What better time to eat locally than GourMay, and what better place than in the Mary Valley!
Moving to the area 19 years ago from an essentially “Beef” region of Western Qld, the first thing that struck me in the coastal hinterland areas of the Sunshine Coast was the variety of farms that were here. Small crops, tree crops, grain crops, vine crops, crops in greenhouses, crops in shipping containers, bushfood, aquaculture, chickens, pigs, beef cattle of every description, dairy cattle (less now than then), goats, alpacas, sheep, camels and everything in between!
A bit different to Beef, Beef and more Beef!
The reason? Well firstly, few places in the country have our unique range of temperatures – from subtropical to temperate climatic conditions- cooler still in the Mary Valley, our rainfall (and irrigation assets), our topography allowing variations in microclimates and our soil quality and variety.
It’s not just that, it’s also farm size- we have the highest density of small farms in Australia. Within 150km of Cooroy there are over 8000 PIC’s. Very few large corporate farms, and a plethora of family farms of all descriptions. Small farms build diversity of production; diversity builds resilience in a food system.
We are also close to markets. After having years of having no direct contact with end users out west, now our consumers are on our doorstep- over 3 million of them!
I have always believed that it isn’t a land or water shortage that will stop us feeding our spiraling world population; it’ll be a knowledge shortage. I’ll add to that distribution and logistics- with over half the world’s food currently wasted either pre or post farm gate. This region also up trumps on the knowledge front, with some of Australia’s top Regenerative Agriculture educators either living locally or visiting frequently to run courses. Solve logistics, and we’ll have it sown up!
So this GourMay when you are savoring all the region has to offer, think how you can eat (and drink) locally – every month, every meal. If you have land, how you can produce more off it and if you own a café or restaurant, how you can not just “feature” something local on your menu, but ONLY have local on your menu. If you are a diner, ask “What is local”. If you are a shopper, start asking questions from your suppliers so they seek out local supply channels. If they don’t, go elsewhere. Most importantly, shop and eat seasonally- it just tastes better.
Start the journey at GourMay 2025.
