The best food experiences in Australia. Photo / Tourism Australia
The best food experiences in Australia. Photo / Tourism Australia
Travel led by your taste buds is always a good idea and in Australia, the flavours are as vast as the nation itself
Melbourne, a city for coffee purists
It’s a tough job impressing a Kiwi with coffee to rival our own, but in Melbourne, they never get it wrong. It is well-regarded as one of the premier cities in the world for a dark brew and some of its best treasures include Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, a mainstay since 1954. Started by Italian brethren, pop in for a quick shot of the dark stuff. For a chain coffee store that won’t make your taste buds shudder, head for Market Lane, there are various outposts across the city. Finally, go in search of a small but superior coffee cellar door known as Disciple Roasters. There are just 10 seats and the coffee’s served black and black only. Order a half-strength latte at your own risk. visitmelbourne.com
In collaboration with Tourism NT, join celebrity chef and host of Ready Steady Cook Australia, Miguel Maestre, for a four-day culinary gallivant into Australia’s Red Centre. On a pilgrimage to satisfy your stomach, travel from Alice Springs to Uluru with a small travel group and taste-test a variety of Outback flavours. Try an authentic cattleman’s bush barbecue curated by Maestre himself and bite into a cult favourite, the infamous NT crocodile pie. Departures are for one date only in September, and if last year’s tour is anything to go by, tickets will sell out fast. luxuryescapes.com/nz
Darwin’s best laksa
Well regarded as the laksa capital of Australasia, Darwin isn’t all that far from where the dish originates, namely Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore (no one can quite decide who first conjured the spicy noodle broth). Based on the very tip of Australia’s top, a flight from Darwin to Depansar takes less than three hours. Failing that, the city itself is awash with laksa options, but the age-old institute known as Mary’s Stall at Parap Village Markets is highly regarded among many. The sheer quantity and competitive nature of Darwin’s laksa offerings has resulted in the annual (and month-long) Laksa Festival, this year starting on October 1. darwinlaksafestival.com.au
Parap Village Market in Darwin is a great place to buy laksa. Photo / Tourism Australia
Underground dining in Sydney
Do things taste different below ground? You’ll have to wait until April 24 to find out, when Sydney’s newest dining establishment, Good Luck Restaurant Lounge opens its doors to the public. A project three years in the making and located in a basement below the historic Burns Philp & Co building, food offerings are being tipped as being a daring fusion of east-meets-west, infused with a healthy dose of Tokyo inspiration. The decor is also said to be a spin on 70s-inspired Tokyo styling. Watch this space. instagram.com/goodluck.merivale
Trending bush tucker in Alice Springs
In recent years, there’s been a huge surge in bush food popularity, and you can thank – in part – a woman called Raylene Brown for its success. A true pioneer of First Nations food, Brown has been running her catering business Kungkas Can Cook for 25 years, championing ethically sourced, organic bush food all the way. She sources (and is an advocate for) wild-harvested spices and foods sourced from Aboriginal people in Australia’s Red Centre. Based in Alice Springs, enjoy anything from bush tomatoes and quandong relish to wattle seed dukkah. kungkascancook.com.au
Founder and Owner of Kungkas Can Cook bush foods, Rayleen Brown. Photo / Anna Sarjeant
Dine inside a fig tree on Kangaroo Island
Like having a giant leafy hug while you eat, Gastronomo The Enchanted Fig Tree on Kangaroo Island is a dining experience like no other. A nature-made canopy has evolved into the perfect natural dining room thanks to a fig tree sapling that first took root more than 120 years ago. Fast forward to 2024, and your dinner starts with canapes and complimentary drinks, followed by an a la carte menu served amid the twisted limbs and gnarly bark of a majestic old tree. gastronomodining.com.au
Gastronomo The Enchanted Fig Tree on Kangaroo Island is a ding experience like no other. Photo / South Australian Tourism Commission
Truffle hunting across New South Wales
June marks the start of truffle season in New South Wales, running until August, and presents the perfect excuse to hop across The Tasman for a winter getaway. At Lowes Mount Truffière in Oberon - one hour west of the Blue Mountains - you can snuffle about in the oak and hazelnut trees with a truffle dog for company. Alternatively, get back to basics at Robertson Truffles in the Southern Highlands, where you’ll watch the live harvest, washing and grading of just-plucked truffles, complete with tasting. For an extra cosy experience, Macenmist Black Truffles and Wine in snowy Bredbo offers a winning combo of truffle hunts, tastings and a three-course lunch. destinationnsw.com.au
Macenmist Black Truffles and Wine in Bredbo, NSW. Photo / Destination NSW
Food-centric roadies in Tasmania
No need to pigeonhole your culinary escapades into a single venue or flavour in Tasmania, oh no, in this bonnie wee isle they have an entire Tasting Trail; a tummy-loving larder that stretches across northern Tasmania’s upper reaches, encompassing anything from hazelnut farms to vineyards, whisky, olives, craft beer and the Anvers Chocolate Factory. No matter what preference your taste buds lean towards, there’s a stop to make you salivate on this self-drive gorging trail. Simply download the map and set your dial on something delicious, such as Blue Hills Honey or Prickly Mo wine cellar door. You can also book a guided tour - if want to be handed everything on a literal plate. tastingtrail.com.au
Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm is part of the Tasmania Tasting Trail. Photo / Tourism Australia
A masterclass in gin-making in Western Australia
Forget grabbing a bottle at Duty-Free, in Western Australia’s Golden Outback region you can make your own gin at the boutique Esperance Distillery. As part of the distillery’s new Gin School, “students” will learn how to distil and mix their own bottle of take-home gin over the course of two hours, acquiring skills to master the entire process from juniper berry to pouring the perfect G&T, which of course you’ll be sipping for the duration of the lesson. esperancedistilleryco.com
The return of Noosa’s Eat and Drink Festival
The Noosa Eat & Drink Festival returns to everyone’s favourite bohemian-cum-bougie coastal escape this May. Spread across four delicious days from May 30-June 2, alongside various beach events and sun-soaked partying, enjoy a collaboration of Noosa’s best restaurants and culinary diversity with an array of pop-up venues, wineries, breweries and distilleries. noosaeatdrink.com.au
The Noosa Eat & Drink Festival returns May 30 – June. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland
