The new Noosa: The best places to eat and drink beyond Hastings Street
Noosa has a subtropical climate, making it a pleasant place to visit year-round. The region attracts two million tourists a year, with school holidays, particularly in spring and summer, drawing the largest number of visitors. For smaller crowds, consider visiting in May or June, when the days are still warm enough to swim and the evenings remain mild.
For the full Noosa experience, time your visit to coincide with the annual Noosa Eat & Drink Festival, held this year from May 29 to June 1. The four-day festival showcases the best chefs and ingredients from the region, as well as top talent from around the country. This year's program features chef's tables, long lunches, beach parties and masterclasses, held by high-profile chefs from around the country, such as Louis Tikaram, Martin Boetz, Andy Allen and MasterChef fan favourite Rose Adam, among others. View the full program at noosaeatdrink.com.au.
Noosa Eat and Drink festival highlights
On Sunday, June 1, chefs Telina Menzies (Hotel Esplanade, St Kilda), Alanna Sapwell-Stone (Eltham Hotel) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (The Ohana Group) will reimagine Australian pub classics in the laidback surrounds of Halse Lodge.
Join Matteo Galletto, chef Alberto Vitassovich and the team from Walker Seafood for a tuna-cutting ceremony at Lucio's Marina, followed by a five-course tuna tasting menu, on Thursday, May 29.
Let the food fight begin! Australia Pork will present PorkStar Live Cooking Battles on the festival's main stage on Saturday, May 31. Hosted by celebrity chef Hayden Quinn, two teams will compete to create the best dish from a mystery box of pork cuts.
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