The Young and The Restless | Sweet little big spot anything but seedy

Now, almost 20 years later, I visit Koonoomoo for a different reason.

A big reason.

There’s a sweet tourist attraction there called The Big Strawberry.

Yeah, yeah, I know. All through Australia there’s no shortage of gimmicky big things, and some are enough to roll your eyes at if you pass by when you’re feeling cynical.

But The Big Strawberry isn’t just a café, a gift shop or a photo opportunity that only requires an underwhelming five-minute stop because strawberries are grown in the area; it quite literally encompasses all things strawberry, and it is the sweetest journey.

The large complex is built on the site of the Koonoomoo School that opened in 1898 and while it does include a café, a gift shop and a giant fibreglass strawberry painted in Ford Monza red, providing that photo op, it also houses a memorabilia museum (known as the Man Cave), a production room where visitors can see strawberry products being made from scratch, a giant indoor playground, a wine-tasting bar and two acres of strawberries for picking.

After Shepp’s (Kialla West’s) own strawberry-picking farm closed permanently, it’s nice to know there’s another place near-ish to go and harvest your own fresh strawberries with the kids (from April to July and October to January are the usual picking seasons).

I grabbed a menu from the counter, resisting the urge to bypass a healthy lunch and head straight to the delicious-looking strawberry cheesecake calling me from the dessert cabinet on the left.

It was a little louder than the pleas from the ice-cream bar on my right.

I triumphantly blocked them both out but knew after lunch there would be no resisting the wine-tasting bar.

I’m not sure what I expected to be on the lunch menu, but I don’t think it was that there would be strawberries incorporated into any dish other than dessert dishes.

With caution I ordered a marinated chicken and roasted pumpkin and fetta salad that was finished with one of The Big Strawberry’s own creations, a strawberry balsamic, trying to imagine how a strawberry dressing might taste on my spinach.

Well, I can confirm it was delicious, and just reminiscing about it now is making my mouth water. And it’s only 9am. Not exactly salad o’clock.

These guys are so creative with their products. Besides the gift shop full of novelty strawberry teapots, bright red spotty spoon rests, reusable strawberry-shaped bags and functional strawberry hullers, and, of course, your souvenir magnets and keyrings, the consumables range is extensive and also the primary reason I visit.

They have jams and chutneys, toppings and ice-cream, lollies and snacks. They even make a sugar-free range of jams.

But my favourite product?

The Big Strawberry Creme.

I discovered this on my most recent visit after taking home a bottle of strawberry wine to share with a friend by the fire the time before.

Thankfully, the business allows visitors to try before they buy.

While I was only permitted to sample three of their adults-only products — I chose strawberry wine, strawberry liqueur and strawberry creme — they have more boozy bevvies available, including a mocha creme and a port.

I’m not convinced they held out on me by only letting me try three in a clever attempt to get me to return to try the others rather than purely in the interests of responsible service of alcohol, wink wink.

Even if I’ve only imagined their plan in my head, it worked.

Once the last drizzle of my strawberry creme exits the bottle I brought home, I will most certainly be back to try the rest.

Bree Harding is a News journalist and single parent to three teenage sons. She loves music, adventure and creating.