Entertainment
19 March, 2026
Tablelands tastes part of food celebration
TWO popular venues on the Tablelands will take part in a month-long program to highlight the tastes of the tropics.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland is bringing the destination’s unique food story to life in April with the launch of “Tasting the Tropics”.
TTNQ chief executive officer Mark Olsen said the program was a celebration of Tropical North Queensland food and drink experiences highlighting the incredible chefs, producers and agritourism stories behind the region’s dining and eating culture.
“Restaurants, cafes, farms, hotels and tour operators have joined the month-long celebration by dishing up their best tropical creations and throwing in some great entertainment to complete the experience,” he said.
“We are so excited about Tasting the Tropics in April that we are kicking it off a few days early at Feast of the Senses in Innisfail, an annual festival now in its 23rd year that brings food lovers to the Cassowary Coast for a smorgasbord of exotic farm produce and tropical tastes.
“Tropical North Queensland’s unique food story has grown from a proud farming history steered by a multicultural population and finessed by creative chefs wanting a sea change.”
On the Tablelands, Little Eden at Yungaburra and the Mt Uncle Distillery will be showcasing the tastes of our region.
Little Eden will host Harvest on the Hill – a relaxed, shared-table long lunch designed to bring people together and celebrate the Atherton Tablelands’ incredible food bowl - on 11 April from 11.30am to 2pm.
The event will feature local meats from the Yungaburra Butchery, berries and avocados from the Costa Group, and fresh local limes.
Sticky local pork belly bites with coconut sugar, lime, and gentle chilli and oven-roasted beef short rib with blueberry compote and macadamia crumb are among the five-course progressive menu that guests enjoy at communal tables. Each course will be served as shared platters to enjoy together.
Mt Uncle Distillery will celebrate local artists, musicians, producers and native ingredients with Music at the Mount – Barrel & Brush Edition on 4 April from 2pm.
Artists will paint rum barrels live with the winning barrel part of the next FNQ Rum Co. Iridium rum release. BBQ Bros will use locally-sourced meat from Bryant’s Family Butchers in Woree, and local cheeseboards will showcase Gallo’s Cheese alongside Mt Uncle’s signature cocktails and gin and tonics featuring native ingredients.
Visitors can make a weekend of the event with onsite camping and RV facilities.
The Feast of the Senses is a four-day festival held in Innisfail featuring food trails and a River Feast with rare fruit tastings, cooking demonstrations, food vans and market stalls.
“More than 150 varieties of fruit are grown in Tropical North Queensland and at Feast of the Senses you can try mangosteen and durian or stick to the traditional banana that elevated Innisfail into the Guiness Book of Records in 2017 for the world’s longest banana split stretching 8.04km along the highway,” spokesperson Dave Jensen said.
The event will be held from 26-29 March.
