Uncover the best culture and foodie experiences on Christmas Island

The diversity of the language and culture on the island has influenced its identity and made for a beguiling mix of restaurants and a range of colourful cultural festivals each year.

While wildlife and adventure is the main goal of a trip to Christmas Island, you will find that food is the axis around which life in this unique Indian Ocean destination revolves. And if you’re going to fall into the rhythm of life here, the best way to do that is to roll your sleeves up and tuck into some of the local specialties.

Why was it named Christmas Island?

The reason Christmas Island, located 360 kilometres south of Java, was named after the yuletide is pretty simple: it’s because the English master of the East India Company, Captain William Mynors, sailed to the island on Christmas Day, 1643.

But it wasn’t until 139 years later, when phosphate was discovered on the island, that settlers and workers arrived, bringing with them a diverse range of cultural and religious traditions from Europe and Asia.

How this history shapes the culture & food today

Fast forward to now and the island population is a multi-cultural, harmonious mix of Chinese, Malay and Australian culture where 63 per cent of households speak a language other than English at home.

This blended heritage is reflected on the menus at the pubs, cafes and restaurants dotted around CI, as the island is affectionately known. Dishes such as crispy spring rolls, deep-fried flavour-filled wontons, coconut-based seafood curry, stir-fries and nasi goreng lightly kissed with chilli, and, yes, even chicken parmigiana, all pull the threads of Christmas Island’s cultural heritage together like strands of colourful wool.

Visitors can experience the rich cultural heritage of Christmas Island year-round as, in addition to epic wildlife and nature experiences, the CI calendar is also packed with cultural festivals that nod to the Buddhist, Taoist and Muslim traditions linked to the religions practised within the community.

In between checking out some of the best snorkelling and diving sites for which Christmas Island is known, here are some of the must-do culture and foodie experiences on offer on Christmas Island.

Where to eat & drink on Christmas Island

Sample street food at the Flying Fish Café, Flying Fish Cove

This popular food truck divides its time between Flying Fish Cove and the Kampong. The cafe on wheels is owned and operated by a local Malay family who serves street-style food such as egg roti, samosas as well as Malaysian coffee and cake. Drench your delicious savoury breakfast stir-fry of rice noodles with chives and shrimp with hot, spicy sambal to kickstart and captivate your palette.

Order avo on toast at the Smash Espresso Bar, Poon Saan

Avocado on toast is now regarded as an Australian staple. And those partial to the mainland favourite, served with a dusting of salt, pepper, and sometimes feta, will enjoy the Smash Espresso Bar rendition, slathered onto a toasted slab of ciabatta. Bacon and egg wraps are another indulgent brekkie item on the menu and this cafe is known for its specialty coffee and juices, too.

Enjoy the Smash Espresso Bar renditions.

Enjoy a Malaysian breakfast at Idah’s Kitchen, at the Malay Club

Enjoy a traditional Malay breakfast of buttery soft roti canai with chicken curry, or nasi lemak at this popular restaurant overlooking Flying Fish Cove, the island’s main settlement. Here, you will find locals getting their fill on traditional Malaysian food and sweets. Meals at Idah’s Kitchen tend to be traditional, which brings together the community. Idah’s Kitchen is also a kopitiam (coffee shop) so you can sip on a strong black coffee to round out your feast.

Linger over lunch or dinner at Lucky Ho

Christmas Island locals wax enthusiastic about Chinese restaurant Lucky Ho, located in Poon Saan. Prawns, chillies, chives, garlic, coriander and shrimp paste are all used to flavour dishes such as wok-fried noodles and Singapore sambal yellow noodles, which are a quick introduction to Christmas Island’s pan-Asian palate. The restaurant has a homey atmosphere and serves a great rendition of Thai fried rice and fried wontons for both lunch and dinner. You can even book a room to do Karaoke here!

Dine on authentic noodle dishes at Le Cla Café

The Chinese Literary Association building is where you go to order an iced tea that starts out hot and is cooled down with loads of ice, a Le Cla speciality. Sit outside on the breezy verandah at this Malaysian-Chinese restaurant, which is renowned for its authentic noodle dishes such as char kway teow, bee hoon and kway teow. The slippery rice noodles arrive with a little bit of chilli sambal on the side. Alcohol is available here.

Foshan chicken from Le Cla Cafe & Restaurant.

Kick back at The Recreation Centre

The Kookai’z Café at the Recreation Centre up on the hill is a top spot for a burger that has been built from the ground up. The magic here lies in the old-school milk bun base, which is layered with quality ingredients, such as a home-made beef patty topped with rounds of pickled beetroot, sliced cucumber and tomato, squares of cheese and shredded lettuce glued together with a squiggle of mayonnaise.

Brew with a view at the Golden Bosun

The Golden Bosun is the name of a sub-species of bird that is unique to Christmas Island. It’s also the name of one of Christmas Island’s most popular watering holes, where a cold bevvie is best enjoyed on the verandah with ocean views. Eat your way methodically through the menu of pub classics with a CI twist such as sriracha chicken and pineapple pizza, locally caught fish (wahoo) and chicken parmigiana with salad. Beef and reef steaks are a local favourite.

Visit Rumah Tinggi on Saturday night

The Rumah Tinggi tavern is as far west as you can go without leaving Australian territory. Rumah Tinggi means ‘tall house’ in Malay and this spot in the Settlement is a hit with locals who converge here on a Saturday arvo for bar food such as bruschetta, chips and steak sangas. The waterfront bar is a top spot to watch the sun set over the sea.

Tracks Tavern

You will find this true Aussie gem tucked up in the suburb of Drumsite. Ice cold beverages, plenty of yarns and the place to keep you up to date with all things in the world of sports. Head along for Chase the Ace on Saturday evenings, or just call in for a tasty salad roll or beef pie for lunch. But be quick, it’s a local favourite and the rolls sell out fast!

The Pool Hall

If you feel like kicking on, The Pool Hall is popular with the younger crowd for drinks and dancing.

Stock up at local supermarkets

While all of the restaurants on Christmas Island have the option to dine in or takeaway, you can also stock up on everyday staples at one of the three main supermarkets on Christmas Island, all of which stock specialty Asian groceries as well as basic everyday staples.

The island’s Hidden Garden Sustainable Farm supplies the supermarkets with fresh bananas, papaya and soursop and a range of seasonal ingredients. CI Bakery supplies fresh baked goods. Keep your eye out on the Community Board for the latest fresh fish of the day from Shorefire, the local fish supplier.

Fast food

For takeaway pizza, fish n’ chips and more check with CITA for the latest up-to-date information when it comes to tracking down current take-away options and menus.

Cultural must-dos on Christmas Island

Visitors to Christmas Island will also be satisfied with the many temples and mosques that offer a glimpse of the Australian territory’s rich cultural heritage. Each is as interesting as the next, so get your passport ready to take a step back in time along a self-guided trail or plan your stay around one of the festivals held at these places of worship.

Time your visit to coincide with a festival

There are many colourful cultural celebrations held year-round on Christmas Island, which everyone is welcome to enjoy. From Chinese New Year and the Hungry Ghost Festival, which honours the memories of the deceased, to the Malay celebrations involving Kompang drumming, traditional dance and Malay food that highlights the culture on Christmas Island.

Learn about the history of the island’s colourful visitor’s centre

Cast your gaze down Gaze Road, which is a laid-back commercial, tourism and residential hub on the island. You won’t miss the pastel blue visitor centre, which has had many incarnations as a Chinese club, Eurasian staff club, and youth club. Talk to the friendly team about historic places, relics and ruins to visit on the island.

Christmas Island Visitors Centre. — Unlock your adventure at the Visitors Centre.

Scribble a note on the community blackboard

The roundabout on Christmas Island is said to be one of the most isolated in the world. All island traffic must, at some point, pass through the roundabout, which makes it the ideal spot for a community blackboard where locals and visitors blast out messages in chalk. Beloved by all Islanders to keep up to date with what’s on, who’s on island, and even significant birthdays.

View the mosque in the Kampong

The original houses in the Kampong were made of thatch and timber to accommodate Malays recruited from Indonesia and Malaysia to work in the port and marine services. There is the 1960s-built mosque and madrassa (Islamic school) located in the kampong, which has retained its village-like feel. The Kampong is the heart of the Malay community. Listen for the Call to Prayer, which can be heard reverberating across the Kampong and Flying Fish Cove.

Enjoy the views from the Tea Garden & Tai Jin House

The Tea Garden was once a focal point for the Chinese community. Look at the art in the Tea Garden, and enjoy a sunset picnic in the park, which is located on a former residential area known as ’40 houses’. Have a peep at the 1950s-style buildings at the shops in Temple Court. What was once the home of the British Administrator of Christmas Island, Tai Jin House, offers splendid views over Flying Fish Cove and is home to the Christmas Island Museum.

Catch a film at the outdoor cinema

The Christmas Island Outdoor Cinema plays a pivotal role in island life. Built in the 1970s, the cinema was a key meeting point for the Union of Christmas Island Workers where key information was relayed. The outdoor cinema is a non-profit, community-based organisation that screens new release and cult classic movies under the stars every Saturday.

See local history at the Drumsite

Drumsite is named after the giant drum that held the cable for the gravity-based Incline of the site, which was established during the construction of the Incline and railway systems between 1910 and 1920. Take note of the private residence on Lam Lok Loh, built in 1930, which was officially known as Bungalow 702. Most other buildings in this area date from the 1950s and 1960s.

Visit a temple or two

There are Taoist and Buddhist temples dotted around Christmas Island. There are also many small hidden shrines set up in the island’s industrial, retail and residential areas and a few smaller shrines scattered throughout the forest.

Your visit to the temples will help as donations are invested back into the upkeep of the temples. The Guan Yin Monastery in the Settlement, Tai Pak Kong, Di Zang Pu Sa Dian and Si Mian Fo temples all have spiritual significance for locals.

Chinese New Year on Christmas Island. — South Point Temple. (Photo: Karenn Singer / Christmas Island Tourism Association)

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay — Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting — Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia — Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd — Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.