Alice Springs

There’s no better place than the Territory for bush tucker, Australia’s endemic regional food. 

From September 9 to 18, the Alice Desert Festival offers the chance to sample the Red Centre’s indigenous ingredients, with part of the festival focusing on wild bush foods. For a Westernised take on these, eat at Red Ochre Grill in Todd Mall, a restaurant that combines traditional outback-style grilled meats such as kangaroo, camel and crocodile with bush tucker essentials like wild lime, quandong, Kurrajong flour, Illawarra plums and bush tomatoes. 

If you’re interested in the stories behind the flavours, Dreamtime Tours run an Aboriginal Dreamtime and Bush Tucker Tour out of Alice, where participants can sample witchetty grubs, bloodwood apples and bush bananas. The tour costs $83.95 per person.

The details: Dreamtime Tours; (08) 8955 5095; rstours.com.au

Up-and-coming gourmet destination

Mary River Wetlands

Mary River is 90km east of Darwin. Its catchment area covers 8100 square kilometres, and the wetlands extend for about 1300 square kilometres. According to the Northern Territory government, about 60 per cent of this area is pastoral land used for cattle and buffalo grazing. There is also commercial fishing in the area, with some of the biggest and best barramundi in Australia sharing the same waterways as saltwater crocodiles. Shady Camp is a particularly good spot for barra fishing. 

There are cheap ways to experience the Mary River National Park, especially if you take your own fishing gear: The Bark Hut Inn is about halfway between Darwin and Kakadu and offers camping, cabins and hostel-style accommodation from $14 a night (up to about $140; www.barkhutinn.com.au). Further toward Kakadu, you’ll find Mary River Park (from $11-$220 per night). If you want a “luxury” experience of the Outback, both Bamarru Plains and Wildman Wilderness Lodge (see page 146) offer a safari-style experience with specialist guided tours and fishing expeditions.

The details: Find out more about Mary River on Tourism NT’s website, travelnt.com

Something different

Crab Claw Island

If you love to travel in packs and hunt your own food, an affordable getaway can be found at this Balinese-style fishing village in Bynoe Harbour, 40km south-west of Darwin. Groups of six can rent a basic cabin from $75.50 per person per night, or $20 for children aged 2-14. Refurbished cabins are also under $100 per head per night when you book one that sleeps four adults. Camping sites are cheaper still. Boat hire is $250 per day ($150 for a half-day), and you can go mud-crabbing or barramundi fishing with or without a guide (guided activities must be booked in advance, at extra cost). 

The Island Bar and Restaurant is open every day, year-round, and serves locally sourced regional produce wherever possible. If you’re too tired to cook your dinner yourself on one of the onsite barbecues, the chef can cook your catch for you, and has a range of recipes to suit the local seafood.

The details: www.crabclawisland.com.au

 

Amanda Amutha cooking demos

Less hands-on than a fascinating insight into Indian cookery, passionate cook Amanda holds cooking demonstrations in Hanuman Restaurant, Darwin. She prepares a vegetarian banquet from scratch, then you get to share the result over matching wines from the Hanuman cellar. See website for class schedules.

The details: www.showingindia.com