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This magical outback feast is hidden amid boab trees and red cliffs

Eleanor EdströmBy Eleanor Edström
The award-winning, gourmet camp oven feast in Western Australia’s Kimberley region is something you need to experience at least once in your life.

The crackling of outdoor fires, the flavours of the outback singing on the palate, a thousand stars above. Little wonder the Gourmet Camp Oven Experience in Kununurra in Western Australia’s East Kimberley has been crowned the Best Tourism Restaurant in WA for two consecutive years.

Returning in April 2026, the outdoor feast is a four-course celebration of Australian ingredients cooked over coals – from lemon myrtle and pepperberry to barramundi and crocodile – taking place within a secret off-grid Kimberley setting. The small family business will soon fly to Perth as Western Australia’s official nominated representative for two categories at the National Tourism Awards: Food Excellence and Best Tourism Restaurant in Australia. 

“To stand alongside the best tourism restaurants in the country is an incredible honour – not just for us, but for regional Western Australia and the East Kimberley," says chef Josh Melville, who created and hosts the dining experience alongside his wife, hostess and sous chef Tamsyn. 

Gourmet Camp Oven Experience kimberley
Experience the wonders of the Kimberley’s landscapes and flavours.

The family-run company in remote WA grew out of the couple’s deep passion for food and nature, and operates seasonally to allow for land regeneration, firmly sticking to ‘leave no trace’ principles.

“If our journey helps shift perceptions about what regional Australia can deliver – and inspires other operators to innovate sustainably and confidently – then that is perhaps the most meaningful outcome of all," says Melville.

The setting

Kununurra Gourmet Camp Oven Experience setting
The Gourmet Camp Oven Experience takes place at a hidden Kimberley location.

Part of what makes the Gourmet Camp Oven Experience so special is its setting. A maximum of 24 guests are picked up from their accommodation in Kununurra and taken to a secret Kimberley location amid jagged red cliffs and breathtaking boab trees. The location is off-grid and 100 per cent solar powered, with dishes cooked over locally sourced Indian sandalwood offcuts that would otherwise go to waste.

As the sun sets, the rocky horizon transforms into a multi-hued melting pot of hibiscus pink, plum and amber – before the stars settle in. Guests bask under the warm glow of solar-powered chandeliers, with live music adding to the magic.

Australian Traveller print editor Imogen Eveson says the experience was an unexpected highlight of her Kimberley trip three years ago.

“I was whisked to a hidden location in Kununurra at sunset and didn’t quite know what to expect," she recalls.

“The tone was set when I was welcomed by a red carpet rolled out under a majestic boab tree. What ensued was an evening of fine dining, music and creativity under the Kimberley stars. It was pure magic. Bonus points for the quirky touches – like the ‘loo with a view’, which made for the most scenic toilet break I’ve ever had!"

The food at Gourmet Camp Oven Experience

Kununurra Gourmet Camp Oven Experience dinner
The Gourmet Camp Oven Experience emphasises locally sourced produce.

The culinary experience exceeds expectations with bright local flavours that tell stories of the outback. The feast kicks off with Top End saltwater crocodile cooked over open flames and elevated with lemon myrtle, wild hibiscus jam and Ord Valley dill. Then comes a potato rosti and wild-caught barramundi stack flavoured with saltbush and pepperberry, and served with Ord Valley tomatoes, Kimberley honey drizzle and balsamic glaze.

The main? Crispy pork belly that’s slow-cooked in the camp oven and smoked over local Indian sandalwood embers. It’s accompanied by a vibrant mango sauce, basil-infused damper and melon topped with a Kununurra lime dressing. For dessert, expect a warm Ord River rum and chocolate brownie with vanilla bean ice cream, oozy salted caramel sauce and wild rosella – sprinkled with powdered boab pith. If you’re salivating, you’re not alone.  

Sustainability at the core

Kununurra Gourmet Camp Oven Experience chef
Gourmet Camp Oven Experience hosts Josh Josh Melville and his wife Tamsyn are passionate about community and environmental responsibility.

Gourmet Camp Oven Experience is completely solar powered, demonstrating that premium hospitality and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.

Melville emphasises that the experience’s National Tourism Awards nominations carry enormous significance for not only the business itself but the local community, especially given its remote location. “It validates the idea that world-class culinary experiences don’t need to exist in metropolitan centres to be influential. They can be built in regional communities, powered by collaboration and commitment," he says.

“Importantly, this recognition reflects more than just the dining experience itself. We prioritise local supply chains, support neighbouring tourism operators and ensure any suitable leftover food is donated to the local community food shelter. For us, success is measured not only in guest feedback and awards, but in the positive contribution we make to the region that supports us."

The details

Experience: Gourmet Camp Oven Experience
Location: All tours depart from your Kununurra hotel or caravan park, from where you’ll be taken to a secret outback location
Duration: Approximately three hours
Price: $225 for adults, $165 for children (4–12)
Availability: Six nights a week, booking in advance is recommended
Dietaries: All dietary requirements can be catered for

Eleanor Edström
Eleanor Edström is Australian Traveller’s Associate Editor. Previously a staff writer at Signature Luxury Travel & Style and Vacations & Travel magazines, she's a curious wordsmith with a penchant for conservation, adventure, the arts and design. She discovered her knack for storytelling much earlier, however – penning mermaid sagas in glitter ink at age seven. Proof that her spelling has since improved, she holds an honours degree in English and philosophy, and a French diploma from the University of Sydney. Off duty, you’ll find her pirouetting between Pilates and ballet classes, or testing her friends’ patience with increasingly obscure vocabulary.
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The ultimate Margaret River road trip itinerary for food & wine lovers

    Monique CeccatoBy Monique Ceccato
    Continue
    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

    Pair'd Beach Club
    Elevate your dining experiences at Pair’d X Range Rover Beach Club.

    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.

    Pair’d Margaret River Region is proudly owned by the Western Australian Government, through Tourism WA.