Food to challenge your tastebuds in fabulously far-flung locales: how about a taste of Australia’s most adventurous (and luxurious) foodie safaris? Here are 10 of the best gourmet adventures in Australia.
1. The remote heli-picnic
Dinner with a view is one thing, but being flown to the summit of a thunderous Kimberley waterfall to dine is another. Take a dip and then indulge in a distinctly non-standard picnic basket: freshly caught reef fish, oysters and king prawns. Don’t like flying? Stay on board your base, the True North cruise ship. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Kimberley
2. The fine desert feast
At the Tali Wiru experience you will feast on four courses and quaff fine Australian wine with the outback sky your ceiling and Uluru your backdrop. The fare is unmistakably Australian: Darling Downs wagyu beef and wattleseed rubbed kangaroo carpaccio. Then settle back for tales from an indigenous storyteller. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Red Centre
3. Ravenous in the rainforest
Sample exotic fruits, such as Grumichama and soursop, from Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm near the equally exotic Daintree. More dessert? Homemade treats at the Daintree Ice Cream Company and then indulge in the only chocolate made from Daintree-grown cocoa at Daintree Estates. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Queensland’s Wet Tropics
4. Adventures in vino
Don’t ‘do’ tours but fancy the best of Margaret River in a day? The Margaret River Discovery Co. offers a luxury 4WD experience that will take you from boutique vineyards to a selection of the most renowned in the region area – all five-star, according to James Halliday. Highlight? A degustation lunch at Cape Mentelle and a gentle stroll along the Cape to Cape Track. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Great South West Edge
5. Cruising seafood seduction
For the foodie who has everything: Fresh Tasmanian seafood, caught and cooked on board a day-long Pennicott Journeys cruise (departing Hobart) through the sublime waters surrounding Bruny Island. Haul in fresh crayfish, oysters, mussels, salmon, and abalone, which you can help to prepare – or just sit back and sample a local drop. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Tasmania
6. ‘Great Ocean’ gourmet trail
The Otway Harvest Trail on the Great Ocean Road is a palate-pleasing route with scores of artisan producers, provedores and cellar doors to try and buy from. Plenty of choice for the adventurous foodie: swill a gin made from raspberries, taste ostrich (sort of like beef) and buy your body weight in extra-virgin olive oil, chutneys and handmade chocolates. Pack a map of the region and download the trail brochure. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Great Ocean Road
7. A bush feast to behold
Explore the NT’s Litchfield National Park with your personable Aboriginal guide (ntitours.com.au) and meet the riverside community of Nauiyu. Splash about in clear, natural (croc-less) pools and then feast on barramundi, crocodile and kangaroo with Tasmanian cheeses and fresh breads. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Timeless NT
8. Pedal to your produce
The perfect way to offset/prepare for an indulgent gourmet lunch. Based in the verdant King Valley’s Milawa, the Adventure Victoria Pedal to Produce self-guided bike tour includes a night at a lovely country house and bicycles to wobble your way around no less than nine food and wine stops. Stock up on cheeses, mustards, olives, berries and the famous Italian varietals of the region. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Australian Alps
9. Dreamtime then dinnertime
Discover the ancient culture of the Adnyamathanha peoples of the Flinders Ranges with an unforgettable Yullu Wirru Aboriginal Cultural Experience. Storytelling, song and dance followed by a three-course gourmet bush feast beneath the outback stars in the heart of the Ranges, tucked in between the Pichi Richi Pass and Tickle Belly Hill. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Flinders Ranges
10. Outback-ocean catch of the day
Throw your own line into the blue waters at the southern end of Ningaloo Reef Marine Park at Quobba Station, its 80 kilometres of coastline an angler’s paradise, home to a variety of tuna, cobia, bonito, sailfish, norwest and pink snapper. The remote locations along the beaches and cliffs are suitable for both ballooning and beach casting. Not surprisingly, it’s also a hot spot for winter whale-watching. See more: Ultimate Escapes: Ningaloo-Shark Bay
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