Noosa Local’s Guide: Sunspace Cafe in Doonan

It’s a wonderful thing to be curious but sometimes it gets me into trouble as it did during my recent visit to the Sunspace Cafe in Doonan just outside Noosa.

I’d noticed a few mentions in our local Noosa papers of a group that ‘explore consciousness’ that piqued my interest. It all sounded quite vague but phrases like “exploring a deeper consciousness” and “towards a deeper humanness” appealed to my inner hippy and my never-ending quest for improved self-awareness, spirituality and connection with other people.

Around the same time I also noticed ads for the Sunspace Cafe, a beautifully named new breakfast and lunch joint in the Noosa hinterland with space for yoga and meditation classes that sounded right up my alley.

So when I saw the consciousness group (let’s call them that) were holding a talk at Sunspace Cafe I knew it was time for me to drag myself away from the Sunshine Coast coastline and check it out.

My dear friend Meg kindly agreed to accompany me to Doonan so I had some moral support in case it all went horribly wrong. Which was lucky because it did.

Getting to Sunspace Cafe wasn’t a problem though. Doonan’s only a 10 minute drive from Noosa and the Sunspace Cafe’s easy to find because it’s right on the main Noosa to Eumundi Road. Just follow the sign for Eumundi and you can’t miss it.

The cafe’s in a lovely old white-washed building which made me think of Switzerland. In the car park there were trees with orange and red autumn leaves on them. It almost felt like a little trip to Europe which probably goes to show that I’ve been living away from Europe for far too long.

There was a great fenced garden with logs for the kids to climb on, a ping pong table, a big veggie garden and all the tables were adorned with a single flower. The decor was lovely and simple with seventies style preloved furniture giving the whole place a lovely organic Rudolph Steiner feel.

The cabinet food looked good and I eagerly requested a hummus platter with veggies for my lunch but was told I couldn’t take it up into the room where the talk was to be held. I was a bit miffed about that.

Instead I was allowed to select a (probably) gluten free, raw key lime pie ($7) to take up with me. We also got a pot of Ayurvedic chai for two ($8) and Meg got a big chocolate brownie ($7).

With our food in hand we pottered upstairs to the talk which started bang on time. There were about ten people in the consciousness group but sadly I’m still no clearer what the group is about now though than before the talk.

Meg and I had to leave half way because we were starting to doze off although we did stay 45 minutes to give the speaker a good amount of time to explain things. But the talk never really seemed to get to a point and did nothing to make me feel more human.

When Meg whispered:

“This is boring. Shall we leave?” I felt most relieved.

We guilty crept outside noting how hard it is to be discrete while leaving a small room with only ten people in it.

Outside the sun was shining, children were playing and a chicken was pecking around under the tables. Life looked much better in the Sunspace Cafe garden so we sat down to finish our wholesome cakes with cashew cream and chai  while discussing our own ideas on what makes us feel more human. Fresh air, nature and good conversation is key and we found it there.

Sunspace Cafe’s a great place for people with young kids and a nice way to escape the crowds and suburban feel of Noosa.

Maybe it wasn’t quite like being in Europe but it was a country retreat and I’d do it all over again. Without the organised talk though.

As we watched a hen exploring the garden and ate our organic food I started to think free range, organic conversation might be the best way to explore what it means to be human.

Sunspace Cafe Details

Sunspace is about a 10 minute drive from Noosa at 6 Beddington Road in Doonan. It’s a good place to stop on the way to or from Eumundi because it’s right on the main Eumindi to Noosa Road.

It serves seasonal organic, vegetarian breakfasts and lunches with a menu that’s updated regularly.

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