Exploring the beautiful Mary Valley

It doesn’t take much to convince me to go for a drive in the countryside, so when we were invited by Les and Leanne from Mary Valley Views and Tanya and Tony from Melawondi Spring Retreat to come and stay with them, we decided to throw some clothes, a good book and a guitar into the car and head off for a weekend adventure to see what the area  had to offer our senses.

But the book stayed shut and the guitar stayed silent; the area managed to keep our senses very busy the whole time we were there!(I did wear the clothes though)

It was lunchtime on a Saturday that we headed north on the highway towards Gympie and turned off onto the Mary Valley Tourist Drive just north of Pomona. We were keen to check out the Dagun Growers Market, held at the Dagun train station every Saturday from 3.00pm, but we were a bit early, so we detoured to the Kandanga Hotel for some lunch and a “we’re on an adventure” celebratory beer.

Some country pubs can be a bit intimidating to walk into if you’re not a local, but the Kandanga Hotel is inviting and friendly, the food is good quality and reasonably priced, and the big wrap around verandah is the perfect spot to sit on a warm afternoon and enjoy a few coldies. They also regularly feature live music on weekends.

So with full bellies and a schooner glow, we drove 10 minutes north to make the Dagun Markets right on 3.00. (Last time we got there at 4.00 and nearly everything was sold out)

The markets are a real treat if you’re a foodie. Don’t expect a hundred stalls selling everything from soap to sourdough; this is a true growers market full of the freshest, truly seasonal and most interesting array of fruit and vegetables you are likely to see anywhere, and it all fits under the roof of the Dagun Railway Station platform.

As usual I went completely crazy buying armfuls of veges I had no idea how I was going to get around to eating, but came away with some inspiring produce.

Spanish black radishes, Krachai(a type of ginger used in Thai cooking), 3 varieties of tomatoes, watercress, potatoes straight out of the ground, citrons, rosellas and bags of super fresh mixed greens.

 

I also picked up a leg of goat and some goat salami(which I’m now addicted to) from Dean at the Southern Cross Smallgoods stall. Dean  has been growing and processing goats in Sexton, about 35 minutes west of Gympie since March 2013 and has developed a fantastic range of smallgoods including fresh sausages and salamis. Interestingly, goat meat is the most widely eaten meat in the world, but unfortunately we don’t see a lot of it here in Australia. It’s great to see someone providing great goat products direct to the public.

You can find Dean’s stall at the Tin Can Bay markets every 3rd Saturday of the month, the Gympie Museum Markets very 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday of the month, Pomona Markets very 2nd and 4th Saturday in the mornings, and Dagun on the 2nd and 4th Saturday in the afternoon. He’s also just started Nanango markets on the 1st Saturday of the month. Busy man.

Les and Leanne from Mary Valley Views were at the markets buying some bits and pieces to make us dinner that night, so we followed them back to Imbil to check in.

 

Only a few minutes walk from town, perched up high on a hill with views looking back towards Noosa, these two have done a great job setting up 2  beautiful, comfortable rooms at one end of their home with a cosy common area and a big deck with a day bed to laze about on and take in the scenery and do some wallaby watching.

After being fed homemade cake and coffee, we were ordered off to our room to relax until dinner time. We woke to the aromas of locally sourced beef grilling in the kitchen and sat with our hosts to enjoy some great food, wine and conversation together in a lovely setting.

Feeling that I should contribute to all of this gluttony in some way, I had brought along a lime tart that I’d baked at home made with Suncoast Limes big fat juicy limes, and served it with whipped Cooloola cream.  Cooloola  Dairy is yet another jewel in the Gympie region’s crown, I love all of their products, particularly their “pasteurised only” milk.

The next morning the feasting continued with a full brekky spread on the front deck, and then it was time to roll our way out to the car and head off on our next adventure.

Borumba Dam, about 20km west of Imbil, is worth the drive if you’re looking for a good picnic spot. It also has great camping facilities and is well loved by water-skiers and sports fishermen chasing Saratoga and Bass.

Imbil township also has a great camping ground, Imbil Island Reach, perched on Little Yabba Creek. It’s dog friendly, you can have campfires, and it has a fantastic swimming hole. It’s about 10 minutes walk into town if you need to top up on supplies or you get thirsty and need to visit the Imbil Railway Hotel.

The Imbil Country Markets are held in the main street every Sunday,  with stalls selling good local produce. Opposite the markets is the Rattler Cafe, which makes great coffee and genuinely homemade snacks, a really good antique/secondhand shop that’s good for a rummage and a bustling little clothes shop which deserves an award for its name; “The Yabbadashery”.

After a caffeine top up and a shop, it was time to head to Melawondi Spring Retreat, about 8km out of town back towards Gympie.

Retreat is the perfect word for it. Tony and Tanya have built a beautiful little hideaway made especially for couples looking to escape their busy lives and relax in the bush with the sounds of the native  birdlife chiming through the gum trees.

As soon as we walked through the doors of the open plan cabin we felt right at home. There was a platter in the fridge with Kenilworth cheeses, Fat Hen olives and Hinterland Feijoas chutney, and a bottle of bubbles. Tick. Straight out onto the day bed to stuff ourselves silly again and enjoy the view.

Late in the afternoon, Tony, Tanya and Emma(their daughter and the boss of Melawondi) came and picked us up and took us to the highest point on the property  to watch the sun set and have a drink together.

Then down to the campfire where there was already chicken cooking away in the camp oven and another platter of snacks for us to gorge ourselves on.

Our lovely and multi talented waitress not only made sure we were well fed, after dinner we were treated to an Irish dancing performance and a clarinet concerto. The girl’s got talent. (She also makes a fine cookie)

The next morning we woke to a delivery of fresh fruit, yoghurt, juice and freshly baked bread to go with the free range eggs and local smoked bacon that had been left in the fridge for us to cook up at our leisure. Rather than interrupt our privacy, Tanya leaves a hamper in the little shed near our cabin and raises the flag to let us know there’s a delivery. It’s a nice touch.

So after eating a leisurely breakfast while reading the morning paper, we pack up and sadly say goodbye to the Mary Valley.

About 5kg heavier, but extremely relaxed and satisfied after exploring another beautiful part of the Gympie region.

Our highlight was meeting two great couples who are not only providing world class accommodation in the region, but who understand that food plays a huge part in the overall experience a person has when they are travelling. Both are great ambassadors for the wealth of produce that the Gympie region has to offer.

Mary Valley Views

(07)54886740/0409007341

stay@maryvalleyviews.com.au

www.maryvalleyviews.com.au

Melawondi Spring Retreat

0408736223

info@melawondispringretreat.com.au

www.melawondispringretreat.com.au

 

Now….what to do with those bags of food from Dagun Growers Market?

Goat leg, goat salami, tomatoes, potatoes and mixed greens.

Sounded like an Italian theme to me, so I invited the family around for lunch and cooked up a feast Mary Valley style.

Buon Appetito!

Ragu of Goat Leg, Chevon Salami, Tomatoes and Fennel with Potato Gnocchi and Green Salad

Serves 6

For the Ragu:

Ingredients:

1.5kg leg of chevon, bone out

250gm goat salami, sliced(the one with the whole peppercorns is my favourite)

100ml olive oil

1 brown onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 sticks celery, diced

1 leek, washed and diced

4 small fennel bulbs, diced(reserve the green tips)

1kg vine ripened tomatoes, diced

1 lt chicken stock

4 bay leaves

salt and pepper

Method:

In a hot pan, fry the goat leg in a small amount of oil on all sides until nicely caramelised.

Transfer to a large casserole dish or deep baking tray.

In the same pan, fry the slices of salami until lightly coloured. Add to the casserole dish.

Return the pan to the heat and uin the remaining oil, fry the onion, garlic, celery, leek, fennel seeds, and fennel until soft.

Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaves and seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour over the goat leg and salami, cover and bake in the oven at 150 degrees C for 4 hours.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove the goat meat, roughly shred and add back to the sauce.

For the Gnocchi:

Ingredients:

3 cups desiree or Sebago potatoes, peeled, cooked and passed through a wire sieve

1.5 cups plain flour

salt and white pepper

pinch nutmeg

50gm butter

40gm grated parmesan

green tips of the fennel bulbs, roughly chopped

While the potato is still hot, gently mix in flour, nutmeg and seasoning. Turn onto bench and knead by hand until dough just comes together, do not overmix. Roll into 2cm thick logs and cut each into 1cm pieces. Roll each piece across the back of a fork on each side to make indents and drop onto a floured tray. Blanch the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water. As the gnocchi rises transfer with a slotted spoon to iced water.

When you are ready to serve the gnocchi, heat the butter in a large frying pan and add the gnocchi, tossing for a few minutes to heat through.

Add the parmesan and fennel tops and serve immediately.

For the Salad:

Ingredients:

250gm mixed greens

1 tsp Dijon mustard

30ml red wine vinegar

60ml Extra Virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

 

Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, oil and seasoning, dress the salad greens and serve immediately.