Along the coastal road through Far North Queensland, markets and roadside farm stalls provide a bounty of produce. It’s always a risk leaving a big town, with its safe supermarket and air-conditioned aisles of familiarity, to head off into the wilds in the hope of finding fresher, less uniform produce along the way. It is a risk worth taking.
Heading north from Cairns, the main source of fresh tropical bounty is the Saturday Mossman market. North of Mossman, the supplies are minimal so time your visit well. The Mossman market is an eclectic mix of old Australian of the Devonshire tea variety, new Thai farmers, old hippy and earnest organic growers. I purchased freshly crushed pineapple juice, bags of cherry tomatoes, Thai herbs and spices such as fresh stem ginger, kaffir lime leaves, and chilli as well as tropical fruits, papaya, mandarins, and large hands of lady finger bananas, the latter courteously ripening two at a time as we travel along in our camper van. Some children had a tiny stall with limes and sweet basil, and a late arrival brought along a table of freshly pulled purple shallots.
Heading south from Cairns, roadside stalls begin to appear after Innisfail, with a few farm stalls along the way to Mission Beach and mandarin stalls in the misty hills near the Tully River. In the winter months, look for long green Thai eggplant, tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and chilli, as well as passionfruit, bananas, papaya, pineapple, limes, mandarin, and bags of small avocados. The fruits end up in our daily Sunshine Pine Salad, named after our dear friend Sunshine Pine from Taraxville, a girl who loves orange!
The Sunday Market at Mission beach is another excellent source of freshly grown produce. I was delighted to find a fragrant bouquet of fresh curry leaves, carambola (star fruit) and a bag of baby sweet potato.
Fresh seafood is available at Cardwell. Moreton Bay bugs taste as sweet as crayfish, and the local Spangled Emperor fish has firm, white flesh, perfect for a lunchtime BBQ. This fish is caught only in the Coral Sea and is worth a trip up north just to taste it.
Our road trip down the east coast of Queensland, from Cape Tribulation to Coolangatta, is a research journey as well as a holiday. While pubs and restaurants supply reasonably priced meals, most of these are deep-fried, standardised and bland. Sadly, that’s country food. With a bit of forward planning and local knowledge, it’s possible to eat extremely well along the way. Pull up in your car, grab a picnic table, and eat with a view in the warm open air. Food never tasted so good.
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That local produce looks delicious. The seafood sounds delicious as well. I certainly know what you are saying about country food being pretty stodgy and fried. I really struggle to find much I can eat in areas like that. Pubs are usually my best resource. I can get some fish and chips and a salad, or roast and veg and have them leave off the gravy! Love the photo of the enterprising woman with the banjo!
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It is lovely, if you have a wee fridge to store things in. The pub food is Ok on occasion, but generally they use stuff that comes in packets from Frozen Land from who knows where.
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Yes I like the photo of the “woman” too with banjo. Very unusual pose with ciggie in mouth. The type of characters u get up there. I love the Kuranda markets too as well as the Port Douglas market. Got a crocodile hat with genuine teeth from there. I was talking to one of the sellers at the PD market and she said she also sells her wares at the St Andrews market – must do the rounds. We caught the Kuranda train to the top of the Daintree, then caught the Skyrail cable car bac/k down to Cairns. Just beautiful. Enjoy up there Francesca.
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Yes Chris, people who sell clothes from Asia do the rounds and they do go up and down the coast. The country North Queensland markets are full of genuine local food, which I love to use and cook.
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Buying food from establishments can be a bit hit and miss when travelling but there are some gems amongst it but with such colourful and fresh market produce, DIY food is a wonderful local experience both the eating and getting. I never enjoy the supermarket in day-to-day life, on holidays I surely want to spend no time in them! Oh, but I’d like a tree lettuce. Sound fabulous!
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Road trips allow this exploration only because we have a wee fridge in the hired Hobbit van. And then we tuck hard vegetables away in boxes in dark places. It is such a squeeze. I think I would like to move up here.
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The getting and eating of local stuff makes the trip worthwhile. It adds to my love of this lovely country. The supermarkets have their place.
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You were in my neck of the woods!. Mossman markets is my local market! 🙂 I am glad you enjoyed it. We are so lucky to live in this area. What I do at the local pub is order fish and chips without the chips as they have a salad bar. I remove the batter from the fish as the batter insulates it from the fat and you end up with a lovely moist piece of fish – so much better than the grilled fish they serve.
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I like an occasional hit of the local batterered fish. Can’t believe how tasty the local fish is. and the fruit. Lucky woman. x
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Wow…so much warm, tropical goodness! How delicious. Love that lady busking.
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The busking lady had her place in such a wonderful market, which was sited next to a very good op shop Jane, and you know how good they can be!
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Country markets are like lucky dips, you never know what you might find but sounds to me as if you’ve been lucky. I agree that the fish caught in Australia’s northern waters is fabulous. I frequently get dud meals in Melbourne too…..
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Melbourne is great for restaurants and has better ones than Queensland, but Queensland has that northern freshness you can’t get in Melbourne, especially the seafood and fruit.
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I see passionfruit at 12 for $1. Please buy and enjoy for me as I have to pay between $4 and $6 each!!!
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I am slurping on them at any opportunity. Big fat juicy passionfruit.
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Hubbabubba!!
We’ve just planted 2 Passionfruit trees – hope they grow quickly.
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Hint, They love facing north and east, hate wind, and don’t like any southerly exposure.
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Love the markets, but the busker was the best – so colourful! Such a world away. Lovely to visit, if only through photographs and your wonderful prose.
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What song did you deliver for your papaya?
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The song of sixpence.
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I’m very envious of those passionfruit too! And that fruit salad looks amazing 🙂
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Just catching up, now that wifi is normal. Thanks Beck.
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Gorgeous, gorgeous photos. The fresh produce looks delicious! I hope you are having a wonderful time. Oh by the way, it is pouring in Melb! Not fair … 😀
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It’s still raining !
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