Rick Stein is a prolific celebrity chef with 22 cook books and a 25-year TV series to his credit. But what does the seafood master do when he gets some time to himself?
How do you unwind? I love nothing better than having about 20 or so family and friends over to our beach house, Rick’s Place, in Mollymook, NSW, for an Aussie barbecue.
I love cooking whole snapper with a layer of fennel between the bars of the grill.
Opening a few cans of VB, I have been a fan since my first voyage in 1967.
Listening to The Whitlams – and the ocean, perfection.
What were your impressions on your first visit to Australia?
It was in 1967, I arrived by ship at Woolloomooloo but soon found the Northern Beaches and the Newport Arms, Aussie hamburgers, chocolate malted milkshakes.
I was only 19 and wouldn’t have recognised fine dining if there was any, but gosh I loved those burgers and shakes.
What’s your favourite place in Australia to holiday?
Mollymook in New South Wales, it’s my wife, Sas, childhood memories of idyllic summer holidays by the sea, which have so coloured my own experience of this beautiful part of Australia.
Must-pack item in your suitcase?
I always take a book of poems called By Heart compiled by Ted Hughes.
The point of the book is to learn them all, by heart. I’ve been working on that for 15 years
Beach, mountains or country?
Apart from occasional skiing trips to Switzerland or Austria – when I say to myself , “we must do this every winter" – it’s always the beach for me.
It doesn’t matter what country because I love to swim, particularly in cold but not too cold water.
A hotel that makes you feel at home? Our friends Alistair and Athena McAlpine own a convent in Marittima, Diso (in Puglia), which they have converted in to a nine-bedroom hotel.
It’s filled with art from Australia, India, Africa and Mexico. The food, local cooking from Puglia, is so good that we never leave the convent or its lovely gardens to eat out elsewhere.
I love it so much that my wife, Sas, and I have been going every July with her children for the last 10 years.
Your favourite holiday bottle of wine? I was introduced to a delicious provençale rosé called Chateau Miravale in St Tropez. Much hyped locally because it’s made by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie .
How often would we get to see you at Bannisters (Rick’s restaurant)?
I come to Bannisters between five to six times a year. I love to go into the kitchen for a hour and just start at the pass (where the dishes are finished off). Just enjoy the atmosphere, while making a few pertinent comments.
Also great sitting at the bar with a gin and lime sorbet cocktail so people can come up and chat.
Rick’s latest book India: Search for the Perfect Curry is available through Random House and his memoirs will be released in October 2013.
Traipse Jurassic cliffs and wander secluded beaches on Australia’s most enchanting walks.
Australia’s landscapes are made for hiking. Take the Red Centre, dusted in shifting sands and dotted with miraculous geological formations. Or our rainforests, left behind as the sole souvenir from continents that no longer exist. Down south, mottled night skies hang above crashing seas and unwavering cliffs. It makes sense, then, that hiking holidays are rising in popularity. No wi fi, no traffic. Just you and the path less travelled on the Great Walks of Australia in remote and iconic destinations.
What are the Great Walks of Australia?
If nature is your happy place, you’ve likely heard of the Great Walks of Australia, part of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences program since 2013 – a curated collection of 15 all-inclusive, eco-luxury journeys showcasing the country’s most spectacular landscapes with expert guides and incredible meals. GWOA launching in 2013 as
From exploring the peaks of a World Heritage listed island, to journeying through the heart of Australia, and the gentle pull of the majestic Murray – there’s a walking holiday to suit walkers of all experience levels (and interests).
Joining a Great Walks of Australia hike means the pressure is off with all meals, guides and eco-luxury accommodation included.
Where can you hike?
1. Scenic Rim Trail, Queensland
Enjoy incredible food along the way.
Around 23 million years ago, volcanoes spewed magma across Queensland’s Scenic Rim . Now, what’s left of the fiery landscape takes the form of the UNESCO-listed Gondwana rainforest.
The Scenic Rim Trail is a four-day guided hike that takes you through the ancient rainforest. You’ll venture out into breathtaking viewpoints across the Main Range National Park. Enjoy a packed lunch, listen out for the duplicitous calls of the lyrebird and enjoy the silence.
You’ll spend your nights in boutique eco-cabins and incredible hospitality.
2. Murray River Walk, South Australia
Walk through vibrant wildflower fields.
Murray River Walk pairs easy hiking with blissful evenings cruising the Murray River. Over four days and nights, you’ll follow kangaroo trails through red dirt dusted with vivid patches of wildflowers.
Each day ends on a solar-powered, custom-built houseboat. Watch towering, red sandstone cliffs float by from the top deck spa. Then, it’s three-course meals sourced from local produce and served alongside the region’s best wines.
The entire region you’ll be traversing is within the Riverland Ramsar site. Watch as spoonbills forage for food in the tranquil wetlands, emus parade through the wildflowers, and regent parrots flit above.
3. Maria Island Walk, Tasmania
Spot adorable locals.
Your Maria Island walk begins with a private boat transfer to an untouched, white sand beach. Barefoot in the sand, you’ll quickly realise – aside from your guide and group – you’re completely alone. Spot countless wombats and hear the distant calls of Tasmanian Devils as you spend four days leisurely traversing the island.
Explore the incredible Lord Howe Island. (Image: Luke Hanson)
Lord Howe Island feels like another world. With its patchwork blue coral lagoons and magma-honed peaks, it’s easy to forget you’re in New South Wales.
This walk has the highest level of elevation in the Great Walks of Australia’s collection. It’s because of this that you’ll witness nature like never before. UNESCO-listed volcanic peaks and coral reefs that grew out of solidified lava will become your daily norm.
Along the way, step onto beaches that lie undisturbed for weeks at a time. Then, snorkel the southernmost reef in the Pacific Ocean.
This five-day, fully guided, premium hiking experience inside Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park was developed in partnership with Aṉangu Traditional Owners. Begin your walk dwarfed by the shade of Kata Tjuṯa’s towering dome formations. Following remote desert trails through the red sands, crest dunes and traverse mulga woodlands as you draw closer to the monolithic walls of Uluṟu.
Each night, dine under the lamp light of the Milky Way in the warm desert air and sleep in new flagship, environmentally sensitive private camps and lodge. This is the first time that travellers have ever been allowed to spend the night inside the national park.
6. The Twelve Apostles Signature Walk, Victoria
See the Twelve Apostles in a new way. (Image: Ken Luke)
The Great Ocean Road’s rugged splendour is best experienced on this signature four-day, 44-kilometre guided walk . You’ll follow the rugged limestone stacks of the shipwreck coastline: wild, crashing waves, curious wildlife, and two national parks.
Finish each day at your luxurious lodge, where you’ll sit with your feet soaking and a glass of wine in hand. You’ll have a single lodge to call home on this walk, meaning you’ll only need to set out with a day pack.
7. Three Capes Signature Walk, Tasmania
Walk along the edge of the world. (Image: Luke Tscharke)
On Tasmania’s Three Capes Signature Walk , you’ll feel like you’re walking along the edge of the world. From your boat landing on a remote beach, climb slowly upward for spectacular views and wildlife encounters with pods of dolphins, fur seals and echidnas. Spend days walking Jurassic dolerite cliffs with the wild Southern Ocean as your only constant.
Stay in architecturally designed eco-lodges nestled at the very edge of the world. Think floor-to-ceiling windows, a plunge pool and even an on-site spa to tend to ailments from the hike.
