Day 11 - 7th Sept - Noosa

 Day 11 - 7th Sept

Once again we found ourselves drawn to the Eumundi markets. 

https://eumundimarkets.com.au/


We got there much earlier, and STILL the parking was a long game. With the lay of the land worked out last time, we were much more efficient. We grabbed bagels, mama tried on skirts and came away with a top spied last visit, papa purchased Twistie themed earrings for mama, Sasha found a donkey caricature.


Bezel’s bagels 

https://instagram.com/bezelsbagels?igshid=MDE2OWE1N2Q=

https://facebook.com/bezelsbagels



After a brief period of papa being more hungry than he should allow himself to get in public, a Nimo’s schnitzel wrap and Hungarian ‘langos’ (deep fried pastry disk topped with noms) were devoured with tasty coffee. 

All highly recommended. 


https://eumundimarkets.com.au/stalls/nimos-schnitzels/

https://www.instagram.com/nimos_schnitzels/






A park visit met mr 3’s needs, and he managed one each end of the shopping in Eumundi - a testament to the varied equipment and lovely kids hanging out there (it had climbing, spinning, sliding, bouncing, and imagination play aspects that Sasha loves.)






The markets closed at two, and after everyone thoroughly agreeing we definitely did not like ginger, we set our compass to the ginger factory anyway, because it sounded lovely. 



We arrived in time for ice cream (lovely) and lamington (very good) and the 3:30 train. Sasha was keen on riding the smaller coin operated train, because the big one was taking its time, but once the engine got going he was in the zone. The train was a converted steam train used for sugar cane hauling, it now had open air carriages and gave a 15 minute tour of the site. 





There was the umbrella installation, gruffalo walk, the bee house, recreated farm buildings, and a few acres of manicured gardens… you could be forgiven for thinking we are talking up a place without justification, but it was the little things that made a huge difference - the main food area had a playground, a bistro and ice cream shop. People did not need to pay entry to access these, so local groups of parents come down for coffees, and the business is supported while atmosphere is created. The gruffalo walk was similarly free - the app was a bit hit and miss for the AR element, but next time we are near there, we plan to do the walk with plenty of time to enjoy the lush physical forest setup. The umbrella installation had thousands of multicoloured umbrellas suspended at about 3 metres high through a palm grove - visually impactful And there were spots To just hang out. This blurring of public and private space has likely allowed the business to stay open, while giving a little back to the community. 






This was not all - as another sign of their commitment to the community, the ginger factory is a spot where survivors of domestic abuse can get an escape bag if they need to get to safety. 


We picked up a few things from the shop (where there was quite a bit of local stuff apart from ginger) and left feeling we could come back, even though none of us felt much different about ginger. 

https://www.gingerfactory.com.au


Betty’s burgers and the first animated gruffalo movie rounded off a wonderful day.

https://www.bettysburgers.com.au



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