.
There’s a fabulous grassy play area for the kids to run around in, whilst you relax.
Open 7 days, 8am-5pm. And a bonus for us RV travellers, there is a budget camp next door – called Wolvi Grove. A gate links the two properties for easy access.
I’d like to come back for the Sunday vibes again, and try a burger – they looked fantastic!
