Begin enroute by taking the M2 and onto A2 from the Gold Coast to head towards Plainland. First stop on this taste adventure is a slight detour off the highway at Gatton, heading to Tins and Trays Patisserie for morning tea where you can delight in their decadent housemade pastries and sustainability-minded, Queensland-based coffee. Travel on to take the State Route 80 to Laidley, onto Whites Road, arriving in Forest Hill. Bask in the heritage as you explore the old pubs, antiques and second-hand stores. The next taste adventure begins with lunch at the Lockyer Hotel, before checking into a country cottage at either Clewleys Country Haven or Branell Homestead.
Gold Coast to Lockyer Valley Road Trip
Sitting at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, you’ll find the Lockyer Valley. The region is a short one hour’s drive from Brisbane and Toowoomba respectively and is undoubtedly the produce-bowl of south-east Queensland.
Warm your body and soul with the only packing essential required for the Lockyer Valley, (besides your Winter woollies) being your appetite, as you taste your way through the South East Queensland food trail, winding its way across the valley. Bring a slice of the Lockyer Valley home with a collection of fresh produce from the many roadside stalls and honesty boxes across the region.
Day 1: Gold Coast to Lockyer Valley (2 hours)
165km
Day 2: Laidley to Gold Coast (1 hour 45 minutes)
Enjoy a morning embracing life on the farm before heading to produce rich farms to fill your esky with food grown right in Queensland’s “Salad Bowl”. Mulgowie Farmers Markets (held on the first Saturday of each month) for stalls full of seasonal farm grown produce and goods; Native Oz Bushfoods for their range of Australian native bushfood products and tours; Schulte’s Meat Tavern for the highest quality fresh red meat, pork and lamb products; and 9Dorf Farms for pasture raised chicken and eggs, beef, pork and aquaculture. Esky full? Now return home to the coast with all your handpicked treasures.
142km