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.
Great escapes