Australia’s Most Exciting Hidden Restaurant Gems

While Australian cities have a wealth of great places to dine, nothing quite beats taking to the open road on a food adventure. These far-flung foodie spots will leave you sated, wowed and glad you took the road less travelled.

Remember the days when eating in the country rarely stretched beyond sausage rolls and pub grub? Oh, how times have changed. Today, regional restaurants confidently go head to head with their urban counterparts for industry awards and international recognition, which means no matter which direction from the city you head, there’s a good chance you’ll hit culinary gold.

What’s perhaps even more notable though, are the intrepid operators popping up in tiny towns well off the mainstream tourist routes. In obscure outposts everywhere from Brunswick Heads to Birregurra, it seems a new generation of chefs is realising that great local produce is best eaten in situ, and diners are lapping it up in droves.

So what’s behind this new golden age of regional dining? According to restaurateur, Kirstyn Sessions of acclaimed restaurant, Fen in Port Fairy, Victoria it might have something to do with regional players capitalising on ready access to exceptional produce.

“We love being able to show off our part of Australia to the world," Sessions says. “And food that is grown locally or that’s native to the area is one of the best ways to express what’s really unique and special about the region."

Hungry for your next culinary road trip? We’ve put together a hit list of some of Australia’s best destination dining spots – some fancy, others casual. The only rule? Book. In. Advance. They might be in the middle of nowhere but these spots are hot, hot, hot.

New South Wales

Fleet

Along with its incredible food, the attention to detail and personalised service at Brunswick Heads’ Fleet are legendary. Seating just 14, this minimal, wood-lined space champions local produce (local sea urchin, Ballina prawns, perhaps) and thoughtfully made booze.

Doma Cafe

Keen to go casual? A scenic drive into the Bryon hinterland leads to popular mod-Japanese Doma Café in Federal. Housed in an old weatherboard general store, expect super laid-back vibes and authentic sashimi, maki sushi and katsu burgers.

Coolamon Cheese

Meanwhile, 25 minutes north-west of Wagga, the tiny village of Coolamon is drawing droves of dairy-loving day-trippers thanks to the recently opened café at Coolamon Cheese . Go for the excellent cheese, stay for the great Campos coffee, warm service, excellent lunch fare and well-chosen local Riverina wines.

Victoria

Brae

Consistently rated among Australia’s finest restaurants, Dan Hunter’s Brae has helped redefine Australian cuisine. Located 90 minutes’ drive west of Melbourne, the timber farmhouse draws international foodies and press for its highly original, hyper local tasting menu.

Fen

At Fen , in the sleepy seaside town of Port Fairy, chef Ryan Sessions is introducing diners to stunning native and local produce like green-lip abalone, sea parsley and western district lamb.

Royal Mail Hotel

With its on-site olive grove, orchards and organic kitchen garden, Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld is a pub, but not as you know it. Along with chef Robin Wickens’ inspired seasonal fare, the epic wine list and stunning mountain views all add to the charm.

Tasmin’s Table

The weekly Sunday lunch spread at Tamsin’s Table in Poowong, West Gippsland is a great way to appreciate the culinary joys of paddock-to-plate dining. Not only is she an incredible cook, Tamsin grows, bakes, bottles, harvests and rears every edible thing on site.

Tasmania

Agrarian Kitchen Eatery and Store

Gastronomes have been detouring to Rodney Dunne’s bucolic Derwent Valley cooking school for years. His new venue, Agrarian Kitchen Eatery & Store , now lures crowds to the tiny town of New Norfolk for a dining experience where local, seasonal produce is celebrated.

Timbre Kitchen

Further north in Legana (near Launceston), chef Matt Adams is working deliciously creative culinary magic at Timbre Kitchen, thanks in part to a big wood oven (think wood roasted chicken with brown butter) and his flock of goats (hello cheese and curd).

Masaaki

Perhaps one of Tassie’s best kept food secrets comes via surf-mad Japanese sushi chef, Masaaki Koyama, whose hole-in-the-wall restaurant, Masaaki’s in Geeveston serves some of the freshest, most meticulously sourced real-deal sushi you’ll find.

Queensland

Spirit House

At the rainforest-shrouded Spirit House in Yandina, the hour’s drive north-west of the Sunshine Coast is rewarded with equal parts culinary heaven and zen-like retreat vibes. Chef Tom Swapp’s menu offers mod and trad takes on Thai, with local produce playing a starring role.

The Tamarind

Further inland at Maleny, The Tamarind has French-trained chef Daniel Jarrett combining classical technique, local ingredients and pan-Asian flavours with delicious results. Nestled in the rainforest, the breezy outdoor pavilions make for an unforgettable dining location.

The Long Apron

Located further north in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, The Long Apron at Spicer’s Clovelly Estate in Montville sees Michelin-trained British chef, Chris Hagan showcasing the coast’s excellent seafood and produce in a multi-course, European-inspired tasting menu.

South Australia

The Summertown Aristologist

With a population of less than 400, the tiny Adelaide Hills village of Summertown makes an unlikely gastro destination, but thanks to laid-back wine bar/eatery, The Summertown Aristologist it’s now on the map.

Terroir

The compact menu heroes local produce, while the 500-strong wine list offers plenty of justification for settling in. At Auburn’s Terroir , the kitchen runs with “a strict locavore philosophy." So along with attentive service and serious wines, you can expect to feast on the very best of seasonal Clare Valley bounty. Try chef Dan Moss’s 4-course tasting menu and be sure to savour a Clare Riesling (or two).

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.

Explore Australia’s hidden restaurant gems