Canungra- A Lovely Village in the Gold Coast HinterlandFor us Canungra is a bit of a hidden gem. It is a lovely little village just 38km from the Gold Coast and 87km from Brisbane. We stumbled across it when travelling from the Binna Burra section of Lamington National Park to Toowoomba and went back whenever we were in the area. The Outpost Cafe (see below) is an excellent place for breakfast or lunch. There isn't a great deal to do in Canungra but it has a lovely atmosphere and is in a beautiful setting with hills and rainforest all around. There is a little park just off the main street which has free BBQs, picnic tables in a covered area, a memorial and a small play park for children. Just behind the park is a very quaint little wooden church but you need to check at the visitors centre about when you can go inside it. The visitors centre is next to the park and the staff are very friendly and helpful and have lots of useful leaflets about the area. They can help you book accommodation in the surrounding area. Opposite the church is the pretty Canungra Hotel which has a bistro which does wood fired pizzas in the evenings and also at lunchtime at the weekend and a reasonable choice of other dishes. It has a very friendly public bar which has live entertainment some weekends and a free jukebox on others, a couple of pool tables and generally a good atmosphere with friendly bar staff. On the main street The Outpost Cafe is open from 6am and closes at 4.30pm except on Fridays when it is also open for dinner. The savoury mince on toast is a very tasty breakfast option as is the Stockman's Breakfast if you are very hungry and at lunchtime you should try one of the fantastic homemade pies - I absolutely loved the chunky steak pie. There is lots of outdoor seating at the front and side. There are another couple of cafes on the main street. The Loggers Inn Cafe is set back and offers Devonshire Teas as well as breakfast and lunch and The Metz Cafe is further down and does sandwiches and other lunchtime dishes and has wireless internet and a small internet cafe. The RSL is also on the main street in the other direction and is open for meals every day. From the outside it looks a bit like a village hall but inside it has a bar, a pool table and a seperate dining room which gets busy on Friday evenings. The choice of food is good with large helpings at very reasonable prices and as well as all the usuals they do a range of daily specials. The Chicken Parmagiana was great as were the American Style Ribs. Next door to The Outpost Cafe is the O'Reilley's Vineyard cellar door tasting which is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for meals and tastings. If you are looking to stretch your legs you could walk a little distance along the creek. You can get down to it through the Lions Park and then wander along a rough path for about 20-30 minutes. There is also an outdoor pool but this is only open during the summer months. If you want to spend the night in Canungra the Canungra Motel has spacious, clean rooms which can be a little noisy because of the traffic. There are a few places to stay in the countryside around Canungra. Our recommendation is O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat which is about 20km from Canungra in the Green Mountains section of Lamington National Park. It is a wonderfully, luxurious guesthouse with a variety of rooms some of them with the most amazing views which you can enjoy while soaking in the spa bath in your bathroom. Prices include morning and afternoon tea. The Retreat Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and the Rainforest Bar is the perfect place to enjoy an evening drink. The owners of O'Reilly's also own O'Reilly's Canungra Valley Vineyard which is a boutique vineyard with cellar door tastings. The visitor's centre can give you information about other places to stay. Return to our Gold Coast Hinterland page. |
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