Roslyn McCarthy, Cumquats Australia

Roslyn’s love for cumquats began as a childhood fascination, sparked by a single taste from a tree near her family’s dairy farmhouse in Mt Beppo, Toogoolawah. That tiny golden fruit became a lifelong passion, leading her to experiment with homemade marmalades and share the joy with her children. As she deepened her appreciation for cumquats, she dreamed of creating something bigger – something that would connect people to the unique flavour and versatility of this fruit. That dream became reality with Cumquats Australia.

Tell us about Cumquats Australia.

Having developed a palate for cumquat marmalade, I was always in search of a jar and with my family now educated on the appeal of this delicious fruit, I followed my passion and planted our own cumquat orchard, where I began making my own cumquat products.

Cumquats Australia is a farm-based business in Cressbrook, Toogoolawah, dedicated to producing high-quality cumquat products that celebrate local agriculture and sustainable practices. Committed to strengthening economic resilience through agricultural diversification and value-added production. As both farmers and producers, we specialise in high-quality cumquat and ginger products, fostering a direct connection between consumers and locally grown food.

Our goal is to create unique, flavourful products that highlight the richness of our farm’s harvest. We focus on traceability, ensuring every item we produce – from non-alcoholic beverages to gourmet preserves – is directly linked to our farm’s sustainable practices.

Your fave café, restaurant and/or bar in South-East Queensland?

The Esk Grand hotel, Joe and his team are always so welcoming, and his team of creative chefs focus on fantastic seasonal dishes. It’s premium quality food and 5-star service from a small rural town.

Ingredient you cannot live without and why?

The humble Cumquat! From flavouring breakfast treats or decadent desserts to spicing up traditional family favourites, cumquats are not only in vogue but are an affordable and exotic addition to the kitchen.

Three words that describe the local produce of South-East Queensland.

Fresh, handmade, sustainable

What makes South-East Queensland such a great region for Food Trails?

South-East Queensland (SEQ) is an ideal region for food trails due to its diverse culinary scene, abundance of local producers, and a focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients. The region offers a wide variety of experiences, from farm-to-table dining to artisanal markets and cooking schools, making it a great place to explore different flavours and discover hidden gems. SEQ also boasts a strong culinary community, with passionate chefs, growers, and producers eager to share their expertise and creations.

We actively engage with the community by offering farm tours, tastings, and educational experiences, promoting awareness of sustainable agriculture.

Our collaborations include; Working with the University of Queensland (FaBA Food and Beverage Accelerator) to develop premium alcoholic beverages using our farm’s produce. Participating in a farm diversification research project with the University of Southern Queensland. FAN (Food and Agribusiness Network) Sunshine Coast and Somerset Regional Council – Experience Somerset.

Favourites you supply to: why and where they are from?

Our products are sold nationally, (Journey Beyond Rail – Ghan, Great Southern & Indian Pacific, The Westin, Melbourne) addressing a significant gap in the Australian cumquat market.

We create unique, flavourful products that highlight the richness of the farm’s harvest, focusing on traceability and ensuring that every item produced is directly linked to their farm’s sustainable practices.

We have a number of stockists that we supply our product range to including local retailers The Potager, Little Country Lane, Relish Café, Thee Coffee Shack, The Picnic Society and Brisbane based QRoasters, TMP Organics and The Cheeseboard.

Each unique retailer stocking our product range that spans across Non-Alcoholic Beverages (Shrubs): A refreshing infusion of cumquats and ginger, perfect for cocktails or standalone enjoyment, Candied Cumquats: Sweet, tangy treats made from handpicked cumquats, ideal for snacking or as gourmet additions to desserts and Marmalades: Rich and flavourful spreads that capture the essence of our farm, perfect for breakfast or gifting.

What’s next?

As we expand, our next step is to establish a distillery, leveraging our prime location near Brisbane and the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail to enhance Agri-tourism opportunities.

Alcohol Distilling (Upcoming): Our next venture will introduce premium alcoholic beverages, further enhancing the value of our cumquat and ginger production.

Recognising the economic vulnerabilities associated with single-commodity farming – particularly beef cattle – our decision to diversify has been critical.

Since 2020, we have established a Cumquat Orchard of approximately 500 trees and annually cultivate ¼ acre of ginger. To support value-added production, we made a substantial investment in the construction of a purpose-built packing shed, commercial kitchen, and distillery. This will allow us to process and market our produce directly to market.

What’s your fav dish using your local produce?

With such a range to choose from that is a hard question. Although a fav would be Candied Cumquats on a cheese platter. Candied Cumquats are perfect for adding flavour, texture and colour to a cheese board or appetiser platter.

Where can we find you?

Our farm is located at Cressbrook, Queensland, Australia alongside the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. 1 ½ hour scenic drive from Brisbane and 1 hour from Toowoomba.

Amanda Hinds, Myrtille (Crows Nest)

Tell us a bit about yourself, your restaurant/café and where you’re based.

Myself, husband Larry and daughter Sabine own and operate a restaurant called Myrtille (pronounced Mur-tee) which is French for blueberry, and a Patisserie/cafe called My Little Blueberry in the country town of Crows Nest. It is situated in a beautiful area that we know as the High Country Hamlets so the growing conditions are quite different to the coast. Queensland is such an amazing, prolific and diverse state for produce. I would call myself a passionate Queensland food advocate and have operated cafes and restaurants for over twenty years using our best local produce and dealing with some of our most incredible and innovative farmers. I feel extremely lucky to be situated in such an exciting and abundant area for food.

Tell us your fave café, restaurant, and bar in SEQ

If I am out and about and heading to a restaurant Toowoomba, for a casual meal, I love Sofra Turkish Cuisine, for the most consistent great food at any time in the afternoon, I’ll head to Chimac for their excellent Korean fried chicken. If I am in Brisbane and looking for great service, and an interesting wine list, you would probably find me for lunch at La cache a vin in Spring Hill, or Supernormal on the Brisbane river or for a relaxed dinner, a classic like Tartufo in the Valley. I love Asian food so I’m always seeking the best authentic experience, so I like to head out to Sunnybank as there’s plenty of choices. When it comes to Bars, I love Uva Wine Bar and Santé Cocktail Bar in Toowoomba and in Brisbane I love Death and Taxes, and Saville Row in the City, or anywhere there is a decent dry gin martini or champagne.

The ingredient you can’t live without

Local blueberries from Brenique Farms in Ravensbourne of course - 365 days a year up here! And the French holy trio of onions, garlic, and bay leaf!

Three words that describe the local produce available in SEQ

unique - micro - climate

What makes SEQ such a great place for food trails?

The offering of the freshest farm to cafe experience that you just can’t access in the City.

We know it’s hard but tell us five of your fave suppliers

ONLY 5? So many good ones!

- Rhubarb from MacBeth Farms, Cabarlah.

- Avocados, rhubarb, and native finger limes from Halo Farm, Hampton and farmer Tony Blackbutt.

- Brisbane Valley Quail

- Roslyn my Gowrie grower supplies me everything from figs through to cavallo nero (a variety of kale with long, dark green, almost black leaves, a popular vegetable in Italian cuisine) and everything in between!

- Avocados from Sunnyspot, Ravensbourne.

- Meats and more from our local Crows Nest butchers.

- Joel from Merritts Creek Baker

- Rosalie’s walnuts

What’s your fave dish using local produce?

This week - suckling pig from Schultz family farms, rolled into a juicy fennel infused porchetta or a fabulously sweet tart with rhubarb and ginger jam with our fresh baked blueberry scones with lashings of fresh cream.

Savoury or sweet? Breakfast, lunch or dinner?

Savoury. Breakfast simple for me! Merritts Creek sour dough, with Hampton ripe fuerte avocado, extra smokey thick cut bacon, garlicky roasted small heirloom tomatoes with fresh, ripe, basil, maybe some shaved parmesan and a small double shot flat white = dreamy happy place!

SPOTLIGHT

Here's What We Are Loving!!

Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is coming

Mark your calendar: Australia’s premier floral celebration, The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, will return for its 76th year from 12 September to 6 October 2025. Featuring four spectacular weekends of flowers, food, music, and spring delights – including four new signature events – the Carnival is expected to attract roughly half a million visitors to Queensland’s vibrant Garden City.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the food festivities that will be a part of this year's program.

Food Extravaganza (27-28 September)

Experience the debut of FEASTival, a new family-friendly FOODIE-focused event celebrating the culinary offerings of the Toowoomba Region and some special guest flavours. Set in the stunning, tree-lined parkland of Queens Park, discover local hidden gems in music, food and drink at FEASTival with us this year. Throw down the picnic rug to feast on savoury bites and sweet treats.

Weekend Table (3-6 October)

For the long weekend finale, experience the Weekend Table – a new concept debuting long-table breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner events hosted across the Toowoomba Region. There will be something for every taste and every price point, celebrating local chefs and local produce in spectacular spring surroundings. A special highlight will be the Weekend Table Cake Date event. This is your chance to have your cake and eat everyone else’s, too! Save the date for our Cake Date on Saturday, 4 October – it’s going to be simply un-beat-able!

Toowoomba’s feature parks and private gardens, including Queens Park Botanic Gardens and Laurel Bank Park, remain the breathtaking centrepiece of the award-winning festival, beckoning floral frolickers, garden lovers and photographers alike. This year, four exciting new events will join the floral program and promise to make each weekend truly unforgettable, offering families, foodies and flower lovers even more reasons to escape to the country, and even more incentive for locals to stick around and enjoy the festivities, too.

Splityard Social

Something new has been brewing in Fernvale. Rooted in the heritage of the ironbark that built this region. Designed with industrial charm and local pride. Fuelled by on-site coffee roasting and fresh seasonal produce.

Imagine this … you are sipping a freshly roasted flat white, eating vibrant, seasonal food crafted with local produce, surrounded by the rich textures of reclaimed ironbark and artistic murals. That’s the experience you’ll get at the new Splityard Social in the Somerset Region.

Eat Local Month

It’s a month for anyone who believes the best meals come with a story – and maybe a little dirt under the nails. So pack your appetite and sense of adventure – this is as local as it gets.

Forks up folks, it’s feasting time! The famous Scenic Rim Eat Local Month returns this June with more flavour, fun, and fire (as well as carrots, cheese, wine, beer and pickles!) than ever before – serving up an epic month-long celebration of the region’s award-winning producers, makers, farmers, brewers, bakers, and food innovators, and for the first time in the event’s 14 flavour-filled years, it takes to the air!

Tickets are on sale NOW at eatlocalmonth.com.au

Scenic Rim Regional Council Mayor, Tom Sharp said,

"Eat Local Month provides the opportunity for our local community, visitors and people from all ages and backgrounds to enjoy an authentic paddock-to-plate experience and to renew their connection with our natural environment and agricultural production. With over 100 events on offer, there is a variety of options for everyone and for every taste and budget. Traditionally, growers have taken their product to market, however we are seeing an increase in consumers wanting to connect with where their food comes from and buy direct from the producers and growers in region.”

The best advice is to plan your visit, take some time to read the program, and book accommodation and tickets now, because with a menu this good, it will sell out!

Scenic Rim Eat Local Month - across all of June
eatlocalmonth.com.au

visitscenicrim.com.au
for more information about this extraordinary region

Springfield Markets – Robelle Domain Parklands

1st Sunday of each month – 8am to 1pm

Discover the heart of a community at Springfield Markets, where over 80 vibrant stalls showcase delicious food, unique arts & crafts, stylish homewares, and fashion. With beloved traders who have been part of their journey for over 10 years, and exciting new stallholders joining each month, there's always something fresh to explore.

Set beneath the beautiful trees of Robelle Domain, enjoy a lively atmosphere with live music and entertainment, bringing friends and families together.

Make a day of it! Take a refreshing dip at Orion Lagoon, wander the scenic walkways with your scooter, bike, or pram, and soak in the relaxed community vibe.

They love what they do and can't wait to see you there!

Other things to do at Springfield Central

Visit Orion Springfield Central – shopping, food, movies, kids entertainment

Orion Lagoon – Free swimming pools with onsite licenced café

Robelle Domain Parklands – Splash Bucket, 13 hectares of gardens & paths

Looking for a “wheelie” Good Road Trip?

The Lockyer Valley is an easy double-lane cruise up the Warrego Highway from Brisbane or Toowoomba.

Fuel up with breakfast at Tins & Trays… think campfire cookie pancakes, a passionfruit pavlova granola bowl, or for the Benny fans, a loaded bao Benny. And it wouldn’t be the Lockyer Valley without a veggie Burger!

Chef Sophie uses quality ingredients from local farmers.

“Growing up on a farm taught me how produce is grown & that fresh is best! My parents being Organic farmers has shown me the importance of using raw natural ingredients.”

The Patisserie offers breakfast and lunch (dine in or takeaway), plus a vast variety of Viennoiserie and pastries. Stay on track for a lap of pastry perfection with Sophie’s almond croissants, triple cream pain au chocolat, Dulcey vanilla slice or a chocolate coconut cruffin.

Just one kilometre down the road, explore wheels of a different kind at Gatton’s Queensland Transport Museum’s newly launched Military Exhibit. From rugged army trucks that navigated battlefields to the essential equipment that kept troops moving, each artifact tells a powerful story of courage and innovation. Discover intricately restored transport vehicles along with field gear, and historic relics that highlight the engineering and human determination behind wartime transport.

This exhibition is more than just a collection of machines – it’s a chance to reflect, to honour those who served, and to gain a deeper appreciation of the transport that carried them through the most challenging times.

The Lockyer Valley Cultural Centre, as well as housing the Queensland Transport Museum, an Art Gallery and the Visitor Centre, is also home to Colonial Café, so grab a coffee to go before revving your engines for the next “wheelie” good stop!

For an adrenaline-fueled thrill on little wheels, strap in for some heart-pounding go-karting fun.

Adrenaline Sports in Withcott, at the bottom on the Toowoomba Range, offers a 310m go-kart track to challenge your cornering ability and push your driving to the limits. Multiple switch back hairpins, tight chicanes and fast sweeping bends are sure to get the adrenaline pumping.

Putting rubber on the road for this drive itinerary, be sure and schedule in a couple of farm gate stalls to stock up on produce for your home run.

Drop by the Salad Shed in Gatton for big bunches of hydroponic salad greenery and swing by Carpendale for fully certified organic vegetables and fruits from Australian Organic Farmers.

To find out more or map your “wheelie” tasty adventure in the Lockyer Valley, visit seqfoodtrails.com.au or luvyalockyer.com.au

Five Minutes with Kay Tommerup

Wife, mother, farmer, agritourism advocate, foodie.

Five words that make South East Queensland such a great region for Food Trails?

Farmers, communities, authenticity, quality, abundance

Why are Food Trails a great way for people to experience regions produce offering?

When we connect farmers and flavour makers with consumers, we raise the value perception of food and the farmers who grow it, and come to understand the important role each of us play in ensuring the best quality local food continues to be available for generations to come.

Ingredient you cannot live without and why.

That’s a hard one because I do love my rose veal, but I’d have to say MILK. It’s a superfood, containing the three major nutrients we need to survive – protein, fat, and carbohydrate. It’s so versatile – from our Jersey Girls I get off-the-charts creamy milk, golden double cream, decadent crème fraiche, luscious yoghurt, amazing butter, and cultured buttermilk for the best Sunday morning pancakes. But more than just the enjoyment of consuming those delicious dairy products, milk in its many forms, has formed the basis of every chapter of my life. From making butter with my mum and five brothers around the kitchen table as a child, making creamed rice on school holidays with my grandad, milking our house cow with my dad throughout my teenage years, meeting Dave and becoming a dairy farmer’s wife, then moving into the Tommerup’s family business as a dairy farmer myself, to the huge leap of starting our on-farm creamery, a love of milk and cows have been with me every step of the way.

5 people you would have for dinner and what would you serve?

(If I could have anyone…) Barack Obama, Nancy Wake, my Year 10 English teacher, Harold (Dave’s grandfather), and my mum. Each of these people have had an influence in some way on the way I think, the person I have become, and the life I lead. I think the conversation around the dinner table would be so interesting. Without even a second thought, I’d serve slow-cooked veal ragu with freshly made pasta and a big bowl of our crème fraiche. Naturally there would be freshly churned Jersey Girl cultured butter with sourdough too. And for dessert, Grandad’s steamed syrup pudding with rich vanilla ice cream.

What role will Agritourism play in the future of southeast Queensland?

Not so long ago, everyone had a country cousin to visit for holidays – knowing where food came from was just part of growing up. That’s no longer the case. Agritourism is building those connections to farms and farmers again, and as we see more farming land being sold to house our expanding population, agritourism and the chance to experience a slice of life on a working farm will become even more sought after and far more important. Those paddock to plate experiences, and the food trails that lead us on a path of culinary discovery, will be the threads that weave city and country together, and keep many farming families on the land.