Those $2 chicken and mayo burgers from Maccas used to be your go-to lunch snack, but you’ve grown up a bit since then, right? Now you understand that nutritious rainbows of fruit and veggies packed with vitamins and minerals make the world go ‘round and your insides healthy, AF.
With a huge selection of places to eat out around town, we can sometimes forget that cooking a wholesome meal for ourselves is a really fun time. With that in mind, do you know where to go for local produce? Sure, you can always hit up a weekend farmers market, but we’re going one better.
We’ve got some epic hoers and growers near Brisbane and on the coast, so buckle up your tractor belt and grab a barley sprig, because we’re taking you rural with six farms you can actually visit on and around Brisbane.
Mount Tamborine Organic Garden
This certified organic three-acre boutique farm is packed with so much goodness you’ll be calling your parents and apologising for all the times you refused to eat your greens. Set in the breathtaking location of Mount Tambo, Mount Tamborine Organic Garden is as beautiful as the 40 different vegetables and leafy greens on offer. Co-owner Adam says “if grown correctly, food is a probiotic, inoculating us with beneficial microbes.” This also rings true to their production methodologies. Proud members of the 2% of Australian growers putting micronutrients and minerals back into the soils with quality composts, you’ll experience enhanced sweetness to this farm’s veggies, rich with balanced vitamins and amino acids. Roam fields of luscious produce and load up on hand picked tasties from their store or, catch these guys at Windsor’s Northey Street Organic Market on Sundays between 6am and 11am.
When: Open to public every Saturday, 2pm to 5pm
Where: 2 School Road, Mount Tamborine
Farm & Co.
You know those sunflower field photos that are blowing up all over Insta right now? Yep, those sun-worshipping beauties are from this place! Farm & Co. is harvesting a variety of crops, and you’re invited to peruse their sunny fields, pick yourself a new yellow friend for $2 and say howdy to some happy chickens. Best enjoyed with a Blackboard coffee in hand (catch the mobile coffee Land Rover most weekends), spend all day filling your camera roll before stopping into their cosy shop stocked with a range of fresh produce, barn-made soups and the friendliest farmers you’ll ever meet. Open seven days, this 30-year-young avocado farm has transformed into something much bigger—a place for Kingscliff locals and visitors to enjoy fresh produce without harmful chemicals, every day of the week. PS: If you missed out on the sunflower selfies, they’ll be back in spring!
When: Open to public Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm & Saturday to Sunday, 9am to 2pm
Where: 529 Cudgen Road, Cudgen, NSW
Freeman’s Organic Farm
Stemming from a rich history of pioneering banana growers, The Freeman Farm was first established in 1915 and remains the only continuous commercial fruit and vegetable farm in the Currumbin Valley for 102 years, so you know they must be doing something right. Freeman’s Organic Farm is perched high on Tomewin Mountain and enjoys panoramic views of the Currumbin Valley. Open Friday through Monday, 7:30am until 3pm, set yourself up with a fresh produce haul from their fruit and veg store, or turn up for a guided farm tour at 10am on Sundays with Farmer David himself. Suitable for the kidlets, budding growers looking to advance their knowledge or simply the curious forager, learn about the farm’s history, volcanic soil, secrets to growing delicious edibles and more. Sundays are also home to vibin’ live music, deliciously prepared organic eats and local vendors Smithy’s Mobile Coffee and LKM’s organic fruit smoothies, so you’re best to come with an empty tum.
When: Open to the public Friday to Monday, 7:30am to 3pm
Where: 618 Tomewin Mountain Road, Currumbin Valley
Currumbin Valley Harvest
Venturing past the rock pools is definitely worth the drive when it results in stumbling across Currumbin Valley Harvest. Harbouring a true passion for sustainability and honouring Mother Nature, these guys are laid back and welcome guests to wander around their harvest until your heart’s content. The Shed Cafe brings the goods too, offering baked delights, freshly made tea (the herbal tea with garden fresh mint, lemon and ginger is nek level), coffee and 100% fruit juices straight from the farm. With the Harvest Market and adjoining cafe open to the public on weekends only, this biodynamic farm provides some of the finest fruit, veggies, herbs and local wares on the Gold Coast, making it a farm you simply must visit. Once you’ve filled your netted bag, drive an extra five minutes inland to much-loved Cougal Cascades for an afternoon rock hopping and swimming under waterfalls. Next weekend = sorted!
When: Open to the public Saturday and Sunday, 7am to 12:30pm
Where: 1380 Currumbin Creek Road, Currumbin Valley
Tropical Fruit World
Established in1972, Cudgen’s Tropical Fruit World (formerly know as Avocadoland—um, heaven!) began as a rundown small crop farm mixed with cattle grazing freely. However, Bob and Val Brinsmead decided they would transform the idyllic location to a colourfully brilliant tropical fruit paradise, and that they did. Now run by their eldest daughter, Tropical Fruit World’s sustainable farming techniques such as water recycling and companion planting add extra juiciness to their mixed bag of lychees, pineapples, mangoes and papayas. And having been some of the first to grow avocados in New South Wales, they still offer some of the best in the area. But deliciously nurtured fruit is not all this place offers. You can also expect boat and train rides, an animal farmyard, a place to kick back with a game of putt putt and so much more. Why not head out on a plantation safari, fruit tasting tour or tour of the park? Taste your way around this M1 emblem by stopping off on your next Byron trip, or by crossing the border and making a day of it.
When: Open to the public seven days, 10am to 4pm
Where: 29 Duranbah Road, Duranbah, NSW
The Farm Byron Bay
A sneaky half hour’s drive south of the border, there’s not much that Byron Bay’s The Farm doesn’t offer. Think: fresh fruit and veggies, livestock, a mind-blowing cafe slash restaurant with ingredients sourced from the farm, pastries and sourdough by Bread Social, tours and hands-on workshops covering things like egg collecting and farm school for the kids. The strong community spirit of The Farm is found throughout their entire approach to growing and plating up. The Produce Store provides visitors with fresh, sustainable and local produce so, stock up before your beachside or farm field picnic with a Three Blue Ducks hamper or simply dine at the restaurant, open seven days a week.
When: Open to the public seven days, 7am ‘til late
Where: 11 Ewingsdale Road, Ewingsdale, NSW
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Image credit: Hayley Williamson