More than 1,000 people gathered at Mapleton Public House on Sunday for the inaugural Good Soil: Farm. Table. Beast. festival, transforming the historic venue into a showcase of local food, farming and community.
Held as part of The Curated Plate, the free event spread across the pub, its car park and nearby Falls Farm, combining open-fire cooking, farm tours, live music, family activities and discussions on regenerative agriculture.
For Mapleton Public House owners Ben Johnston and Jess Huddart, the festival was a natural extension of the philosophy that has shaped the business since they took over the former Mapleton Tavern in July 2022. The venue was relaunched as Mapleton Public House later that month with a focus on regenerative farming, seasonal produce and strengthening connections between local producers and the community.
General Manager Cameron Brooksby said Good Soil was designed to celebrate not only quality food, but the people and practices behind it. “Good Soil was born from the philosophy that has always driven both Mapleton Public House and The Falls Farm,” he said. “We wanted to create an event that celebrated not just great food, but the people and processes behind it. Rather than creating another food festival, we wanted to create something that connected people to the land, the farmers, the producers and the chefs who work with incredible local ingredients every day.”
Planning for the festival began in late 2025 and involved months of collaboration with producers, chefs and community partners. “We’ve always believed the pub should be more than somewhere to eat and drink,” Cameron said. “It should be a place where the community gathers, learns and celebrates local culture. The idea was to take everything we love about the region, its farms, producers, breweries, music and hospitality, and bring it together in one accessible day.” The response suggested that vision resonated.
“We were thrilled with the response,” Cameron said. “It exceeded our expectations for a first-year event and there was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the day. We welcomed well over a thousand people across the festival, which is incredibly encouraging for something being held for the first time.” While local residents made up a significant part of the crowd, the festival also attracted visitors from Brisbane and across South East Queensland, introducing new audiences to Mapleton and the Blackall Range.
At the heart of the event was the relationship between Mapleton Public House and The Falls Farm, the nearby regenerative farm that supplies much of the venue’s seasonal produce. Rather than simply promoting local ingredients, organisers used the festival to demonstrate the complete journey from soil to plate. Visitors could meet growers, attend discussions on farming practices, enjoy produce harvested from the farm and join guided tours to see where much of the food served at the pub is grown. “The festival allowed people to experience the connection firsthand,” Cameron said. “Guests could enjoy produce grown at The Falls Farm, hear directly from the people growing it and then visit the farm itself. It showed that the relationship between the farm and the pub isn’t just a marketing story. It’s the way we genuinely operate every day.”
The Falls Farm tours proved one of the day’s most popular attractions alongside the open-fire cooking, where a whole beast supplied by Yajambee Farms was prepared over fire as the centrepiece of the festival lunch. Across the day, visitors also heard from growers, brewers, chefs and producers during demonstrations and panel discussions exploring regenerative farming, hospitality, viticulture and sustainable food production.
For many attendees, the discussions offered an introduction to regenerative agriculture, a farming approach that focuses on improving soil health, biodiversity and long-term resilience. “Food doesn’t begin in the kitchen. It begins in the soil,” Cameron said. “We felt it was important to tell that whole story. Healthy soil produces healthier plants, supports biodiversity and creates more resilient farming systems. We also wanted to look at regenerative philosophy beyond food, including hospitality, viticulture and the non-alcoholic beverage industry.”
The festival also highlighted the depth of the Sunshine Coast’s food community, with producers including The Falls Farm, Yajambee Farms, Forage Farms, Larry Bakery, Sunshine Coast Coffee Roastery, The Bush Nursery, Heads of Noosa Brewing Co, Blackflag Brewing and Heaps Normal participating throughout the day. Cameron said the event created opportunities for producers to have meaningful conversations with visitors. “We have an extraordinary food community on the Sunshine Coast, but often people only experience the finished product without meeting the people behind it,” he said. “Giving producers the opportunity to tell their stories creates a much deeper appreciation for the work they do and helps strengthen the entire local food system.”
The festival atmosphere was rounded out by live performances from Double Talk and Intercooler, while children’s activities ensured the event appealed to families as well as food enthusiasts. Following the festival, Mapleton Public House thanked its partners on social media, describing itself as “so stoked with the turnout” and praising the support of producers, musicians and volunteers who helped bring the event together.
Although organisers are already reflecting on lessons from the inaugural festival, there is little doubt about its future. “Absolutely,” Cameron when asked whether Good Soil could become an annual event. “We see Good Soil as something with enormous potential to become a signature event not only for Mapleton Public House but for the Sunshine Coast. This year’s response has given us a lot of confidence about where it could go.”
If the first Good Soil festival is any indication, Mapleton may have found more than a successful day out. It has taken an important step towards establishing a food festival that celebrates the region’s producers, strengthens connections between town and country, and reinforces the Blackall Range’s growing reputation as one of Queensland’s leading food destinations.
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