There’s never been a better reason, or ten, to embark on a foodie pilgrimage from state to state. These bucket-list experiences are some highlights of the varied and dynamic Australian food scene. This gallery is brought to you by Tourism Australia.
Dine under the stars in the rippling desert sands of the Australian outback, with Uluru as a backdrop, at Tali Wiru. Native ingredients are the focus of the menu,with everything from slow-cooked wallaby, sour quandongs (a wild peach) and sweet poached yabbies on offer.
Overlooking Bondi Beach, Icebergs is a Sydney institution you can’t miss. Settle in for an Italian lunch with a spritz, and beeline for head chef Alex Pritchard’s carefully curated menu using locally sourced ingredients. Choose from lightly dusted local shrimp with lemon and aioli, Vannella burrata with eggplant relish, crisp seaweed and fragrant herbs, and Riverina lamb with potatoes cooked in kelp butter, ginger and hibiscus, to name a few.
Follow the locals to an inner-city car park on Saturday morning for a true taste of northern Tasmania. This heaving grower’s market offers an array of delectable local produce. Ethical farmers and makers tout their wares from pork, honey, olive oil, berries, beef, seafood, farmhouse cheeses, and all manner of vegetables.
Freshly shucked oysters, artisan cheese, golden honey, tart cider and sweet wines, and luxurious chocolate are all worth getting on the ferry from the Tassie mainland for. Bruny Island is home to some of the nation’s best quality produce, and it’s well worth a road trip, hopping from grower to brewer.
The team at Three Blue Ducks are serving up seriously good fare at their newest outpost in Brisbane, overlooking the city’s iconic river. With a wood fire oven, rotisserie, and a mantra of ‘honest and real food’, dishes like lamb shoulder with green tahini, and quinoa tabbouleh or fermented chilli glazed chicken with grilled zucchini, chickpea and charred lemon never disappoint.
A trip to South Australia wouldn’t be complete without visiting Chester Osborn’s surreal cube, concealing one of the country’s most impressive state-of-the-art kitchens. Start your out-of-the-cube experience with dishes like roast duck broth with porcini cream, followed by seared Hervey Bay half shell scallops with cauliflower puree, fried chorizo, shallots and salsa verde, and finish off with pear and yuzu sorbet.
Iconic Melbourne restaurant Attica has long been ingrained in the Aussie food hall of fame – and rightfully so. In recent years Ben Shewry has developed a progressive menu that pays homage to indigenous food and culture – think local fruits, crocodile, and emu, to name a few. On the sweet side of things, don’t miss the black ant lamington – a take on the classic Australian sweet.
There’s pop-up dining, and then there’s Fervor, set in the Western Australian outback beneath the open sky. Paul Iskov created Fervor to be all about eating in and off the land, using local ingredients farmed by local producers. By it’s pop-up nature, Fervor changes location with the season, but unusual and tasty ingredients like boab tubers, silver cobbler catfish, bush bananas and green tree ants, remain firmly on the menu.
The local farmer’s daily haul inspires the ever-changing menu at Ben Willis’ Aubergine. Dishes change each day according to the produce available, so diners are greeted with meals that are fresh, vibrant and flavoursome. Sit back and enjoy the 5-course menu with a stunning paired wine from the extensive drinks list.
Nothing goes together like crunchy fish and chips on the beach as the sun dips below the blue horizon. Head to your nearest local takeaway joint for a treat wrapped in butcher’s paper, and sip a cold drink with salty fingers.
