The cancellation of this year’s The Curated Plate food festival on the Sunshine Coast isn’t stopping one of the confirmed participants, Caloundra Jetski, from going ahead with its distinctively Sunny Coast seafood and strawberry jetski safaris over the originally scheduled days for the festival, 6-9 August.
Guide Ken Jeffreys said the seafood safari proved highly successful during the inaugural The 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 a ‘mini food festival’ over the scheduled long weekend.
“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,” said Mr 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, calamari and lots of accompaniments. It will be a feast for the senses.”
The Caloundra Seafood Safari will depart at midday each day over the long weekend. Prices are $440 per jetski ($220 pp if two share jetski), making it perfectly suited to couples and friends. 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.
In addition, Ken will be offering a Jetski to Strawberry Heaven tour, taking off from Caloundra and jet-skiing to historic Roy’s Strawberry Farm, where participants can pick and sample a tray of luscious, ripe strawberries on a grassy hillock overlooking the Pumicestone Passage.
“We’ll be offering a complete experiential package,” said Mr Jeffreys. “On the way up to the Roys, we will throttle things up with a few breathtaking fishtails and donuts before pulling up on a palm tree lined beach, where safari trekkers will be welcomed by local legends Henry and Janette Roy.
“Their farm was established in the 1920s as Queensland’s biggest citrus farm. It now grows Red Rhapsody strawberries – a variety bred right here on the Sunshine Coast by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.”
Jetski to Strawberry Heaven is perfect for families and couples, and lasts about 90 minutes. The cost per jetski is $220, with up to two people able to share a jetski (ie $110 pp if two share a jetski).
Mr Jeffreys said bookings were essential to ensure all Covid safety requirements were 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,” said Mr Jeffreys.
Bookings via www.caloundrajetski.com.au or 0434 330 660
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