So we’re allowed to venture up to 150 kilometres away but we live on the Gold Coast so we already live in paradise. We’re also very keen for an adventure and to see something a little bit different than what we’ve been looking at for the past two months. What are we to do?

How about a little day trip (or spend the whole weekend if you wish) to Mount Tamborine? An absolutely stunning spot that’s only about 45 minutes away and offers more good times than you can probably jam into just one day honestly.

Let’s discuss. The drive itself is lovely and relaxing, winding up the mountain into the lush greenery and watching the city recede behind you. Once there, you’ll find yourself in a sweet little mountaintop village, surrounded by rainforest and on chillier days, with a low fog descending from above.

Now there are so many things to do once you get there, starting with tea and scones obviously. The Gallery Café has long been a favourite with an impressive array of teas (we’re quite partial to the Devonshire variety) plus of course, some warm, fluffy, freshly baked scones to kick things off. If it’s a bit on the nippy side up there, you can snuggle by the fireplace and not even venture outside.

You should though because you’re next stop is one of the many rainforest walks around the place including the Curtis Falls Walk (a fave) which yes has a waterfall at the end and is just a little 2km round trip. The Sandy Creek Circuit is also a beauty with views out over the Scenic Rim and also at a not-too-taxing 2.6km round trip.

Once you’ve sweated a bit, pop over to Lemon Lovers Gelato (across the road from the entrance to Curtis Falls) for a refreshing treat – they have over 20 flavours to choose from – and if you’re in a treat yo’self mood, Australian Outback Opals is right there filled with sparkly goodies too. How good are opals.

Right, so now you might like to wander up and down The Gallery Walk in the village, there are lots of quirky shops to peek into including fashion, jewellery, arts and crafts, produce, cellar door outlets, chocolate, fudge and cafes. All the best things.

One absolute must-visit is Granny Mac’s Famous Fudges because not only can you take home some of the yummiest fudge in the world, in pretty much any flavour you can think of, you can also stock up on an array of your favourite lollies (including some you forgot existed) for the trip home.

For a late lunch you need to head to Cedar Creek Estate where you can grab a picnic basket and set up on the lawn. For just $85, you’ll get an antipasto plate, a cheese plate, salads and warm dishes, muffins and chocolate and a basket and throw rug that you can take home. Enjoy all that while overlooking the stunning surrounds and that’s pretty much the most relaxing time there is.

Once you’re done there, head to Fortitude Brewing for some locally brewed, takeaway beers to enjoy once you get back home and right next door you’ll find Witches Chase Cheese who offer a huge variety of delicious goodness (including French and Italian flavours) you’ll absolutely want to stock up on. If wine is more your thing, pop over to Witches Falls Winery to grab a few bottles to take home.

Hopefully you went on a big enough stroll to not feel too full because that’s a lot of eating and drinking. Our fave. Finish the day off by watching one of the most magical sunsets you’ll ever see from Rotary Lookout. Perfection

Of course you can stay overnight on Mount Tamborine and find plenty more fun things to fill your time but well worth a day trip if that’s all you have.

Happy getting away from home for a bit.

Words by Kirra Smith

Every January the Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG) bestows upon us its much anticipated Chef Hat Awards, a discerning and definitive ranking of culinary excellence. Aka, the foodie holy grail. For hardcore dining devotees, it feels a lot like Christmas morning. Our very own cheat sheet to work our way, hungry caterpillar style, around the most esteemed and decorated local destinations.

It leaves us with a lot to unpack and, in the case of our neighbouring Northern Rivers hat recipients, plenty of reasons to pack… our appetites and venture south, post-haste. Here are 9 of this year’s most road trip worthy restaurants.

Pipit
Founded by former Paper Daisy chef, Pipit owner Ben Devlin is no stranger to the art of crafting exquisite eats – nor has he pulled any punches when it comes to his first solo venture. And AGFG clearly agrees, with Pottsville’s Coronation Avenue darling taking out the coveted top spot among this year’s most noteworthy Northern Rivers Hat recipients.

Pipit’s near-perfect 17/20 score (an elusive 20/20 has never been seen in the award’s history) immediately propels it to pole position on the day trip priority list in our books, and also according to the AGFG ‘worth a detour’ designation.

Set aside a few hours and treat yourself to the revelatory set menu dining experience, a curated sequence of flavours, textures and ideas spanning over several hours, one which Ben likens to ‘a day trip around the Northern Rivers’ in and of itself.
Where: 8 Coronation Avenue, Pottsville

Paper Daisy
Halcyon House’s beloved Paper Daisy of course also earned itself a nod, with an honourable 14. The esteemed and elegant eatery, sitting pretty against Cabarita Beach’s stunning shores – is mostly reserved for sandy-footed in-house guests, but it’s not all bad news for locals.

If you’ve got an arvo to kill, we’re all invited to see what the fuss is about courtesy of the bar, open from 3pm, or for dinner. Led by Jason Barratt, the kitchen shoots for ‘sophisticated simplicity’, where you can expect to delight in inventive and delectable dishes like Toasted macadamia kangaroo tartare or Riverina lamb rump, served with eggplant, green mango.

We’d recommend packing your appetite (and your towel, because, y’know, Caba #phwoar).
Where: 21 Cypress Cres, Cabarita Beach

Rae’s Dining Room
Byron Bay institution, Raes on Wategos came in a close second, with a stellar score of 16, with the astute AGFG gang deeming it to be (very) ‘worth a detour’ – and yes, we did take some liberties with the parenthesis.

The chic, boutique retreat, an icon set amongst Byron’s idyllic beaches, delivers a fine dining experience in its Dining Room, headed by Executive Chef Jason Saxby. A culinary showcase of the region, curated with Mediterranean influences, the menu offers Caviar service, 3-course a la carte and 6-course Tasting Menu options.

A word of warning, though – after tasting dishes like Australian Bay Lobster (bug), glazed in fermented chilli, hand-rolled fregola pasta, and the Lemon Meringue Bombe, served with lemon aspen sorbet and lemon myrtle semifreddo, you might just want to move in.
Where: 6 – 8 Marine Parade, Byron Bay

Tweed River House
Murwillumbah’s aptly named Tweed River House, perched just a stone’s throw from its banks, also scored a hat – earning a rating of 14 for its gastronomic bistro and bar experience.

The venue, housed in a spruced up, century-old colonial-style mansion – offers a panoramic river vantage flanked by wraparound verandas, and elevated eats to match.

The luxurious and immaculately appointed interiors alone make it worth filling your tank, but decadent dishes like Confit tuna, brandy flambéd Australian Bay Lobster and pan-fried Spatchcock, served with Lyonnaise sauce certainly sweeten the deal.
Where: 131 River St, South Murwillumbah

Bistro Livi
Another noshery deemed to be one of the best in the Northern Rivers Restaurant category is Murwillumbah’s Bistro Livi, scoring the prestigious hat accolade with its total of 14.

A short 30km trek from Cooly and one of the fresher faces among its culinary cohort – if you’re yet to be acquainted with Livi, it’s an easy one to tick off the list when you’re looking for a low effort adventure snap you out of the Sunday lazies (or scaries).

Tucked within the arts precinct of the tight-knit Murbah community – the European-inspired venue radiates romance with rustic textures and an inviting, intimate ambience, while Spanish influences inform the menu. It’s certainly not just the AGFG critics that this regional gem has succeeded in winning over… #swoon.
Where: 1A 1-3 Brisbane St, Murwillumbah

Mavis Kitchen
Nestled in the foothills of Mt Warning, Mavis Kitchen & Cabins is a Tweed Valley culinary treasure, offering Modern Australian cuisine with a Middle-Eastern twist.

Set in an immaculately restored 120-year-old Queenslander and owned by Tindal Magnus and Sam McCormac – Mavis is the culinary pot of gold that awaits on the other side of a meandering day trip through the postcard-esque rolling hills of Wollumbin National Park.

Equally swoon-worthy are the signature bites, such as Grilled Kangaroo Loin and Tender Chickpea Gnocchi, crafted with love, and scoring the spot a commendable ranking of 12.
Where: 64 Mount Warning Road, Uki

Potager
Capitalising on Carool’s sweeping valley views, Potager – A Kitchen Garden has long been a favourite destination among locals and discerning visitors. The charming nosher is also somewhat of a teacher’s pet, earning a score of 13 for its Modern Australian style eats in this year’s Chef Hat Awards – along with a near-perfect 4.8 score on Google, might we add… and honestly, we’re not sure which is harder to pull off.

Set on a small 10-acre farm, the seasonal menu is informed by locally sourced produce, much of which is grown on the property. Dishes like the Macadamia & saltbush crusted Lamb backstrap, served with Stone & Wood pickled onion, are a testament to the community-minded culinary experience, while the Summer Stonefruit “Melba” Pavlova gets a mention, because #yum.
Where: 502 Carool Rd, Carool

Fins
Another ‘big fish’ in the Northern Rivers end of town, is Kingscliff’s seafoodie haven, Fins, which also earned another honorary hat for its rack with a ‘commended’ rating of 13.

Located by the beach at Salt, the Tweed Valley institution has been going strong for some 30 years now, netting a slew of awards along the way – officially Australia’s most-awarded regional seafood restaurant, if we’re getting technical.

Specialising in sustainably-minded ocean fare, the famed destination’s Degustation menu is a particular highlight, expertly paired with a curated selection of local and international wines and cocktails, of course.
Where: 5/6 Bells Boulevard, Salt Village, South Kingscliff

Harvest
Another Modern Australian nosher earning some serious cred is Newrybar’s garden gem, Harvest, awarded a hat, and an accompanying score of 13. Specialising in ‘simple and honest’ dishes with a focus on locally sourced, seasonal produce (are we sensing a theme here?) served with a side of spectacular surroundings.

Harvest’s whimsical, cottage garden residence falls right in the day trip sweet spot for those of us residing this side of the border – a scenic, one hour commute from Cooly, which is exactly enough time to work through a solid assortment of road trip bangers, if you ask us.

With everything from a hefty selection of Housemade digestif to Charred ballina prawns, served with prawn mousse & finger lime on the menu, you’ll want to take your ‘hat off’ to them, too.
18-22 Old Pacific Highway, Newrybar Village

Words by Kellie Leader.

Sunset has to be the best time of the day (some people we know say sunrise, but we wouldn’t know, ahem) — so sunset it is.

Especially here on the Gold Coast, where the pastel colours of the sky are both incredible and almost always ever-changing as the sun begins to dip.

Perhaps you’ve had a big week at the office, have friends from out of town visiting or maybe it’s just been a while since you last appreciated a decent sunset. With winter fast approaching we thought it was more than appropriate for us to highlight the best places for you to enjoy those autumnal hues.

Kick back at a rooftop bar
This one shouldn’t need an explanation… but wait for it. As a city it took us a little while to catch up with our southern neighbours and have rooftop bars, strange, because we have the best weather in the country hands down, right? These days there are thankfully many on the Gold Coast, so, we say make up for lost time and decide on your favourite, pick the best vantage spot, and kick back with a beverage while the sun slips behind the horizon. Go on, you deserve it after all the waiting.

Overlook the Gold Coast at Mt Tamborine
The Gold Coast hinterland is obviously the perfect spot for a bit of sunset spying. With 180-degree views of the ocean and eye-catching cityscape in the foreground, you’ll be in awe of just how beautiful our skyline is. There are lots of vantage spots, but we suggest The Polish Place because not only do they offer the very best views, but they also have a toasty fireplace and comforting, authentic Polish food. Why not make a weekend of it and stay a night or two mixing waterfall fuelled adventures with some sunset action?

Take a picnic at Fingal Beach
Ok, so not technically on the Gold Coast. In our opinions, Fingal is almost always forgotten about, making it completely to your advantage. Grab someone important in your life, pack some goodies and pull up a blanket on some of the most neglected and pristine sand within driving distance of home. Pop open your wine (because you most definitely brought wine) — now, with a completely unhindered view watch our Southern sky do its thing. And relax.

Sip frosty beers at a surf club
How lucky are we to have surf clubs? SO lucky. Affordable beers and eats, super chilled vibes and, of course, always found by the ocean for absolute bulk sunset-watching opportunities. Grab one of those affordable beers (in jug form, obviously) and pull up a table facing the sea. It’s the most laidback Gold Coast-esque way to enjoy yourself a sunset.

Take a dip anywhere
Yep, so it makes sense that any one of our numerous beautiful beaches, creeks or canals are also the perfect spot to watch the sun go down. Plus, at the moment, the water is an absolute treat so you may as well get yourself submerged while watching the sun disappear. We encourage you to bob around in the waves while the sun sets and marvel at how the sky changes colour. This is living your very best life.

Prep your schedules friends, because another sunset is on its way.

Words by Alex Mitcheson