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Jump in the car with Nick and he will take you on a self-guided tour of the Noosa Hinterland and all it has to offer.
From Doonan cafes, and the Gin Distillery in Pomona to Traveston Dingo Creek Winery.
We talk fresh produce, wine, the arts, the culture, and more importantly how Nick connects to the community as Nick returns from London to Noosa, a second time around.
If you are considering purchasing acreage in the Hinterland, definitely listen to this episode, as it's not for every-one. We explore the pros and cons of living on acreage when moving from the city.
Living your Luxe Life on the Sunshine Coast.
We have conversations with people who have found “home” on the Sunshine Coast & explore how they connect home with lifestyle & community.
As Property Buyers Agent we also discuss the macro economic factors impacting economic growth & property growth & where we are in the property cycle.
We overlay local market nuances of different sub markets from Noosa Heads to Maroochydore, to the Hinterland.
I hope you enjoy the series Living Your Luxe Life.
Hi. I'm Chris Mount from MUX Coastal Property Buyers. Today, I have a special guest with me, Nick Humbert. He's recently arrived from the UK for the 2nd time around in Noosa. He volunteers as a host on community radio station Noosa FM 101.3.
Speaker 1:He has a global role and can live anywhere in the world remotely. So, Nick, why Noosa and why Noosa twice?
Speaker 2:Good afternoon. Yeah. Well, the reason why was, like you said, I'm very lucky, in that I can work anywhere. I'm like one of the digital nomads that there are so many amongst us in that tribe now. And I thought, if I'm gonna live anywhere, I might as well live in what I can find to be the best place in the world.
Speaker 2:So it literally was, a case of looking through a list of, things that would be ideal, and they all happen to be here in Noosa. So moved out here about 5 years ago, settled in Noosa initially, started looking around for where to live, and we ended up in a little beautiful country town about 30 minutes out called Pomona, and had a wonderful 3 years. Then during all the COVID crisis, had to go back for family matters in the UK and ended up getting stuck there for about 18 months. Now just moved back again. And if anything, that trip back to the UK reminded me how good we've all got it here.
Speaker 2:And sometimes you have to go away to appreciate what you've got, and so it's great to be back. Now back in Noosa, actually, down in the big city, on the main street down here in Noosa. And, yeah, very very pleased to be back on the Sonichine coast.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Well, I'm so glad that you had managed to come back. Was it initially like the, you know, Noosa has a north facing beach, so we had beautiful beaches. We also had the eastern beaches, but also the hinterland. So when you're in the UK trying to work out where to live, what what drew you to the area initially?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. It's a good question. I mean, look, it wasn't the case quite like we just span the globe and stuck a pin in the map. It wasn't quite, the the situation.
Speaker 2:It was wading through a list of countries. I had, through work, had the opportunity to live abroad before. I'd lived in America, lived in Nashville, but I'd always had a great fondness for Australia and I've been here many times before. And originally, when the opportunity came up to get a permanent residency visa for Australia, the area that was, like, so many people first on the list was Sydney. Now once you've seen the property prices there, you realize that it's not the best deal around.
Speaker 2:So you start looking up the East Coast, and it was really just a process of elimination. First started looking on the, sort of, the northern beaches and above around New South Wales, and we were looking around north of Voca, that area. Great beach life, but kind of a little scrubby and boring inland. You know, and you keep going up further and you get through places like Newcastle, and then we didn't really wanna be on the Gold Coast, and then you're back into the city of Brisbane. So kind of just working our way up, and then, finally found really Noosa was the sweet spot.
Speaker 2:Because once you get north of Marucidor, it gets very peaceful, very beautiful. But any further north, significantly, and that's when you get to, you know, into the crazy sort of weather and the the things that bite and kill you and all the rest
Speaker 3:of it.
Speaker 2:So so for us The crocodiles. Exactly. We don't
Speaker 1:have crocodiles by any chance.
Speaker 2:No. No. No. No. No.
Speaker 2:Nothing nothing to worry about too much on that front. So so, yeah. It's kinda like a process of elimination and wanting to be, near the near the beautiful beaches. And you're right, the northern facing beach of Noosa made it really swimmable and beautiful. But also because it's a little bit, perhaps, like, I'd say, compared to Byron a little bit as well, that it's not just about the beach life.
Speaker 2:You know, yes, you've got that great surf life and all the all the stuff that goes on with, living on the coast. But inland, it's got a whole different set of, attractive things to, you know, keep you occupied on any given weekend. And and it's just so, visually beautiful, the the Noosa Hinterland. It's absolutely stunning. And I think all the different little towns in the hinterland that are only all within an hour's drive of Noosa, they've all got their own unique little personalities.
Speaker 2:They're not in England, we have a lot of pretty little towns that are either rammed with tourists or a lot of what we call clone towns, where they've all got the same franchises, mini malls, and all the rest of it. Here, it's all about the little independent coffee shops, book shops, gift shops, art shops, individual markets. They've all got the different vibes. So whatever mood you're in, there's something for any weekend to go and visit.
Speaker 1:Well, that really, reminds me when I first met you because you were one of the first people I met. You were friends of my next door neighbors when I arrived. And you mentioned to me different places that I could go and just for a day trip outside Noosa. And you're mentioning all these, like, little hidden gems that are literally a 20 minute drive out of Noosa. You know, most people think Noosa.
Speaker 1:They think Hastings Street. I wanna live near Hastings Street. And when you move up here, you realize actually that's where you don't want to live. You'd love to visit there or go to the beach. I go to the beach 4 times a week there, but I don't want to be down Hastings Street all the time.
Speaker 1:I I want to be actually living in the community amongst the beauty. So I I end up on Noosa Waters. But you told me of this amazing day trip, and I'd like you to share that with our listeners. It started off in Pomona.
Speaker 2:Yeah. No. You're right. I mean, the thing about Hastings Street and the beach here, it is stunning and amazing, which is why so many people come here. But when you actually do live here, you realize that there's a whole lot more.
Speaker 2:And if anything, I would say that some of the locals try and avoid that part of town during the holidays because that's what we give it over to the visitors. But for those of us that live here, yeah, there's so many things, that you can get to, very easily that that and I'm I'm quite surprised because I've actually met quite a few die hard Noosa locals that really haven't even ventured out of the bubble to to so much to the countryside. So I was very pleased coming from overseas to sort of have made the effort to get out and explore. And, one of the places that we landed in was, Pomona, And that's actually quite a good base for a little explore. And you can do it as a day trip from, you know, from Nusa easily because it's only, you know, a half hour drive out there.
Speaker 2:Or you know, some people go and just stay in a B and B out there and make a good long weekend of it. So in Pomona itself, it's a very pretty, beautiful little village.
Speaker 1:It's stunning.
Speaker 2:It's really come a long way in the last few years. In particular, it's become a bit more of a a destination sort of, village, I'll call it. So you've got a number of things right there on the doorstep. They've done a really good job making the the towns are very visible. First up, like so many places in Australia, it really does have some stunning little coffee shops.
Speaker 2:There's one called Spill the Beans, which has got a great little, outdoor, pretty terrace garden and just a really cool vibe. There's another couple on the on the high street. I think it's called Trail 458, I'm gonna say. I can't remember the number, but it's one called Trail. And it's, again, really
Speaker 1:It is at the base of the mountain.
Speaker 2:Well, that's that's
Speaker 3:the point.
Speaker 2:You can base you can you can feed up at the cafe. And then if you're feeling active Yep. You can just walk across the park and you're at the base of the Pomona mountain. A little bit of a scrabble to get up. You need to be reasonably fit, but absolutely breathtaking views when you get to the top.
Speaker 2:So you've got all that going on Pomona. On, on Saturday mornings, they've got a fantastic little farmers market where people from all across the region bring in their fresh produce and crafts and so forth. So that's really helped bring a lot of, attraction to the town. There's a great little art gallery.
Speaker 1:Is that the
Speaker 2:art gallery? Yeah. That that's in the that's in the old converted railway station. Yeah. So that's that's always a great little visit.
Speaker 2:Just along from that, you actually have, would you believe it, the world's oldest continual running cinema. So the the oldest cinema in the world has still been running since it was launched. I forget the date, but it's early in the, you know, early in the first days of film. And they still run silent movies every weekend, so people can see what a silent film was like, you know, on screen. But they also hold other events there.
Speaker 2:They hold they'll they'll re release old classics or they'll do a special filming. And it's a real cozy little, old fashioned cinema. I remember I went to see The Sound of Music there. Sing along The Sound of Music. Wouldn't normally do it but I thought, come on, gotta get involved with the community.
Speaker 2:But you've never been to a cinema where this was in winter. It gets a little chilly despite what people think about Queensland in winter. But it does get a little chilly. And they were they were handing out blankets and mulled wine in the in the interval. And I thought, well, you wouldn't get this down at the multiplex normally.
Speaker 2:So you got the the the the little old cinema, which is really worth a visit. And then from there, you can get out to Quran, which is a
Speaker 1:another town. Homeowner until we talk about the distillery because I have Well,
Speaker 2:that's on the way. Oh.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I was
Speaker 2:gonna just say if you Okay. If you if if, you're talking about the gin distillery. That's yep. Sorry. Okay.
Speaker 2:Let's just reverse the car back into Pomona before we leave it. And just along the high street there, yeah, you've got a you've got a fabulous little, gin distillery, which is the Pomona Gin Distillery and that is amazing. They they they took over this place as a from being an old cafe. They've opened up the back and made it this beautiful garden with, a beautiful bar and they've got an amazing menu of gin, which they distill and and brew on-site. They've got great beers, great food, and it's and it's when you go in there, you'd think this little sleepy village would be quite peaceful.
Speaker 2:But when you step through and you see the amount of people out the back on a Saturday listening to live music Yeah. And enjoying themselves, you think, wow. What a buzz.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And that's exactly what it's like. Because when you said a little gin distillery, I was picturing it'd just be, like, a few tables and chairs. And Yes. You actually go through this sort of old style cafe and you walk through to the back courtyard.
Speaker 2:That's right. Yes.
Speaker 3:And then
Speaker 1:they've got the distillery on the left, and they've got an art gallery on the right of local artists as well. Yep. And then they had the live music at the back and the food.
Speaker 2:Great food and and just a really good vibe, you know. And it's it's it's great. And that that actually opened up just a few months before I had to leave. And I was kind of sad that it it was something that turned up just as I was going, but I've I've been back recently and I've seen how word has spread. And it really has brought a bit more of a that sort of cosmopolitan feel to the regions, you know.
Speaker 2:So it's really really good great place. So even on a quiet weekend, there's always something to do. You got the markets in the morning. Yeah. You've got the distillery there that you can go and hang out in the afternoon.
Speaker 2:You got the little old cinema. And then if you still got ENGIE, you can run up the mountain. So, it's it's all it's all good.
Speaker 1:We haven't we haven't left Bend.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And then, as I said, just a little beyond that, you can go out further, north and you get a little smaller, little village called Koran. And again, very different vibe, couple of really good restaurants, there, also rather cafes there. But there's one restaurant in particular called the Hinterland, and it it's absolutely exquisite. It's all farm to table, exquisitely, cooked guy there called Dion, who just knows his food inside out.
Speaker 2:And he has your mouth watering when he's just described the ingredients for each menu personally to you. Yeah. So that's it just goes to show that you don't have to be on Hastings Street to get the fine dining. You can get some really good country food out there, in Curran. And then a little further up the track from there as you head towards Gympie, but on the country roads, I'd say about 10 or 15 minutes beyond Kuran.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And how far is Kuran from Pomona?
Speaker 2:About probably about 10 minutes.
Speaker 1:So we're still so we've only still only gone 30 minutes out of Noosa, another 10 minutes. So we're not very
Speaker 2:far No. Exactly. Beautiful little circle. All within an hour. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Exactly. So Pomona to Curran, then Curran further up you come to a little place called Traveston. And if you hang a right there in Traveston, there's only I think there's only about one right you can hang. So So you're not gonna get lost. That'll lead you down to a sign posted place called Dingo Creek Vineyard.
Speaker 2:And that really is a hidden gem that is just a stunning place to go and while away a Sunday afternoon, run by a lovely couple who took the place over a few years ago and it is just, what it what it what it says in the tin, it's it's a vineyard, but they claim it's I think it's one of the most northerly vineyards in Australia. It's just the way the winds work around the the hills and the valley there that keep the grapes, nice and cool. So they've got big selection of their own wines, you know, plus some other, beers and so forth. But they do these amazing food platters, you know, your salam is cheese, breads, pickles, all that sort of thing. So you can sit out on this lovely deck that they've got in the cool with the breeze, glass of wine from the vines that you're looking at and just wistfully stare across the the scenery and think wow, I'm just you know, 45 minutes from the
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Speaker 1:sparkling as well called Little Little Cove, I think.
Speaker 2:If that's I think you're right. Yeah. And I've I've I've had I had their, they've got a a I think they used to have I'm not sure they still do it, but they did something, a bit like a sort of a chocolatey, sort of liqueur y one, which was, more of an after dinner drink. But again, you know, you can do, I think for about 10 or $15, I can't remember what it is now, but you can do like a full tasting of everything they've got. Wow.
Speaker 2:And just give you a little sample and then, you know, you can then choose what you want to have with your meal or or or something to take away. But it's a great place also to take visitors that are coming to town and they maybe wanna wanna change from, you know, lying on the beach or whatever. So that's that's really good little trip. And then, you know, if you really want, you can keep going and get up further into the Mary Valley. When you come out of Karen and keep going, you'll come to that road where you can either join the main road again and go up to Gympie.
Speaker 2:Or you can keep on to the Mary Valley and go out to places like, Cadanga and Anamor, Amamor, and a few other little towns out there, which have got their own own little vibe as well. But, Mary Valley, very, very scenic as well. But, again, all all within easy reach of Noosa.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And so could this be a one day trip?
Speaker 3:I know
Speaker 2:you Usually. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Actually spend one day in all those locations, but Yeah.
Speaker 2:You could
Speaker 1:do a bit of a round trip to get away on
Speaker 3:the land.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And then go back and
Speaker 1:go further. Yeah.
Speaker 2:No. You can from Noosa, you can certainly easy do it in one day, but some people may wanna say, you know what? Let's make let's make a weekend of it. Yeah. Because, for example, you know, if you're leaving Nusa, you could head out that direction on the Yumundi Road and then go to the Yumundi Markets.
Speaker 2:Yeah. The world famous Yumundi Markets first for a Saturday morning. And then from there, you could, you know, head on to Pomona. And so it's it's a nice weekend as well.
Speaker 1:It's really interesting. I I heard, I don't know if it's true, someone told me, but the Umundi market is actually the biggest tourist attraction on the Sunshine Coast, like even more so than Australia Zoo.
Speaker 2:Wow. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So and you sort of so you have a township of your money, which is gorgeous, so cute, but it can be busy. But you know that little townships you're talking about?
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:They are all uniquely special. Yes. Aren't they? Yes. And they're not too overwhelming with numbers of people.
Speaker 1:Yeah. They have obviously different festivals at different times. Yeah. Even the Noosa Art Trails, when that's on that little, the art gallery inside the train Yeah. Train, you know, a lot busier.
Speaker 1:But if you go sit on a typical weekend, it's not that busy. Is King King on this loop tour Yeah. You recommend as well?
Speaker 2:Exactly. Yeah. I mean, that that's another one. And this is why maybe sometimes it is worth taking a weekend to do it because you you almost wanna try all these different places for a lunch or an evening meal, but there's only so many you can get in one day. Right?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So so if you wanna go to the hinterland for an evening meal, it might be nice to stay out, you know, in in, in in the hinterland for a night at one of the Airbnbs or or bed and breakfast out there. Otherwise, you know, easily done in a day. But Kingkin definitely has I think it's the Black Ant is the restaurant there, which is really really nice for lunch. That's that's a really small tiny little cluster.
Speaker 2:I mean, we call it, in the UK, we would call that a hamlet. I'm not sure what they would call it here, but it's it's it's it's really just a a tiny little cluster of of homes and houses and and and, a few amenities, but just really peaceful. And I think that's one of the last places where the cell phone signal isn't too good around this part of the world. So if you really wanna get off grid, that's a good place to go and get an uninterrupted lunch. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And afterwards, you can, go over to the the hotel there that's just been, I think that's been taken over and renovated. Again, historical building, but, you know, just got a really cool country vibe.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And and there's a, I think, yeah, that was just renovated recently, and they apparently have great pizzas there as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And they've got some they've got some amazing pictures inside, vintage pictures of some historical floods. You know, when you're looking at these pictures, I I forget how long ago it was, but there's some really big floods where the whole the whole entire bottom floor, was, you know, below the water level. And so people were sort of on the balcony above just climbing to boats. So, there's some good history out there as well to look at.
Speaker 1:Well, I did another podcast with someone else called, Janet Kaki. And there's also, vintage photos in the black ant. And they she's 6th generation Sunshine Coast. And they're her they're her ancestors.
Speaker 2:Oh, I guess. Yes.
Speaker 1:So she oh, you know her. You went to the mountain retreat with Louis Armstrong's Yes.
Speaker 2:Yes. I I I I I I was sort of through through a friend of a friend who knows I got to go out to the that weekend event. And and yeah. And as always, so many, you know, besides those fixed events we were just talking about Yeah. So many little events going on out there.
Speaker 1:So that was really special. And this is Yemundi Mountain Retreat, and it's run and operated by, Janet. And she is 6th generation on the Sunshine Coast, so she knows all the history about that property. But what she did the other weekend was have Louis Armstrong's grandson is called Herb, I think. Yes.
Speaker 2:Herb Armstrong. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So Sunday afternoon, he was just singing a few tunes while we just had a beer and a glass of wine in our little
Speaker 2:It was very nice. Yeah. We're watching the sun go down and the beautiful views. But that's the same. And that was obviously a kind of a semi private event.
Speaker 2:But if you if you if you any given weekend, there always seems to be some little event, something going on around, a town. There's always an open mic show or there's a a little gathering of people doing, you know, different things of common interest. And that's why it's so easy to meet people over here because there's always something that that people have with a common interest that are up to, and you can easily plug into that to make friends.
Speaker 1:Well, look, I I do have to confess. When you told me about these trips, I thought, to be honest, I'd need about 3 weekends to do all of them. And, there's a really funny story. I won't go into it now. But I ended up having to do the trip on my own one day, and I thought, okay.
Speaker 1:I'll go to Pomona. I'll go to, and I thought it was going to be, like you know, in Melbourne, you go to the Yarra Valley.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You do the wine tours, and it does take you from 9 o'clock in the morning till 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Because I was doing it by myself. I couldn't, like, indulge and eat at all these different places. I had a coffee here, but I started off in Pomona, popped into the gin distillery to find out went to Kin Kin. Seriously, it only took me 2 and a half hours.
Speaker 1:And I thought I'd been waiting, like
Speaker 2:You must be going somewhere else.
Speaker 1:But you definitely something you need to do with someone preferably because you actually can enjoy the food.
Speaker 3:Did you
Speaker 2:get out to Boring Point at that point?
Speaker 1:No. But you but you also told me that Boring Point, about the Apollonian Hotel, and I confess I hadn't gone out there until, this year. Because I have a friend who lives in Boring Point. Her mother built this amazing, what they call, the tree house. It's 3 stories high on these Brisbane piers.
Speaker 1:You know, like, timber piers from
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:From the Brisbane pier. And they're 3 stories high, and she's overlooking the lake. So I did a podcast with her. Very interesting story, but her mother was the first chef of the Apollonian Hotel.
Speaker 2:Oh, right. Okay. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So the Apollonian Hotel is a huge Queenslander built on a really big block of block of land. So, again, on the weekend, you can have these smoked slow cooked meats.
Speaker 2:Yeah. No. They do us like a Sunday roast, spit roast, and all sorts of different things. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Pulled pork.
Speaker 2:It's not. And again, it's not. I would say what that's probably maybe 10, 15 minutes from Pomona. So it's another another, you know, avenue you can go down if you're based out there for a for a weekend. So that's
Speaker 1:If you skip Pomona, it's 20 minutes from from Well,
Speaker 2:because you can come around the MacKinnon Drive. Yeah. You're back back quite. Yeah. You're you're right.
Speaker 2:So I'm sort of thinking it from Pomona, but easy easy for Noosa to get out there
Speaker 3:for a
Speaker 2:for a country lunch.
Speaker 1:Yeah. But it is it's it's like having a huge Queenslander that you'd expect in the Outback, although it's still quite close to the coast. It was actually relocated. This big building was relocated. Could it be from Maryborough or Gympie or
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Something like that. But, anyway, the first chef there, the menu is still very similar. The it's family owned and ran, still the same family. And Tara now lives in her mother's home, original home, and she's, just been renovating it with her partner. It's a a beautiful story, and it's a beautiful podcast to listen to.
Speaker 2:It's a it's a very it's a very peaceful place out there. And I think that's we were talking about this earlier, but this is what's so nice about this area is that, you know, you can have all that wonderful peaceful country vibe and country hospitality and, know, those little unique places to go to. And yet, if you want the the more upbeat, high class beach vibe, then you've got Nusa. And it's all within, you know, within an hour or so of each other. You don't have to drive that far.
Speaker 2:And if you want, you know, the bigger stuff, then you're not that far from, you know, Maroochydore or Brisbane. So there's everything for everyone, whatever you're in the mood for.
Speaker 1:And that that's really interesting because I'm gonna go on to an a separate topic in a moment. But when you chose Noosa as a remote worker, did you have any, like, things that you needed to definitely have ticked off your list? A lot of people say they need to be, like, 2 hours from an international airport, good Wi Fi Yeah. And
Speaker 3:those kind of All
Speaker 2:of the above. I mean, I I I because I do have to travel and I do have to go to sometimes the States or back to the UK, I didn't want to be in one of those towns where you're six hours before you even get to the airport
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That the journey is long enough. So the fact I could be somewhere where not only was I within a couple of hours of a of an in major international airport, but also with Maroochydore Airport, the Sunshine Coast Airport, you know, just 45 minutes away, that makes it so easy to hop around, interstates. That was definitely a big plus. And then shortly after we arrived, the high speed broadband, NBN was being rolled out, not just in Noose, but across the the hinterland as well. So you're pretty much now able to plug in at a good speed anywhere, which really opened up, opportunities for people.
Speaker 2:So that was something. There's also quite a quite a lot of good remote working hubs around Noosa. So it's very easy if you don't wanna work in your house to jump on a hot desk somewhere and they're all set up for that with good Internet. So, yeah, very much made it easy to work here.
Speaker 1:And that's, we've touched on it on how to connect to community when you land in a new place. I found working in a co working space the best way to meet people from a huge cross section of age ages. One challenge I think sometimes people find when they move up here is that they might meet people who are sort of sort of older, you know, and I think that's because they might tap into doing certain sport from the co working space. I met people from as young as 28 right through to, an a publisher of, actually cookbooks. I've got them in the house.
Speaker 1:I own the cookbooks before I met the publisher, and she she's in her sixties. But the average age would have been round about 40. So when you're working, you know, you're meeting people who are working, you get to, do activities with them before work. You know, like so we do our sport from really early up here at 5 o'clock in the morning, but then we also can go out for a drink after work, and that's become a great way to meet, a good a good bunch of people.
Speaker 2:I think I I think I'll just jump in and also say that it is quite easy to meet people up here. And again, moving internationally, it was important for me to be able to make a good network of friends coming from abroad. And I think because there are so many people that have moved interstate to the Noosa area that everyone's been through that journey and they're happy to connect and help people that are moving here for the first time and sort of make that kind of surrogate family connection, if you like. And I'd also say that there are a lot of activities going up here that because there's so many interest groups, you know, whether it's art or in my case, I made a lot of friends through, you know, church, through volunteering at the radio station where I was able to train up as a presenter and then present on air and meet other presenters, all with you.
Speaker 3:And that's
Speaker 1:how I met you because my next door neighbor was
Speaker 2:a presenter. That's right. And so I met I met, you know, him him as a presenter. He introduced me to you and that's kind of how it, you know, always works out. But whether you're into whether you're into sport, arts, you know, cars, whatever, there's always some kind of a group or event going on if you look for it.
Speaker 2:And so it's very easy to meet people with common interests through there regardless of their age, but it doesn't it's certainly not all about, you know, retired oldies.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Exactly. And that's sort of and you mentioned art up here. A lot of time people say there's no art or culture.
Speaker 2:There's huge amount of art. I mean, we've got art galleries in all over the place, and there's always a a tray art trail or a visiting artist or a talk or something going on. So I think there's quite a bit of more culture than people like to believe up in this part of
Speaker 1:the world. Absolutely. And they just have to sort of, you know, sort of go beneath the surface and find it very, very easily. I Yeah. I hold my events in the art gallery on Hastings Street.
Speaker 1:So one of the reasons is it's a beautiful place to hold events when you're surrounded by art. But we that's what we talk about as well as, you know, connecting community, connecting to the art scene. How can you do that? It's just all about being
Speaker 2:And also out in Tawantin, there's a huge art gallery out there as well. So The regional archives. So that's got a great that always has great rotating exhibits and guest artists talking. And so, again, it's all about just making sure you plug into the local community newsletters and bought notice boards and things to find out what's going on, and there's never a never any we got a theater as well, and there's a film club, and, you know, there's just yeah. There's endless things you can do up here for you to print.
Speaker 1:Yeah. You gotta be careful not to be caught in that noose bubble is what you call, you know.
Speaker 2:Well, I think it's just it's not so much that it isn't enjoyable in the Noosa bubble. It's just that you'd miss out on so many things that are beyond the the one hour, drive if you if you just stayed here all the time. I mean, even any we we spoke about the immediate hinterland with, you know, Pomona and Eumundi and Curran and Karoy and and Taviston, which are which are, you know, you just look on the map, you see how close they are. And yet some people haven't even made it out that far. But but if you go a little if you go a little bit further and, again, all this to me from the perspective of someone that's moving the other side of the planet, none of it feels particularly far away.
Speaker 2:But if you, you know, you're driving out into the Mary Valley and beyond, you you know, you can get up easily, within an hour to places like Mulaney, and Montville. And and they're, you know, they're different. They're cooler. They're up in the hills. Montville is beautiful little town, more of the, you know, the visitor boutique y type shops, but a great place to take visitors or to go and check out yourself.
Speaker 2:There's a stunning cafe there called The Edge, which gives you the most insane panoramic views across the entire hinterland and the coast and the ocean. So that's at Montville. And then up in Mulaney, you've got another set of great, restaurants, cafes, fabulous bookshop up there, and another vineyard called Flame Hill, where you can sit out on the deck with even higher up views and enjoy a glass
Speaker 1:of wine. Flame Hill then. And yeah. So there's another So
Speaker 2:a lot so so I'd say that's a that's a separate kind of weekend trip if you like to do DuMontville and Maleny in that part of the Sunshine Coast, which is right behind up in the hills behind Maroochydore.
Speaker 1:And where do you find your best cheese? Are we talking Kenilworth or
Speaker 2:Indeed. Yeah. That that Kenilworth is a good place to go for cheese. I mean, it's it's Kenilworth is, again, it's a a short run. You can actually do that quite nicely, on the way out to, Montville and Maleny.
Speaker 2:It's kind of on the way past Humondyne and you get to Kenilworth. Nice little town, and that's got 2 or 3 really good cafes. I mean, I'm not again, when I say really good cafes, everyone talks about having a good cafe, but I mean really great menu, really, really good healthy, wholesome foods. And there's a couple of really good, you know, boutique shops there, And they've got the, they have the cheeses out there, out at Kenilworth, which you can, you know, taste and, the the and same up in, they've got another one. I forget the name of it now off the top of my head, but there's a great big cheese tasting place in, just outside Maleny.
Speaker 2:That's another place. So and I the the dairy out there in Kenilworth, they've also got the when I was last there, at least, they were serving some fantastic ice creams. Yeah. So, yeah, there's some things out there to to to try out. And, I think there used to be a famous shop there selling some of the best doughnut donuts or something in the in the Sunshine Coast, and people used to line up for them on, you know, when they came out.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, lots of lots of little things going out there. I'd also just gotta do a shout out to Gympie as well. Sometimes it gets forgotten as a as a place not worth wording. And, you know, people think, oh, well, that's getting a bit too far out. No.
Speaker 2:Again, it's straight up the Bruce Highway since they've expanded it. And this is the great thing about this area, you know, the the high the Bruce Highway has been expanded. They got a new new, you know, infrastructures going on. We've got the 2nd runway at Marucci doors, so that'll open it up for more travel. But, yeah, Gympie is, you know, it's a historic town, used to be called Nashville many, many years ago.
Speaker 2:Really? It did. Yeah. James Nash, you see, he was the he was the sort of the the name behind the town. And it used to be called Nashville, then it obviously reverted to an indigenous name.
Speaker 2:But, coincidentally, it's also the home of the Institute of Country Music in Australia, and they have the Gympie muster up there, which is the big country country festival each year, which is a big, big event. But, you know, if you wanna
Speaker 1:So what time of year do you need to go get to Gympie for the master?
Speaker 2:I think I've got I wanna say it's in August, but I think people just need to people just need to check out that online. But also, you know, again, it's it's it's got a more locals feel to it, and and so that's kinda nice. But if you wanna really kind of, like, you know, get a get a get a different activity going, you can jump on the the rattler, the the steam train from there, which is like a it's a train for tourists, but, you know, you kinda get to taste what it's like the old Australian station, the steam train that rides out to a place through the Mary Valley, to I think it's Amamoor and then it stops there for a bit and then you can have a coffee and then get back on the rattle and ride it back to Gympie. And if you get there early enough, I I forget which day of the week it is. I I wanna say Monday mornings, but different times, but they've also got the Gympie cattle market.
Speaker 2:So you can kind of get out there with all the cowboys, much all the auctions and the bidding on the cattle and, you know, because, of course, there's a whole rodeo scene around around there.
Speaker 1:About to, say that, we're talking about cowboys now. And, look, I've spent some time proper time in Texas.
Speaker 2:Real cowboys.
Speaker 1:I've met real cowboys in Outback Texas down in the Mexican border when I was teaching swimming lessons. Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah. The big country.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And you spent some time in Nashville. So, you know, love I actually do love that whole sort of scene, country music and things like that. But you actually have been to some rodeos.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Just How do
Speaker 1:you say Australian?
Speaker 2:Well, we said rodeos. I think you guys call it rodeos, aren't you?
Speaker 3:But we
Speaker 1:The Americans call it rodeos.
Speaker 2:Americans call it rodeos.
Speaker 1:Okay. I
Speaker 2:think Yeah. So it's, anyway, either ways, it which whatever you want to call it You're
Speaker 1:into one the other week.
Speaker 2:I'm already It's good fun. Yeah. I got invited out to 1. And literally, it was just a couple of weeks after I landed Yeah. Back in the UK.
Speaker 2:So I've done this, you know, ridiculous transition from sort of a snowy Christmas with ice and thick jumpers and gloves and scarves and everything going on in in drizzly snowy England. Not so much snow, more more rain. But anyway, very very cold. And 2 weeks later, I'm standing out sweating my head off in this, you know, 30 degrees, 7 o'clock in the evening heat out at Imbille, where they had one of the regional rodeos come around. And it's funny because, you know, even though it's really, really hot and I'm in my shorts and t shirt, you can see all the die hard country people because they're wearing their jeans, their boots, their sort of flannel shirts.
Speaker 2:I'm not quite sure how they managed to keep doing that in the heat. But, you know what, it's it's again, it's a very different vibe. Yeah. But it's it's great that it's there, and it's accessible in in no distance at all. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, very, very, very, very Well, I'm definitely gonna go
Speaker 1:next time. I haven't been to rodeo
Speaker 2:for a while. Been exciting in a bit of
Speaker 1:a yeehaw. Yeah. No. That's great. So, like, you've spoken really about all these things that you're doing the first time around.
Speaker 1:Is there anything that's on your bucket list as well that you didn't actually get to do the first time that you're really top of the list?
Speaker 2:Look, I think a couple of things. What I'd say is, you know, when you're first here, you kind of almost run around checking off all these great things that people have told you to check out. And it's it's very much just getting the vibe and getting the getting the feel for what's what and where's where. I think the more time you spend here, the more you kinda get to do it, go back to your favorites and do it at a slightly more leisurely place. And before you know it, you know, you start to get to know the people that are running the businesses and they know you and it's it's just, you know, it's very easy to to form that familiarity out here.
Speaker 2:So I think I just wanna take it a little bit easier this time. I haven't got such a big rush list of things I wanna try and pack in. So, you know, but you've gotta be careful, I will say, as a local that you don't fall into the mentality of saying, oh, well, because it's all because it's always there and I live here, I can go anytime. Because what happens is you don't go to these places until you've got visitors in town, then you take them there, and then you start asking yourself, oh, why don't I do this a bit more? So you kind of have to make an effort to really, you know, take advantage of what's here.
Speaker 2:So I I I I confess.
Speaker 1:I say that all the time. There's some waterfalls that I wanna go through around here, and I still haven't done waterfalls.
Speaker 2:Oh, the, cat well
Speaker 1:Cat Candellini?
Speaker 2:Candellini. Yes. Well, that's easy. That's up in, Malaney Way. So, you know, again, the candelini is a really good trail Yeah.
Speaker 2:Which links, between two two points. You can do a great walk and then go for a swim in the falls. So, yeah, I need you need to plan these things.
Speaker 1:Driving on North Shore. Have you done that?
Speaker 2:I've done that. I did that on a tourist visit as an international visitor many years ago. But again, since I've been here, I'm like, well, I can do that anytime. There's no rush, and then I haven't done it. But I do want to go to Fraser Island because that's just up the road and people come in from all over the world to do that.
Speaker 2:And I've even had visitors come and then come and see me and go up and do the do that. And I'm telling myself, yeah, I must go up there sometime. So going back to your question about the bucket list, I definitely wanna get up to Fraser Island. Yeah. I also want to just go a little bit further.
Speaker 2:Not even this not even the Noosa Bubble, but the Sunshine Coast Bubble. I like to kind of use my Just the boundaries? Yeah. I'd like I mean, I'd wanna go up to Whitsundays. I'd even like to go out as far as, you know, somewhere like Longreach or or, you know, proper Outback, because Yeah.
Speaker 2:As beautiful as it is on the coast, all the humidity, there's that other dusty, dry side of Australia, which I I would want to get to. But again, that's getting sort of out out outside of our our remuner conversation, but it's Well,
Speaker 1:the benefit the benefit though is Bonza Airlines, the budget airlines, is just open.
Speaker 2:Is that a real airline?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Bonza Airlines? And it's opened up about 3 weeks ago. You can start booking tickets Okay. And it's based headquartered out of Maroochydoo Airport, and it's connecting all the regional towns. So now you can fly to the Whitsunday
Speaker 2:Oh, fantastic.
Speaker 3:You can
Speaker 1:go up to Townsville. So I've already booked it Really? To Townsville.
Speaker 2:And they're pretty good value?
Speaker 1:Yeah. I think Townsville Rotem was a $148.
Speaker 2:See, that's not bad, is it?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I'll go scuba diving with some friends up there. Fraser Island's definitely on my bucket list as well.
Speaker 3:And you
Speaker 2:know what? I actually haven't been explored Brisbane that much because there's been so much going around here. Now, Brisbane's a beautiful city in that whole South Bank area and all the things down there. And yet, it's a direct train ride from you can you can either get what they call the village stopper from, you know, Corolla or somewhere. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:Or just go to Nanbor and get a slightly faster train. Yeah. It's like an hour and 45 minutes, but it's it's more than just your regular train ride because people have taken have said, you know, what a spectacular scenic view you get through the Glasshouse Mountains. Ah. You know, all that journey down there.
Speaker 2:So it's actually an enjoyable, you know, drape day trip all weekend to go down to the city. Get a bit of the city buzz, catch up on some shopping, do the stuff that you can't do outside of a city, and then get you get to come out to the fresh air afterwards.
Speaker 1:Yeah. That's pretty it's pretty special. Given, Luxe Coastal is a is a property company, a lot of times people move up here, they actually don't know where they would like to live, on the Sunshine Coast. I know they want to they've got a dream of living up here, and we do something called, like, the hinterland tours. Like, so we take people out for a day just sort of to show them a few properties and just sort of so they get a sense of what it might be to live out there versus what's a glorified image in their in their mind.
Speaker 1:And other times, we take to, people also down bit further down the coast as well. So it's beyond the Noosa. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Noosa and surrounds. So you've had an experience living in Pomona on Acreage, which is such an amazing experience. Why did you originally choose Acreage? Because you came from the UK, and my friend friends that I know from the UK often end up on Acreage when they move up here. We just had an expat who, bought some acreage just before Christmas in Tinubuwa, and he's completely off grid.
Speaker 1:He's got his own coffee beans there. So he's gone from, you know, a townhouse in London
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:You know, jumping you know, 2 little kids to actually having their own, fruit and vegetables growing. They can be completely off grid, and I'm going there soon to get some coffee from that coffee
Speaker 2:plant.
Speaker 1:But sort of so what attracted you to Acreage, initially?
Speaker 2:Look, when we first came out to Noosa, you know, we we we as I said, we originally started in Noosa, and and then we sort of widen the circle to see what we could get for our money. You know, you obviously, as you move out of Noosa, you can get a little more space, a little more a little more value for your money. We did, you know, I've I'd I would say just a quick shout out that further south, you know, you you do have some cracking little towns like Kulum and Muloolaba. Yeah. And again, they've all got their own sort of beachy vibe, you know, a little a little more, down to earth, let's say, in terms of affordability and so forth.
Speaker 2:But you've got that beach life down there. But I I for us, coming from the UK where, you know, the beaches aren't necessarily that great and it's always a long drive to get to them because of the busyness of the roads, I didn't feel that if I wasn't right on top of the beach that I will didn't wouldn't still feel like I was close to it. Even if I was half an hour away, that's still, for me, very close to a beautiful beach. Yeah. So I was quite happy to move out of Noosa and into the the hinterland and started exploring around, you know, Croix and and that area, and then Croix led to Pomona.
Speaker 2:And there were some people that were like, oh, you're living all the way out in Pomona. And it's just like, I think you've got to keep in mind that it's not all the all the way out from anywhere. You your base is where you're based, and then everything is is is, you know, widening circles from there. So once you get out of that sort of plotting everything from the middle of Noosa and just work on the basis that you can live wherever it suits you and that becomes the base. Yeah.
Speaker 2:It opens up a lot of, you know, avenues and opportunities. So once we started looking around the Noosa hinterland, we suddenly realized we were being offered properties to view with acreage. Now you're right. Coming from the UK where you've gotta be a millionaire to have acreage because land is at a premium. We were like, oh, this is amazing.
Speaker 2:You get 2 acres, we get 3 acres. Looked at a lot of different properties because I think it's important to recognize that the style of Queensland houses up here is very different for allowing for the heat and the the different ways that you have to live up here. And it's more about the the sort of indoor out living, you know.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I was first first time I was sort of seeing people's entire living rooms on their deck, you know, rather than indoors. And I was like, I'm liking this sort of alfresco outdoor living thing. So that so, you know, then you suddenly realize that there's things that you need that you didn't realize you needed. So suddenly after a while of being here and this is why it's important not to, you know, just kind of buy buy blind from afar without without working with, you know, a professional who can advise you, or coming to see, you know, for yourself. Because there was a big requirement to have for us an outdoor space where you could live outside, you know.
Speaker 2:I'm glad that we had been able to realize that we would need that coming up to this part of the world. And then you've also got a sort of, you know, factor in how you live and how that would fit in with your with your floor space. Because you can get you can it's more there's a lot of single level plans here, outside of the towns, so you're not always in a upstairs downstairs mode
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Which is how you live in the UK. Yeah. So there's lots of different requirements that adapt to the lifestyle. But going back to the acreage, it's very easy to think, yes, great, give me as much land as possible because somehow I'm better off. What you don't realize is that that land then takes maintaining and if you are used to your small English gardens or you're used to your cooler climates, trying to work some acreage in the middle of summer here, it can be hard, hard work.
Speaker 2:And if you don't stay on top of it, it can grow very, very quickly. So you've got to be ready ready to get get your hands dirty and and and work it to to stay on top of it. If you're willing to, it can be beautiful. But if you are some people, and I will include myself in this, can start to realize that actually having acreage is a different way of living and it's not for everyone. So for me, I think, you know, having had that great experience and having owned a beautiful home out there, I think the next one would probably have to be a little bit more, light touch on maintenance.
Speaker 2:I'd probably probably look for a smaller footprint of land. Yeah. Particularly if you, you know, you travel and you go away a lot. It it it's just better to have a lock up and leave place.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah. So you can for the lock up and leave, you can still have a bit of garden around you. But I think you can then easily ex access the great outdoors and all the all the
Speaker 2:Well, that's right. You can I mean, if you're lucky if you're lucky, you can have a small place, but it's still got phenomenal views anyway? And you're not you're not having to pay to maintain it. So Yeah. And I think that's an important thing about the type of property.
Speaker 2:Again, coming from the UK, a lot of people are cooped up in their houses, probably a bit like down in Melbourne, you know, in the winter. And it's just very much about the indoor living. Here, there here, you spend so much of your time either on your deck or outdoors or swimming or at the beach or, you know, just out and about that it's not quite so important to have, you know, enormous interior necessarily. Yeah. But it obviously depends on your budget and your requirements.
Speaker 2:But it's just it's just a slightly different way of living, and it's and it's worth getting your head around that before making your property choices. You can't come in with the the same idea of what you were living in in England or, you know, maybe Melbourne or wherever. You know, it's it's it's a different way of living, but a nice way of living.
Speaker 1:It is a nice way of living, and it is, different. A different way of living. And that's what one of our jobs is actually to poke and prod people's, you know, sensibilities because everyone will live slightly differently up here because they have different interests. So, like, some people do need if they're sort of artistic, we'll need, like, a big studio to do their artwork.
Speaker 3:Yes. Yes. And,
Speaker 1:that's often a request. Often people don't want 4 bedrooms. They just want 2, but they want a bit of greenery around them.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:That's you know, trying to find that balance is, you know, it's part of, part of the fun, really.
Speaker 2:But it's also the it's also the slightly different way of thinking in terms of, you we we were saying before about you live outside a little more. Yeah. But also, you know, you gotta be prepared about how the lifestyle works with the the the different climate. So, you know, coming from the cities down south or from Europe, you might be a little bit surprised how quickly things get quiet very early over here. People often, you know, off off to bed, 9 o'clock, you know, it's pretty pretty early by our standards.
Speaker 2:But then they're all up at the crack of dawn, you know, when it's cool and, you know, there'll be an army of traders out there at 5, 6 AM. And, it won't be uncommon to get a call from a real estate agent or a business person at 7 AM, you know, because they're all they're all at all at work, and you just gotta shift your clock accordingly. Yeah. So that's that's all very different as well. So I think, again, you know, if you're looking out in the hinterland, you gotta be prepared that it will get quite a bit earlier than, say, if you're living in Noosa or or, you know, Sunshine Beach or Muloolaba or some of those places where they Ruchi
Speaker 1:dor or Mooloolaba definitely start later than Yes. But thank goodness.
Speaker 3:I think
Speaker 2:I think I think I think everywhere does. But, yeah. No. I mean, I'm I I I I struggle to get myself in, in in in England what we call it kids' bedtime, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. 9 o'clock. But then again, if you don't get your head down, whilst you while it's the, you know, dark, before you know it, the Kookaburra's waking you up at, you know, 4:30 AM, and you wish you had gone to bed earlier. So it's all it's all part of the great, change in lifestyle.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, can I just say thank you so much for for sharing all those insights? It's been wonderful to be reminded of all the things I still haven't done, to be honest. But,
Speaker 2:there's a lot on my list still as well. Believe me.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So thank you very much, Nick. Very much. Welcome back.
Speaker 2:Pleasure. Thank you.