8 Weird Australian Foods Only Locals Know About

From Chiko Rolls to vegemite, Australia has offered the world some very weird culinary creations.

Australians have a global reputation as marching to the beat of our own drum, and nothing demonstrates why that is more than our wackiest food inventions. Got a meat pie? Chuck it in some soup. Sprinkles are great on cake, but have you ever tried slathering them over buttered bread? And let’s not even get started on vegemite (marmite will not be dignified with a response in this article, sorry/not sorry New Zealand). Here, we’ve rounded up the best of weird Australian foods.

1. Pavlova

The old pavlova may be at the centre of an intense origin debate – was it Australia or New Zealand? But either way, it’s incredibly popular here. Named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova and appearing in the 20th century, it’s just a really lazy cake. Bake a round meringue, smother the top in cream, then top it off with as much sliced fruit as can fit and Bob’s your uncle.

Speaking of meringue, an argument could be made for adding those caterpillar meringues with Smarties eyes that dominated my childhood, but I’ll resist.

2. Chiko Rolls

As a terrible Australian, I have never tasted a Chiko Roll. Although its name is a shortened version of Chicken Roll, it’s never actually contained any chicken and maybe that’s why it’s so unappealing.

First created by a boilermaker from Bendigo in Victoria, as an alternative to Chinese-style chop suey rolls that were sold outside Richmond Cricket Ground before a footy match, the original rolls contain veggies, beef and textured soy protein. They were made using an adapted sausage machine and designed to be super easy to carry around while watching a game.

Today, they’re still easy to spot in the hands of tradies and school kids across the country.

3. Lamingtons

Lamingtons might be a little weird – a slightly stale cake with icing all the way around might not be the most logical creation to make – but as a dessert they’re God-tier. Especially when there’s jam and cream in the middle.

Once again, New Zealand likes to occasionally lay claim to the humble lamington, but its history is clearly traceable to Toowoomba in Queensland between 1896 and 1901.

lamingtons on a plate with tea — Stale cakes never tasted so good. (Image: Eiliv Aceron)

4. Vegemite

Obviously, Australia’s most infamous spread is making this list. It might be well known outside the country, but its appeal isn’t. Typically, that’s because foreigners take a spoonful as a dare instead of spreading it with butter on toast, and maybe even adding a bit of cheese, if they’re feeling decadent. It’s a hard food to describe to someone who’s never had it, but I think Terry Pratchett summed it up best in The Last Continent:

“It was just possible that if you mixed yeasty beer and vegetables together you’d get – no, what you got was salty-tasting beery brown gunk. Odd, though… it was kind of horrible, but nevertheless, Rincewind found himself having another taste."

vegemite on toast, weird australian foods — Delicious salty-tasting beery brown gunk. (Image: bhofack2)

5. Sausage sizzles

Many countries around the world have their own version of a barbeque, but none are as satisfied with the absolute basics as Australians. I promise if you present a sausage sizzle to a Brazilian they will be overcome with disappointment (I’ve seen it happen).

All we need is a piece of bread, a sausage and some sauce. Maybe some fried onion, if we’re feeling particularly fancy. In fact, we love it so much that it has become a national icon, a staple of Bunnings (another national icon) and even a symbol of democracy (see: democracy sausage ).

It’s not much, but we’re proud of our sausage sizzles. (Image: Matthieu Joannon)

6. Fairy bread

The way fairy bread rules the lives of primary school-aged children in Australia is actually wild. I’m not sure what age we all collectively decide we’re too old for fairy bread, but I can guarantee that if you bring it out at an adult party it will surprise and delight the same way it did when we were five.

But it’s weird. It’s literally a thick layer of butter spread on untoasted bread topped by an even thicker layer of sprinkles (aka 100s and 1000s). What kind of psycho puts that together and calls it a snack? I don’t know, but I want to shake their hand.

The origins of fairy bread aren’t known exactly, but rumour has it the treat was first written about in the Hobart Mercury newspaper on Anzac Day 1929. Why it was called fairy bread is unknown, but some guess that it has to do with a poem of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson written in 1885. The name was used for a few different food items before it landed on the current bread iteration.

fairy bread on a plate, weird Australian foods — Time to bring fairy bread back into our repertoire. (Image: Margarita Medvedeva)

7. Chicken salt

Chicken salt is as common as the regular kind in fish and chip shops around Australia, so it comes as a shock the first time you ask for it overseas and are met with confused looks.

If, like me, you assumed it was named because of chicken being on the ingredient list until you were in your late 20s, I’m here to tell you it’s not. It was first whipped up by South Australian Peter Brinkworth in the 1970s to season rotisserie chickens. It was later picked up by Big Business and distributed around Australia, for the betterment of the country.

fish and chips on the beach in australia — I can taste the chicken salt just by looking at this photo. (Image: Clara Nila)

8. Pie floater

The pie might have a long and established history all the way back to the ancient Egyptians (and first featured meat in the Neolithic period, around 9500 BC). But no one has taken a good thing and made it slightly worse like Australians.

The practice of throwing a meat pie into a thick pea soup, and usually topping it off with some tomato sauce (aka, the pie floater) is believed to have been created in the 1890s. Since then, it grew in popularity in South Australia, until being officially recognised as a South Australian Heritage Icon in 2003.

Pie floater - meat pie in pea soup — Blame Australians for throwing a meat pie into pea soup. (Image: Mladenovic)

Video credit: Tourism Australia

From coast to mountains, hiking in Gippsland offers a stunning array of landscapes, with trails that take you deep into the region’s heritage.

I step out onto the sand and it cries out underfoot. Kweek! I take another step and there’s another little yelp. Screet! Picking up the pace, the sounds follow me like my shadow, all the way down to the water. It’s obvious how this spot got its name – Squeaky Beach – from the rounded grains of quartz that make the distinctive sounds under pressure.

For many, Wilsons Promontory National Park is the gateway to Gippsland , and the best way to explore it is by walking its network of hiking trails, from coastal gems such as Squeaky Beach through to the bushland, among the wildlife. But it’s still just a taste of what you’ll find on foot in the region.

Venture a bit further into Gippsland and you’ll discover the lakes, the rainforest, and the alpine peaks, each changing with the season and offering summer strolls or winter walks. Just like that squeaky sand, each step along these trails has something to tell you: perhaps a story about an ancient spirit or a pioneering search for fortune.

The best coastal hikes in Gippsland

sunset at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Wilsons Promontory National Park is a sprawling wilderness with many coastal bushland trails. (Image: Mark Watson)

Wilsons Promontory National Park (or ‘The Prom’, as you’ll end up calling it) is an easy three-hour drive from Melbourne, but you might ditch the car when you arrive, with much of the park’s 50,000 hectares accessible only by foot. From the inky water of Tidal River (dyed dark purple by abundant tea trees), I like the easy walks along the coast, among lichen-laden granite boulders, to golden beaches and bays.

a couple on Mount Oberon — Panoramic views from the summit of Mount Oberon. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

The trail to the panoramic views at the summit of Mount Oberon is a bit harder, up steep timber and granite steps, but it’s a popular 6.8-kilometre return. The more remote hikes are found through the open banksia and stringybark woodland of the park’s north, or along the multi-day Southern Circuit , which ranges from about 35 to 52 kilometres, with sunrises and sunsets, kangaroos and cockatoos, and maybe even whales.

a golden sand beach at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Walk ‘The Prom’s’ golden sand beaches. (Image: Tourism Australia/Time Out Australia)

You might also see whales on the George Bass Coastal Walk , even closer to Melbourne on the western edge of Gippsland. This dramatic seven-kilometre trail along the clifftops takes in sweeping views of the wild ocean, occasionally dipping down from grassy green hills to coastal gullies and a secluded beach. It also now links into the Bass Coast Rail Trail for an extra 14 kilometres.

Over at the eastern edge of Gippsland, in Croajingolong National Park, you can wander along the lakeshores beneath koalas and around goannas (I keep my distance since one chased me here!). For those who are even more adventurous, the park is also the starting point for the 100-kilometre Wilderness Coast Walk , usually done over seven days.

the Croajingolong National Park, Gippsland — Wander along the lakeshores in Croajingolong National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The best bush hikes in Gippsland

the Baw Baw National Park — The alpine heath of Baw Baw National Park. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Deep in the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine at Walhalla, mining guide Richard tells me how this small town in the mountains east of Melbourne boomed when prospectors found gold here in 1862. These days, you’ll find most of the town’s treasure – its heritage – above ground, with the Walhalla Tramline Walk a wonderful way to explore it.

Just seven kilometres long, the walk takes you through decades of Gold Rush history, following the original rail trail from lush bushland to the mining sites, and through the charming village of just 20 residents with its wooden cottages and old shopfronts adorned with turn-of-the-century advertising posters. Blazing a trail where trailblazers once opened up the region, this is also the starting point for the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track.

Nearby, Baw Baw National Park has walks through gnarled snow gums and alpine heaths that show off the colourful wildflowers in summer and the pristine carpet of white in winter. Several trails are perfect for snowshoes, including a 45-minute route from St Gwinear up to vast views across the Latrobe Valley.

Further up into the mountains, the Toorongo and Amphitheatre Falls Loop Walk is an easy 2.2-kilometre path that serenades you with the sound of flowing water as you pass mossy rocks and tree ferns en route to two sets of waterfalls cascading over boulders in the remote wilderness.

The best cultural hikes in Gippsland

the Mitchell River National Park, Gippsland — Hike the Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

Across a pool in a natural sandstone amphitheatre, deep within a cave behind a waterfall, it’s said the Nargun has its lair. A fierce creature, half human and half stone, that abducts children and can’t be harmed by boomerangs or spears, the story of the Nargun has been told around the campfires of the local Gunaikurnai people for generations.

As a culturally significant place for women, hikers are asked not to go into the Den of Nargun, but a 3.4-kilometre loop walk leads you through a rainforest gully to the entrance where you can feel the powerful atmosphere here in Mitchell River National Park , along Victoria’s largest remaining wild and free-flowing waterway.

the bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park — Bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

The Den of Nargun is part of the Bataluk Cultural Trail , a series of important traditional Gunaikurnai sites through central Gippsland. Another location is Victoria’s largest cave system, Buchan Caves Reserve, with trails to important archaeological sites of human artefacts up to 18,000 years old. The FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk includes the naturally sculpted white limestone steps of the 400-metre-long Federal Cave, while the Granite Pools Walk goes among tall timber and moss-covered gullies.

the ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park — The ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park. (Image: Josie Withers)

Also important to the Gunaikurnai people is Tarra-Bulga National Park , known for its ancient myrtle beeches and enormous mountain ash trees. Just 40 minutes return, the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk offers a taste of this verdant landscape, while the Grand Strzelecki Track takes you deep into the lost world of forest giants on an epic 100-kilometre trail rich with tradition.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the WildernessRetreats in The Prom — Wilderness Retreats in The Prom. (Image: Christian Pearson)

Wilderness Retreats in Wilsons Promontory offers glamping-style tents with luxurious queen beds. Star Hotel is a reconstruction of a Gold Rush-era hotel from 1863 in the heart of heritage Walhalla. Caves House is a historic three-bedroom house with views over the Buchan River.

Eating there

the Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — Enjoy a post-hike lunch at Carrajung Estate. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Kilcunda General Store serves great coffee and meals of local produce at the George Bass Coastal Walk. Alpine Trout Farm is located near Toorongo Falls in Noojee. Fish for your own lunch and barbecue it with the provided cookware.

Carrajung Estate is a short drive from Tarra-Bulga National Park. The winery’s restaurant offers a seasonal menu of regional ingredients and you can stay at The Lodge.

a seafood feast at Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — The table is set for a seafood feast at the estate.