The Great (Marion) Grasby

She may not have made it all the way on MasterChef, but that wasn’t going to stop Marion Grasby from taking on the world (words: Lara Picone, photography: Lauren Bamford).

Marion Grasby is describing her ultimate toasted sandwich with a great deal of animation and detail: “It has to be a dark rye walnut sourdough, but not heavy, you still want a bit of give.

Then a salted, churned, European-style butter. Followed by an Italian mostarda for a bit of sweetness, and an aged comté – no less than 24 months!" When it comes to building the perfect toastie, she’s worth listening to.

The MasterChef graduate-turned-international-business-owner proudly estimates her toasted sandwich consumption at about 700 units during a two-year stint working at an Italian providore in Adelaide.

The fact she’s taken the time to calculate this bit of trivia is typical of her encompassing love for food – she isn’t someone to deny the pleasure of carbs.

Sandwich obsessed

“When I come back to Australia, I’m sandwich obsessed," she says, tucking into a meatball version at a Mount Martha bakery in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. “You just can’t get bread like this in Thailand."

For the past three years, Bangkok has played home base for Marion as she’s set about building her successful food range, Marion’s Kitchen.

Her Asian-themed, make-at-home recipe kits proved so popular in Australia that Marion and her husband, Tim, set their sights State-side.

Now her products, bearing an image of the smiling cook in her signature glasses, can be found in 3500 stores in the US. From Thai to Sri Lankan curries and san choy bow to Singapore noodles, Marion’s Kitchen pumps out 150,000 kits each month to locations as diverse as Tamworth and Texas.

Considering the demand for her classic Asian meals, it’s somewhat ironic that a “claggy" satay sauce brought about her demise on a show that, in its second year, had kept an increasingly food-savvy Australia on the edge of its seat.

It’s doesn’t take a sharp eye to see why dedicated MasterChef fans reeled at Marion’s jarring elimination back in 2010.

Her culinary talent is obvious, but it’s her warm and genuine nature that pervades, even under the crafty edits of a competitive cooking show.

Gracious and intelligent, Marion’s post-show success couldn’t have been so complete were she not so likable.

Reflections on MasterChef

She has nothing but kind words for her MasterChef experience and fellow alumni, fondly dubbing her one-time rival and Season 2 winner, Adam Liaw, “a legitimate genius".

During our photoshoot, her grounded, self-assured manner is evident as we bundle a live and slightly perturbed chicken under her arm, and she handles it with aplomb (as does the chicken, to be fair).

“It’s funny because when you’re on the show, you don’t know whether people like you or not – you’re shut off," explains Marion.

“I went in with all these things I wanted to do, but it’s all up in the air. You could be eliminated early and not have a profile."

Once the curtain fell following the satay incident, Marion’s grace in defeat assured her a foothold from which to leverage her MasterChef experience.

Rather than wallow, sleeves were rolled and the very next day she began researching ingredients and producers.

The following week, she and Tim were Thailand-bound with a folder of her recipes tucked under arm. “I look back now and think, ‘Oh my god, that was the most naive thing to do’," she laughs.

If necessity is the mother of invention, naiveté may well be the mother of entrepreneurs, but Marion certainly wasn’t clueless.

In fact, her path leading to that fateful satay sauce had equipped her with a particular set of skills needed to turn Marion’s Kitchen into the sustainable business she’d imagined.

Marion Grasby, the Australian Traveller

Growing up in Darwin, surrounded by the region’s tropical produce and with a Thailand-born chef for a mother, Marion’s culinary inquisitiveness was nurtured from an early age.

Over the years, she flitted between Brisbane, Sydney, and Adelaide (where she devoured those 700 toasted sandwiches).

She collected a law degree, journalism degree, and a job as an ABC cadet along the way, but it wasn’t until she crossed paths with her wine-merchant, future husband, who exposed her to a world of food producers, that she considered earning a living from her passion.

Giving up a promotion at the ABC to study her masters in food and wine history, Marion performed a career U-turn, alarming friends and family in the process.

“When I quit my job to study food, people said, ‘Are you crazy? You have a law degree, a journalism degree, and a great job as a TV journalist, what are you doing?’" she says.

The gamble paid off once the MasterChef train arrived on the scene, no doubt putting an end to those incredulous questions.

After the train moved on and the dust settled, the next thing to arrive was a shipment of Marion’s Kitchen green curry.

Green curry forever?

“I said to Tim, ‘Holy shit! We have container-loads of green curry. If it doesn’t sell, we’ll be eating it forever!" she says as she throws her head back with the kind of laugh that only comes with hindsight.

Luckily, it’s not green curry forever, although it will probably remain a fixture in their lives as long as Marion’s Kitchen continues flying off shelves, which it seems set to do with the addition of some hungry Texans.

With an eye on the UK market next and a lot of work still to be done in the US, it looks like a homecoming for Marion is a little way down the track.

“I definitely want to come back to Australia, but right now it makes sense to be in Bangkok to keep an eye on production, and to be closer to the States," she says.

“I take any chance I can to come back, though, even if it’s for a few days."

Indeed, she has flown especially to Melbourne for a handful of days just to join our photoshoot, and not once have the words ‘tired’ or ‘jet-lagged’ passed her lips. Instead, she offers to get up as early as required to help wrangle the aforementioned chicken.

With a little help from mum and dad

Any disconnect from living away from home is smoothed thanks to Mum and Dad Grasby, who picked up and resettled down the road from their only daughter to lend their palates to the business.

“Mum helps me with the recipes. She’s quite bossy – like me. We argue a lot about the flavours. But my 80-year-old dad always has the final say; he’s really good, he can see the end picture," says Marion.

With Team Grasby in position to keep it all on an even keel, we may soon see more Marion on our screens and our bookshelves but, first up, is a relaunch of the Marion’s Kitchen packaging.

“It’s a fresher me on the box," she laughs, adding, “I don’t know what I’ll do when I get old and wrinkly!"

With such a dream business to pursue, it’s hard to imagine a furrowed brow appearing on the 32-year-old’s face anytime soon, and she concedes she’s well down the track in the pursuit of happiness: “If I’m still doing what I’m doing now in another five to 10 years, I’ll be one happy person. I don’t need too much more."

Beyond the winding bitumen and coastal views lies another side to Victoria’s most famous route.

There’s something hypnotic about this stretch of Victoria’s coast. Maybe it’s the way the road hugs the ocean so tightly, or how the cliffs catch the sun in colours you can’t name. Or, for local Victorians who drove this route as kids, maybe it’s the memories of winding through the impossibly tall trees as they seemingly guide you on your journey like wooden guardian angels. Most travellers know it for the 12 Apostles, but there are plenty of alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road equally as worthy of your time.

So, next time you’re in that neck of the woods, park that car, stretch those legs and try these experiences.

1. Discover living culture at Budj Bim

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism — Walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Breakaway Creek’s Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a masterclass in educational storytelling. Join a guided tour with Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism to walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system, where the Gunditjmara people built sophisticated eel traps and stone channels more than 6,000 years ago.

Budj Bim’s aquaculture system predates Egypt’s pyramids by roughly 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest examples of human engineering on Earth. If that’s not enough to get your history-loving family members involved in this road trip, we’re out of ideas.

2. Unwind in the hot springs at Warnambool

woman relaxing at Deep Blue Hot Springs — Let mineral-rich water heal you.

If your legs need a break after a long drive, Deep Blue Hot Springs is your remedy. The geothermal pools sit just metres from the coastline, filled with mineral-rich water that bubbles up from deep underground. Move between open-air baths, waterfall pools and quiet zones made for meditation.

The water in Deep Blue’s geothermal pools comes from an ancient aquifer nearly 850 metres below the Earth’s surface, which, in non-scientific terms, means it’s far more likely to have healing properties than the mineral water you’d find at the supermarket.

3. Take to the air at Princetown

12 Apostles Helicopters flight alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road — See an icon from a different view.

You may have seen the Twelve Apostles from the trusty viewing platform, but a helicopter flight with 12 Apostles Helicopters shows you just how sprawling and rugged this coastline really is.

The trip covers everything from Port Campbell to London Bridge (not to be confused with the UK’s own), giving you a rare chance to watch waves carving the limestone cliffs from above. It’s worth noting that the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles are said to erode by roughly two centimetres each year, so the longer you leave it, the less of the Apostles you’ll see.

4. Step into the past at Flagstaff Hill

Continue the tour through Warnambool at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and Museum , a recreated 19th-century port town. Hear stories from the days when shipwrecks were as common as seagulls, with an astounding 180 ships believed to have sunk along the Shipwreck Coast in less than five years.

The night show, complete with lights, sound, and sea spray, brings the coastline’s most dramatic stories to life.

If you’re staying the night, Simon’s Waterfront offers relaxed dining with fresh local seafood and oceanfront views. Order the catch of the day and toast to the sailors who never made it ashore.

5. Learn to surf in Torquay, Lorne, or Anglesea

kid having a lesson with Go Ride A Wave — Learn how to hang 10. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Whether you’ve surfed before or can barely stand on a board, Go Ride A Wave will have you upright in no time. Torquay’s calm beaches are ideal for first-timers, while Lorne and Anglesea bring a bit more energy for those unafraid to get dunked.

Bells Beach, just down the road from Torquay, has even hosted the world’s longest-running professional surfing competition since 1962. So, for those eager to have a gander at pros using surfboards like they’re an additional appendage, the competition usually runs sometime in autumn.

6. Tackle the trails in Forrest

Barwon Flow Trails Otways Flow MTB — Hire a bike and explore MTB trails through the Otways.

Forrest is a haven for mountain bikers thanks to an expansive network of trails through stunning natural scenery. The Forrest trail network has almost 100 kilometres of singletrack across 36 trails, so there’s something for every level of rider. That’s including more than 60 kilometres of purpose-built mountain bike trails winding through the Otways’ dense forest. Cycle through ancient myrtle beech trees and towering tree ferns, with smaller ferns and soft mosses forming a carpet at your feet.

Hire a bike from Forrest MTB Hire and take your pick from easy, scenic rides to more challenging singletracks, such as Red Carpet or Rollercoaster.

7. See wildlife up close in Apollo Bay

bush rat on Wildlife Wonders tour — Get help spotting the locals. (Image: Doug Gimsey)

If spotting koalas and kangaroos in the wild feels like winning the lottery, Wildlife Wonders gives you guaranteed sightings without cages or crowds. Every visit to the sanctuary helps fund the Conservation Ecology Centre which supports endangered species across the Otways, so your business is appreciated by humans and animals alike.

The guided walk takes you through protected Otways habitat where you might spot potoroos (or joey lookalikes for those unfamiliar with a potoroo), wallabies, and sleepy koalas lounging in the trees.

8. Visit the Cape Otway Lightstation

Towering over the sea on a cliff above the Southern Ocean, Cape Otway Lightstation has been guiding ships since 1848. Before the lighthouse was built, Cape Otway was one of the most treacherous points on the Victorian coast, with dozens of shipwrecks occurring in its surrounding waters. Pick the right day, and you may bump into a local willing to tell you about the wreck of Eric the Red .

While at the Cape Otway Lightstation, explore the keeper’s quarters, walk the coastal trails, and take in views that only stop short at the horizon.

And no, contrary to popular belief, the Round the Twist lighthouse is actually located in Split Point, just shy of two hours in the direction of Melbourne. Nothing’s stopping you from embarking on a lighthouse crawl, though.

Plan your next no-stone-unturned journey along this iconic Aussie road at visitgreatoceanroad.org.au.

Marion’s foodie journey