Wake up on what feels like the edge of the world – the tip of the Dampier Peninsula. It may be just 2.5 hours’ drive from Broome, but this working farm producing South Sea pearls feels like a dreamscape. Sign up for adventurous boat tours of the tidal plain and follow local Bardi-Jawi man Bolo Angus on a Southern Cross Cultural Tour, mud-crabbing and foraging for crustaceans on Country. The homestead restaurant uses prized pearl meat, taking inspiration from the distinctive cuisine of traditional pearl luggers. Wash it down with a locally distilled gin made with pearl oyster mantle. Broome-Cape Leveque Rd, Dampier Peninsula. cygnetbaypearlfarm.com.au

As a young chef, Paul Iskov worked at the world’s best restaurants, from São Paulo to Copenhagen. Formative in his approach, Iskov has since carved out a reputation in First Nations communities as a chef respectful of traditional knowledge; one who spends time on Country. Diners are accustomed to Australia’s vast larder of native ingredients showcased in rarefied dining rooms, but Fervor steps beyond with pop-up experiences held across the state that celebrate a sense of place. From coastal spots to vineyards and outback stations, Iskov and his team defy their surroundings, creating experiences that burn bright in memory. Various locations.

One of WA’s most striking recent restaurant openings, Gibney has already become a destination for locals wanting to show out-of-towners a good (no, great) time. Asked to break this experience into its constituent parts, you’d list the no-expense-spared fit-out, the Indian Ocean outlook, white-jacketed front-of-house team and a brigade at work in the open kitchen, realising the promise of this brasserie-grill. The Champagne-focused wine list and the tableside martini would doubtless also feature. Gibney is a restaurant of many details, drawn from myriad inspirations, but feels quintessentially Perth. 40 Marine Pde, Cottesloe.

The term ‘paddock-to-plate’ is overused and rarely justified, but Glenarty Road is the real deal. Fourth-generation sheep farmer Ben McDonald and his winemaker wife, Sasha, have created a destination restaurant and cellar door that might appear relaxed and rustic, but the food and wine offering is as sophisticated as it is authentic. The lunch feast of three or five courses is almost completely sourced from the regenerative farm, and it’s well worth booking a tour to understand how the market garden, vineyards and livestock work in harmony to provide the kitchen with an abundance of produce, year-round. 70 Glenarty Rd, Karridale.

Ask any West Aussie where their fondest summer holiday memories sit, and nine out of 10 will answer ‘Rotto’. Rottnest Island, less than a 30-minute ferry ride from the big smoke, is a car-free paradise surrounded by crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches. The best way to experience island life is by getting on a private boat, and Rottnest Cruises’ Luxe Island Seafood Cruise over-delivers. Guests sail through sheltered waters, hauling fresh lobster on the way to the lunch mooring for a seven-course seafood feast. Drinks and ocean dips are served up in abundance over the four-hour charter. Thomson Bay Fuel Jetty, Rottnest Island.

Fremantle is synonymous with seafood; the fishing fleet a part of the port city’s fabric. While Western Australian menus are brimming with good seafood, few match the intense focus of South Fremantle favourite Madalena’s. It has the patina of a decades-old Brazilian boteco, inspired by the homeland of co-owner Dani Flauzino, but in fact opened in 2018. Adam Rees has garnered a reputation as one of the country’s best seafood chefs, as much for his sourcing of what’s local and seasonal as technique. Add to the mix an eclectic wine program and there’s no wonder it’s reached cult local status. 406 South Tce, South Fremantle.

There’s been a hearty appetite for a WA food and wine festival since Margaret River Gourmet Escape ceased operations in 2019. Cue: Pair’d Margaret River. In 2024, its inaugural year, the four-day gourmet event featured all the best bits of the region: the freshest seafood, the finest chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, and the most stunning natural landscapes. Guests indulged in freshly cooked marron on the sandy shores of Castle Bay, lunched with 200 others in the middle of a forest and met the region’s leading chefs and winemakers, all in the same weekend. Now Pair’d is back for round two, this November. Margaret River.

Is this the quintessential WA lunch? The Continental Roll has its purists who’ll denounce anything deviating from its roots. Homesick Southern European workers would buy loose rolls, cold meats and antipasto at The Re Store or Di Chiera Brothers to make a sandwich and the signature creation was born – Contis made to order. While both Northbridge stores claim to be the 1950s originator, a new generation of Conti-makers, like Inglewood-based Deli’s Continental, vie for Conti champion at the Subi Spritz festival each March. The recent reopening of Di Chiera Brothers after an eight-year closure will make competition even fiercer. 72 Lake St, Northbridge. the-re-store.com.au

Nhanda and Malgana man Darren Capewell guides visitors on Country around the Francois Peron National Park, known locally as Gutharraguda. Whether kayaking the waters of Shark Bay – a World Heritage site – or touring in his 4WD, Capewell opens the red pindan coast to visitors, imploring them to slow down, to look at and listen to what’s around them. Foraging along the coast for native oysters, chipping them from rocks before gently smoking them over a small fire of gathered wood and bark is easily comparable to any of the state’s finest dining experiences; this one millennia in the making. Denham, Shark Bay.