Seafood, strawberries and sunshine

Queenslanders looking for a foodie adventure this August needn’t despair that this year’s The Curated Plate food festival on the Sunshine Coast has been cancelled. One of the confirmed festival participants, Caloundra Jetski, is still going ahead with its deliciously daredevil and decadent seafood and strawberry jetski safaris.

The safaris, which will showcase some of the Sunshine Coast’s best produce, will be run over the originally scheduled days for the festival, from August 6 to 9. Guide Ken Jeffreys says the seafood safari proved highly successful during the inaugural Curated Plate, and while he understood why this year’s festival had to be cancelled, there was such an appetite for outdoor adventures that he decided to go ahead with his own “mini food festival”.

“The half-day Jetski Seafood Safari debuted at last year’s Curated Plate, and involves riding the entire length of the Pumicestone Passage Marine Park, through wetlands and past ancient volcanos, to Spinnaker Sound Marina at Sandstone Point, Bribie,” says Jeffreys.

“A new restaurant at the marina, Seasars Seafood Cafe and Bistro, will serve a mouth-watering feast featuring the Sunshine Coast’s finest ocean catch.”

Being one of Australia’s most prolific seafood ports, the menu will of course include Mooloolaba prawns, blue swimmer crab, whiting, oysters and calamari.

The Caloundra Seafood Safari will depart at midday each day over the long weekend. The trip is fully guided, with a qualified marine instructor to convey the remarkable story of the region’s geological and cultural background on the trip to and from Bribie Island.

Jeffreys will also be offering a Jetski to Strawberry Heaven tour, taking off from Caloundra and jetskiing to historic Roy’s Strawberry Farm, where participants can pick and sample a tray of luscious, ripe strawberries on a grassy hill overlooking the Pumicestone Passage.

“We’ll be offering a complete experiential package,” says Jeffreys. “On the way, we’ll throttle things up with a few breathtaking fishtails and donuts before pulling up on a tree-lined beach, where trekkers will be welcomed by local legends Henry and Janette Roy.”

The Roy farm was established in the 1920s as Queensland’s biggest citrus farm. It now grows Red Rhapsody strawberries – a variety bred on the Sunshine Coast by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Jetski to Strawberry Heaven is ideal for families or couples, and lasts 90 minutes. Jeffreys says bookings are essential to ensure COVID safety requirements can be met.

“With sunny skies and warm waters, this is possibly the best time to see and experience the richness of the Sunshine Coast landscape and its produce,” Jeffreys says.

You can find out more and book at caloundrajetski.com.au or by calling 0434 330 660.