Tamborine Mountain has restaurants and bars worthy of a trip

Here’s why it’s time to revisit the Gold Coast’s lofty hinterland neighbour – but only with an appetite.

Having grown up in Brisbane, just an hour’s drive from Tamborine Mountain – a landmark rising high above the valleys of the hinterland behind the Gold Coast – I’ve visited this tranquil destination many times. And yet, it wasn’t until my most recent, week-long visit, during which I was astonished by the mountain’s rapidly evolving hospitality landscape, that I really became enamoured by this icon of the Scenic Rim Region. While roadtrip-worthy cafes and wineries have been growing like wildflowers on the mountain for decades, a slew of new restaurants, bars and picnic food stockists are breathing new life into the crisp mountain air.

As a food writer in constant pursuit of great, flavour-forward experiences, here’s where I suggest you visit when you’re next on Tamborine Mountain.

Loborn

While many cocktail and spritz enthusiasts will have sampled Italian amaro, few have sipped the amber and ruby-hued Australian take on this beloved, bitter aperitif. Come for a take-home bottle of expertly distilled Australian amaro (or gin, or vermouth), and stay for a tasting and the warm hospitality at Loborn Tasting Bar . Inside the inviting space – just follow the scent of orange peel and juniper berries toward the back of North Stores on Main Street – you’ll likely find Loborn’s founder Tom Drewitt at the bar’s communal table. Here, patrons can sip on a cocktail or neat glass of housemade amaro, imbued with local botanicals that pay homage to the region.

Picnic Real Food Bar

Community-driven hospitality veterans and best friends, Brenda Fawdon and Sonja Drexler, are the passionate real-food aficionados behind Picnic Real Food Bar (which neighbours Loborn Tasting Bar, also at North Stores). On cool, mountain mornings, well-made coffees and tea are served alongside thoughtfully prepared, from-scratch, seasonal fare (think savoury tarts with house-made pastry, flower-topped cakes, and wholesome, produce-filled bowls) – that lure in locals and visitors seeking delicious repast. After a meal at Picnic Real Food Bar, wander into Potta next door to peruse beautiful pottery creations (a fitting souvenir of your time on the mountain).

Peddly Picnics

A relative newcomer to the mountain, and a welcome addition to the neighbourhood, Peddly Picnics is fast-becoming a go-to for top-notch picnic provisions and e-bike hire. Across the street (Main Street, specifically) from Picnic Real Food Bar, Peddly Picnics offers a range of packages (including one that’s suitable for those exploring with their dogs in tow. Having lived on the mountain for 17 years, owners Jools and Kane are well-versed on the best tracks and spots for seeing Tamborine Mountain by bike (or just enjoying a picnic with a view). Wander into the Peddly Picnics store and ask about its packages.

Tamborine Mountain Gelato Co

All year round, the team behind Tamborine Mountain Gelato Co serves up its curated range of artisan gelato flavours. A stalwart selection of gelato varieties complements its special board’s flavours – which have included the likes of burnt butter, toasted marshmallow, Christmas custard, pavlova, a roasted peach and honey sorbet, and a hot cross bun gelato sandwich (featuring Franquette’s buns), among many others. Slide into a comfy booth seat with a seasonal-ingredient-infused scoop from this inspired gelataria and observe the leisurely foot traffic on Main Street.

Mana Souvlaki

Walking into the newly opened Mana Souvlaki is akin to entering a warm family home – albeit one that’s filled with the scent of sizzling halloumi, lemon and oregano. Traditional Hellenic cuisine is the order of the day at this family-run restaurant, where fresh, local produce is put to delicious use. Diners work their way through an enticing menu, starring souvlaki, meze and an impressively expansive choice of vegan and vegetarian dishes (try the family’s own spanakopita recipe). Greek wines pair perfectly, and the lahano salata (a cabbage salad) with capers, pomegranate, citrus and herbs, is a surprise show-stopper.

Franquette

A boulangerie fit for the streets of France resides along Gallery Walk on Tambourine Mountain. Golden sourdough breads, flaky danishes, creamy flans and cheesecakes, baguette sandwiches, cheese-crusted toasties and, frankly, some of the best croissants you’ll ever eat await beyond the counter at Franquette . Then there’s the life-affirming coffee, a wide-ranging hot chocolate menu, and a popular croissant loaf. Dine in for breakfast, brunch or lunch – or, order a picnic bag (which comes complete with a chic Franquette tote).

Witches Falls Winery

Witches Fall Winery — Savour delicious wines in a gorgeous vineyard.

While away an afternoon by the vines at Witches Falls Winery , and taste its wild-ferment sips alongside its more traditional pours. While there’s no restaurant on site, wine samplers can order olives, cheeses (including vegan cheeses), charcuterie items and preserves. Eighth Day hard apple cider flights and beer tasting paddles from neighbouring brewery, Boxer Brewing Co, are also available.

Tamborine Mountain Coffee Plantation

coffee plantation tour — Learn more about what goes into your morning brew on a plantation tour.

An idyllic meeting point or refuelling spot for roadtrippers, Tamborine Mountain Coffee Plantation serves hot cups of the good stuff, alongside generously portioned brunch-time meals, cakes and more. Perch on its back terrace in the sunshine, where vibrant red coffee beans pepper the plants around your table. For true coffee devotees, there’s the option to take a tour of the coffee plantation and learn more about this complex brew.

Tamborine Cheese

It would be a mistake for any self-proclaimed cheese lover to leave this mountain without first paying a visit to Tamborine Cheese . Cheesemaker Cristian Silvalti, hailing from Avellino, Italy, always dreamed of opening a cheese company – and Tamborine Cheese is the fruit of his labour. Now, cheese fiends can pick up Italian cheeses, made from locally sourced buffalo and cow’s milks, from his mountaintop shop.

Pinto Thai Station

Staying the night? Bringing the fresh flavours of Thailand to Tamborine Mountain, Pinto Thai Station is favoured by locals and holidaymakers seeking warming takeaway dinners to enjoy at their lodgings (preferably by a fireplace). A succinct yet warming menu of vibrant curries, stir-fries and starters are bound to please on a chilly evening. A drawcard? The creamy red curry with its layered depth of flavour is a robust and delicious choice.

Main St Providore

Be it a morning’s kick-starting espresso and freshly baked pastry, or deli-style sandwiches and cheese plates (with a glass of wine) at lunchtime, or leisurely five-course set menu dinners come the evening, Main St. Provedore Eatery & Espresso is a one-stop gourmand’s shop. Chef Brenden Schutz’s love for and knowledge of great food shines through in every breakfast, lunch and dinner dish at this welcoming venue.

Trattoria MKIII

When temperatures drop in the Scenic Rim, a menu that celebrates Italo-Americano flavour and hearty carbs is precisely what diners want to warm up with. Huddle inside and tuck into a starter of meatballs and focaccia, move onward to teaming plates of pizza and heaped-high bowls of creamy pasta (like the boscaiola), and end your meal with spoonfuls of tiramisu. You can also pop in for espresso from 7am each morning.

Tamborine Mountain Pizza

The older sibling restaurant of Trattoria MKIII, Tamborine Mountain Pizza has been serving up slices since 1994. While its methods are traditional – its dough is slow fermented and rolled to bake fresh by the order – its many and varied toppings prove this venue is not afraid to stray from tradition in the name of flavour (enter: Mexican pizza). Plus, vegan diners are given the choice of five plant-based pizzas, too. Try the ‘Pepperoni Americano’ with locally produced hot honey and added burrata.

Saint Marthe Brasserie

French-inspired Saint Marthe Brasserie presents an ambient, fire-warmed space in which to sip a cocktail and enjoy a snack by the bar. Those without plans might pop in for a drink and a small plate, but the menu here is more than likely set to lure them in for something more (the gruyere cheese souffle, for example) and a taste of the housemade lavender ice-cream to end the night.

Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

Exploring K’gari

ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island — Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island — Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

Unwind at sunset

two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort — Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

Indulge and disconnect

woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa — Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

Getting there

kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island — The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.

Tamborine Mountain’s food and drink scene is not what it used to be