It’s been 10 glorious years wining and dining our customers - showing off incredible views of the Scenic Rim and exploring Queensland’s exciting food and wine scene… But before we take a walk down memory lane, we want to say a big fat THANK YOU to every one of our customers who have supported us over the years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you.

To reminisce on the past 10 years, let’s wind back the clock back to where it all began….

It all started back in 2012, in a little coastal town called Zaurautz, located roughly 20 minutes from San Sebastian, Spain. Zaurautz was home to surf beaches, a little old town and rolling green hills (where a few wineries nestled). Tash was working as a photographer at a surf camp at the time - and on occasion, an impromptu wine tour guide. Tash would rally up guests of an afternoon and off they ventured to some nearby wineries.

These local wine tasting tours brought people together from all different cultures and walks of life. People would bond over food and wine and share their stories from all over the globe. She would see people arrive as strangers and leave laughing with their newly found foodie friend… It was in this moment Tash decided she wanted to see more of this on her return back to Brisbane…

In December 2013, Tash launched Tash Maree Tours & Events. The idea was to create a tour based around Queensland’s exceptional (and underrated!) food and wine scene. She wanted her customers to feel welcome - like a family friend visiting a new city for the first time (and according to the 455+ Tripadvisor reviews, we think she nailed the brief!)… A tantalising tour was created, that was loved by locals and tourist from all over the globe. The Deluxe Winery Tour boasted vast scenic views, lush green rainforests, quality food, wine and liqueurs, with a few quirky stops along the way. No stone was unturned with an all inclusive tour, including food, drinks, snacks and water on the bus, return transport and 5 star service.

Due to the huge success of her Deluxe Winery Tour to Tamborine Mountain, Tash went on to spread the love to other regions including Sunshine Coast Hinterlands, Canungra and the Scenic Rim.

Over the years, Tash’s team has continued to grow, with TMTE now being a team of six - including our incredible tour guides; Jacqui, Mal, Leah and John. Carol, who holds down the forte in administration and Tash who is our all-rounder-founder! Oh, and we better not forget little Ruby, who helps with bus maintenance (and taste testing the tour snacks). ;)

In 2015 TMTE made their debut on the small screen - as the feature story for Network 7’s “The Great South East” (a travel show now knows as “The Weekender”).

In 2018-2019 we faced an incredibly dry summer, putting most of the country in severe drought which was a challenging time for farmers and wine makers. In January 2019, TMTE hosted a Charity Long Lunch “Farmer Wants A Wine”. A deliciously fun event with three courses of local farm fresh food, local wine, lawn games and a jam packed silent auction which raised over $3,000 for Drought Angels - who help rural communities and farmers with personalised assistance.

2020 - The “Pivot” Period
Covid-19 started causing a stir in Queensland in early March 2020 and by mid-March, the government made the decision to suspend all tourism and hospitality businesses until further noticed (say whaaattt??). We were amongst the first businesses to unwillingly close our doors and we were one of the last to re-open. This was a truly devastating time for the tourism industry and has taken a toll - still to this day.
If you are a business owner, I’m sure you remember the words “unprecedented”, “pivot” and “new normal”? Well, like many small businesses we had no idea what these “unprecedented times” may bring, so we attempted to “pivot” into our “new normal”…
During this wild time, TMTE decided to retain their support for their friends and vendors by putting together “care packages” made up of products from struggling small businesses. In these indulgent care packages you’d find ample wine, fudge, liqueurs, games, tasting notes and recipes - delivered to your door, ready for your Zoom knock off drinks or family games night. This wasn’t exactly sustainable for TMTE, however it brought Tash a sense of belonging knowing we could still support local small businesses and bring our customers a bit of happiness to their doorstep (sprinkled with a bit of love and lot of Glen20 of course).

Months went by of changing restrictions, adjusting rules and regulations, and eventually our tours were back up and running! A momentous occasion for us as we kick off where we left (HOORAY!)… However on our second week back, we encountered an unusual downpour of heavy rain causing dangerous floods at the base of the Mt Tamborine - another setback until it is safe to run tours again… But nonetheless, we were very excited to get back to doing what we do best - wining and dining in style with our incredible customers!

From 2021 Tash expanded her services to include event management - hosting events such as corporate tastings, a winery fashion launch and corporate social events.… It was also the year that Tash welcomed her first baby girl into the world and became a Mum! An exciting and big year!

The following two years was a far less turbulent time. We enjoyed tweaking tours to utter perfection, making new business relationships and teaming up with larger events such as Scenic Rim’s Eat Local Month and the Toowoomba Carnival Of Flowers (yes, that’s right! Exciting times ahead for all flower lovers)!

Looking back on the last 10 years, Tash is so incredibly proud of her team and her multiple award winning business. We’ve scored 5 “Certificate of Excellence” awards (TripAdvisor), 2 “Best Of Queensland Awards” (Tourism Queensland), we’ve been awarded “Best Tour Company” and “Best Luxury Tour” (LUXlife), “Most Unique Tour Company” (Luxury Travel Guide), along with the “Entrepreneur Of The Year” award (Influential Business Woman Awards). The Courier Mail even nominated Tash as one of 'Springfield's Top 20 Most Influential Businesswomen'! (Whoo! Go Team TMTE!)

BUT! We wouldn’t be where we are today without the love and support from our loyal (and incredibly awesome) customers, so together, let’s raise a glass and CHEERS TO 10 YEARS!

Much love,
The Team at TMTE