As we ate our way around the country for the delicious. 100, unearthing the best restaurants in Australia, many gastro-epiphanies were had. It wasn’t just the best steak tartare or sorrel sorbet that surprised our reviewers, rather, it was the astounding quality and proliferation of top regional restaurants. In 2018, our land certainly abounds in nature’s gifts of beauty rich and rare, and with that in mind, we have rounded up the best foodie long weekends, from casual coastal escapes to upscale winery experiences. “The whole point about the country now is there are more significant restaurants in the bush than ever before,” says Matt Preston. We have the stalwarts like Lake House in Daylesford and Bells at Killcare offering luxury stays and equally incredible dining, and, increasingly, our favourite regions drawing in the hottest food talent – think Troy Rhoades-Brown at Muse in the Hunter Valley, and James Viles at Biota Dining in Bowral. Here our experts give you their top picks of the spoils across our golden soil.

“When it comes to holidays, I love the idea of lazy days on the beach followed by early dinners, so I can wake up early and walk the beach in the morning,” says Matt Preston, who heads to surf mecca Byron Bay. While the crowds swarm in Byron, the MasterChef host heads to New Brighton, just 20 clicks north, where a pristine stretch of surf and local farmer’s market beckon. “If you can extend your weekend, get to the market on Tuesday. It’s a little more austere than the Byron one, but there’s a guy who used to work at River Cafe who does great breakfasts [at The Nomadic Kitchen],” says Preston. Have dinner at the bar at Fleet (Brunswick Heads) – ranked number 3 in the delicious. 100 – and a long lunch at Paper Daisy at retroglam boutique hotel Halcyon House on Cabarita Beach, then lounge by the pool with an Aperol spritz or take a walk along the shore, where you may bump into a sandcombing Mr Preston.

Lord Howe Island may be just a two-hour flight from Sydney, but you could be forgiven for thinking you’d landed in prehistoric times. Unadulterated nature, from sapphire beaches with sublime snorkelling and fishing to the fairtytale moss-covered cloud forest at the summit of Mount Gower, create a surreal Jurassic Park feel. The 14-kilometre trek up Mount Gower is one of the country’s best, and the reward is sharing the bird’s-eye view of the lush volcanic topography with the circling seabirds as you savour your packed lunch. In fact, the bird-spotting is so good, David Attenborough climbed to the top for his BBC series The Life of Birds. A well-deserved spa bath awaits at Capella Lodge, ground zero for barefoot luxury at the base of the mountain, before mod-Oz flavours in the all-glass, ocean-front restaurant – chargrilled Yamba prawns with burnt butter, perhaps?

Whether you’re an oyster fiend or foe, Australia’s Oyster Coast, south of Sydney from the Shoalhaven at Nowra to Eden, offers pristine waterways, sleepy beach towns and sublime shellfish. Narooma, scenically nestled between Wagonga Inlet and the Pacific Ocean, hosts an annual Oyster Festival on May 5. “Expect succulent Sydney rock oysters, larger and meatier Pacific, and rarer native Angasi, which come in flat shells,” says Graham Erbacher, The Weekend Australian travel production editor and selfconfessed oyster hunter. While there’s Rick Stein’s beachy-chic Bannisters by the Sea restaurant with rooms at Mollymook, this south coast region is much more than fabulous seafood. There’s Cupitt’s winery for long lunches and barefoot tastings on the grass, and Tilba Real Dairy, in historic Central Tilba framed by Mt Dromadery (aka Gulaga), where you can feast on handmade cheeses and moustache-worthy Jersey milkshakes. Erbacher suggests a daytrip to Montague Island, nine kilometres offshore, with its historic lighthouse (with accommodation) and resident fur seals and penguins, before heading to The Whale Restaurant in Narooma’s contemporary-styled Whale Motor Inn. Here, pro surfer-turned-chef Matthew Hoar serves the best of local produce, depending on what’s in season, from the restaurant’s kitchen garden.

Central-western NSW has gained a reputation among food fanatics, and the landscape is as breathtaking as it is bountiful. Orange is a gracious country town about three hours’ drive west of Sydney, offering cool-climate wines, excellent vineyard dining and, until April 15, Australia’s longestrunning regional food festival, FOOD (Food of Orange District) Week. For local produce with city smarts, head to Byng Street for breakfast, then dine among the vines at Racine in a charming rustic setting. Keep the country-chic vibe alive and stay at Black Sheep Inn, a cleverly converted shearing shed – all mod decor and corrugated iron. In Mudgee, fuel up on the Butcher Shop Cafe’s legendary Butcher’s Benedict or buttermilk pancakes before heading to Logan estate. The architectural cellar door is a striking fusion of glass and wood, perched on a hill with mesmerising views over the Apple Tree Flat vineyards, mountains and bushland. It’s easy to while away a few hours here, sampling the range of Ridge of Tears, Logan, Weemala, Apple Tree Flat and Vintage ‘M’ Cuvee new releases, while house-baked goods and generous cheese platters sweeten the deal. Bed down at Trelawney Farm where antique furnishings, a wraparound verandah and an outdoor clawfooted bath make for a luxe retreat.

The lower NSW Central Coast is no longer just about fish and chips on the beach, says The Weekend Australian travel editor Susan Kurosawa: “During the past five years, the dining scene has evolved and diversified at a cracking pace. Leading the push are the Stefano Manfredi alumni, trained in his Bells at Killcare kitchens and now branching out with their own flourishing businesses.” Kurosawa’s dining picks include Bombini and Bombini Pizza (Avoca), Fish Dining (Gosford) and Young Barons (Woy Woy). “Yes, Woy Woy, so comically derided by Spike Milligan, and now revelling in its #makewoywoygreatagain hashtag with a design transformation of the classic favourite Fishermen’s Wharf, and cocktails and craft beers at Frankie’s rooftop bar at The Bayview Hotel”, says Kurosawa. Buttered popcorn daiquiri, anyone? Ettalong has had a makeover, too, its must-visit cafes include Lords of Pour and Coast 175. Monique Keogh, the force behind the latter, also runs The Box on the Water, an ultra-chic dining shed with beach views and a takeaway nook. “Walk the foreshore, call into Bar Toto for a naughty Nonna’s lemon tea and then head back to Bells,” which Kurosawa says is still the place to stay.

For the ultimate food, wine and art weekend, there is no destination hotter than the Mornington Peninsula, according to delicious. restaurant critic Dan Stock and editor-in-chief Kerrie McCallum. Kurosawa explains the peninsula’s dual waterfront personalities are echoed by a twinned emphasis on wine and food; her recommendation, the Bass & Flinders Distillery at Red Hill: “Its botanical blends have funky names such as Monsoon, and there are crafting classes for gin-fanciers to create bespoke bottles.” Nearby, The Epicurean Red Hill is the top spot for a woodfired pizza lunch in a cleverly designed warehouse space. And the star turn is Pt Leo Estate, a vineyard incorporating a sculpture park, its kitchen helmed by Phil Wood (ex-Rockpool). Lounge in style, suggests Kurosawa, at his 40-seat fine-diner, Laura, named after the huge cast-iron head by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa beyond the window. Rest your head at the achingly cool hotel, Jackalope; its upscale restaurant, Doot Doot Doot, ranked in the delicious. 100 top 20 for its design-forward version of vin-luxe.

An archetypal Victorian long weekend for the gastronome, according to Matt Preston – and who better to ask? – reads like so: Friday, head to Geelong for a fire-fuelled dinner at Igni – delicious. 100 winner; Saturday, lunch on cheffy fish and chips with a million-buck view at low-key, secret(ish) gem Captain Moonlite (delicious. 100 ‘Best View’ winner) hidden within the Anglesea Surf Lifesaving Club; Sunday, buckle in for the Brae experience at the newly anointed 44th Best Restaurant in the World (and delicious. 100 silver medallist) as chef Dan Hunter delivers a meal that’s 100 per cent terroir, your journey to the table as vivid as that of the produce on the plate. “In three days you’ll cover three of the best restaurants in Victoria, and some of the most beautiful beaches in the state,” says Preston.

The Great Ocean Road is an iconic roadtrip destination for its sexy curves. What’s less known, is the Great Ocean Walk – more than 100 kilometres of coast-hugging track running from Apollo Bay to The Twelve Apostles. Samantha Jones, delicious. editor, recommends donning your hiking boots and joining Great Walks of Australia. “I loved the Twelve Apostles Lodge Walk. The walk is split over four days and covers 50 kilometres of the trail. On arrival at the lodge, it is pretty clear this is not your average bushwalk,” she says. Designed with its environment in mind, the award-winning development has low-consumption water and on-site composting, but with foot spas (that’s where you sip locally sourced beers and wines after a day on your feet), rainforest showers, super-comfortable rooms and an alfresco firepit ‘living room’. The lodge’s kitchen crafts all the food for the weary walkers, whether it’s homemade crumpets to kickstart the morning, lamingtons for sustenance, or kangaroo with freshly foraged greens at dinner.

Victoria’s high country may be notorious for its Ned Kelly connections, but it’s the region’s Italian heritage we owe for its stellar foodie status. For it’s here you’ll find two of the best wineries in Australia – Giaconda and Castagna – the fortuitous result of Italian farmers transitioning from growing tobacco to grapes. The area is a goldmine for boutique winemakers, and you can drink your way through the country’s finest expressions of pinot and chardonnay. Dine at Provenance in Beechworth, number 32 on the delicious. 100 and housed in a heritage bank built at the height of the gold rush. Japanese-influenced fare (including a vegetarian degustation) and local wines create a modern-day Eureka moment. Worth a visit is Golden Ball winery for epic shiraz, biodynamic Pennyweight Winery for top sherries, Milawa Cheese Company and Milawa General Store, which does the best brekky-to-go, according to Matt Preston: “doorstops of bread encasing local eggs and bacon.” After a bushwalk in the Woolshed Valley, sip boutique brews at Bridge Road Brewers, where house-made pretzels and cheesy pizzas reveal the owner’s European roots.