Led by experienced guides, these tours aren’t just filled with scrumptious fare – we’re sure you'll also pick up some local knowledge about these delicious haunts along the way.
It’s time to jump aboard and uncover some of our favourite food tours on the Sunshine Coast.
Joel’s Journeys
Founder Joel McPherson recently took home the award for 2023 as Queensland’s top tour guide best tour operator, so you can expect the best in the business if you book a day with Joel’s Journeys. Offerings include tours, transfers and bespoke experiences across the Sunshine Coast, with plenty of delicious treats along the way.
Best of all, you’ll have the option to choose between joining a small group tour or creating your own adventure. Along the way, your expert guide and driver will provide engaging commentary as you indulge in sampling wine, chocolate, cheese, a gourmet lunch (or all four!) from the comfort of a premium vehicle.
Tasty Tours
If you’re after all things savoury, we suggest checking out the ‘Tasty Savoury’ day trip with Tasty Tours. Here, you’ll get started at The Fermentier, where you’ll get to enjoy some award-winning kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut.
Next up, smell, taste and touch your way through six cheeses at Woombye Cheese before washing it all down with a distillery tour and spirit tastings at Sunshine & Sons.
You can also get hands-on with a 2-hour Cheesemaking Experience at the home of Woombye Cheese on a separate tour (among others). Considering these guys just won the award for Australia’s Best Cheese at the 2023 Australia Dairy Awards, you won’t want to miss the chance to learn from the masters!
Creative Tours
Creative Tours small group tour
Award-winning Food Tourism operator, Creative Tours has all the right ingredients to pull together the ultimate local stories and local producers for one of the best local food experiences on the Sunshine Coast.
The team at Creative Tours offer a range of small group tour options, including their Falls Farm to Fork Experience where you will see where your food is grown before enjoying lunch featuring fresh seasonal produce. Or taste the sea on a Trawler to Table Seafood Experience - the seafood doesn't get any fresher than straight from the boat!
Mystic Mountain Tours
Answer the call of the mountains and head to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland with Mystic Mountain Tours. With plenty of foodie hot spots to visit, their ‘Taste of the Hinterland’ tour is full of wine, beer, cheese, and chocolate. Stop-offs include Maleny Chocolate Factory, Flame Hill Vineyard, and Maleny Cheese Factory.
The best part? Sit back, relax, and let someone else do the driving.
Glasshouse Country Tours
Gain exclusive access to farms that aren’t normally open to the public on the ‘Meet our Farmers’ tour with Glasshouse Country Tours. Visit local farms, meet the growers, and find out the secrets about how your favourite foods are grown – all while tasting in-season food at its best.
Some of the produce you might experience includes macadamia nuts, pineapples, finger limes, figs, lychees and avocados – all with the stunning Glass House Mountains in view.
Coast to Hinterland Tours
Coast to Hinterland Tours
Taste the best of the coast (and hinterland) with a ‘Scenic, Food, Cheese and Wine Tour’ onboard Coast to Hinterland Tours.
Dig into gorgeous local cheeses at Maleny Food Co, drink wine inside an iconic giant wine barrel on the grounds of Clouds Vineyard, and finish with a mouthwatering visit to Chocolate Country to finish it all off.
The scenic views on the way are almost as good as the food!
Vanilla Vine
On the last Sunday of every month, take yourself off to Vanilla Vine for a fragrant celebration of the famous bean. This small vanilla farm in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland offers tours where you learn, see, and taste everything vanilla.
While you are there, you can buy products like vanilla beans, vanilla sugar, and vanilla body scrub to take home.
The Ginger Factory
The Ginger Factory, Yandina
Buderim Ginger has been around on the Sunshine Coast since 1941, which means they’ve had plenty of time to perfect the ultimate foodie offering: a guided tour focusing on all things ginger. Learn fascinating inside information about how ginger is grown, harvested, and made into the delicious products you can buy at the shop. The tour also includes a tasting, of course!
Before you head home, you’ll want to enjoy a gelato from The Ginger Factory’s Gingerlatis to top off a day well spent.
A luxe experience with Airguides
If you like your food tour with a side of celebrity, look no further than Airguides’ Farm to Table Expedition.
Hosted by renowned chef Matt Golinski, this is no ordinary food tour. The 4-day, 3-night extravaganza kicks off with a luxurious stay at the Sofitel Noosa Resort, followed by the opportunity to experience glamping in an eco-conscious yurt. Other highlights include a helicopter to a local winery, a personalised hinterland culinary adventure and a private sailing expedition to Double Island Point.
As you might have guessed, this one does come with a price tag!
Mary Valley Rattler
The Mary Valley Rattler rolling through the Mary Valley
All aboard the Tasting Train...
What’s better than the romance of a vintage train ride through the scenic Mary Valley? A train ride that includes delicious local food and drink to enjoy along the way! Embarking on the Mary Valley Rattler’s heritage 2000 Class Motor, you’ll enjoy a mouthwatering tasting platter as the lush countryside flits by outside. Make sure to save room for a Gympie Station lunchtime feast of seasonal produce (plus drinks to wash it all down)!
