Bangalay Dining, Shoalhaven HeadsCredit: Destination NSW
Chef Brett Strong showcasing the local and native ingredients featured on the Bangalay Dining menu to patrons.
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Australia has been providing its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with delicious bush tucker for tens of thousands of years. More recently, native ingredients such as lemon myrtle, wattleseed, rosella and warrigal greens have been making their mark on modern menus. Let us inspire you with some of the best places to try bush foods across New South Wales.
Pipit, Pottsville
At the fine-dining restaurant Pipit in the tiny town of Pottsville, a 20-minute drive from Byron Bay on the NSW North Coast, renowned chef Ben Devlin loves to highlight native produce from the surrounding Northern Rivers region. Here, a sustainably caught local fish dish could be complemented by foraged ingredients such as kelp, riberries, lemon aspen, wattle flowers and more.
Karkalla, Byron Bay
In the North Coast holiday town of Byron Bay, this new café and restaurant not only plates up native plants, it’s named after one, too. The succulent is also known as pigface and you can find its juicy green leaves on the menu at Karkalla, along with wild native hibiscus, strawberry gum, crunchy saltbush and other native treats. The eatery is the passion project of Bundjalung woman Mindy Woods, who was previously CEO of Sydney’s Lotus Dining Group of upmarket Chinese eateries, and her wife Rachelle.
Harvest Newrybar, Newrybar
Harvest Newrybar is a multi-award-winning restaurant in the Byron Bay hinterland village of Newrybar, a 20-minute drive from Byron Bay. Here chefs work with forager and wild food researcher Peter Hardwick to invent dishes showcasing the likes of pickled kelp, coastal tea tree vinegar, cinnamon myrtle, edible coastal succulents and other seasonal, native ingredients Peter has collected in the region.
Pipit Restaurant, Pottsville Credit: Sabine Bannard
An exquisitely presented dish at Pipit, in Pottsville on the NSW North Coast.
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Pipit Restaurant, Pottsville Credit: Sabine Bannard
An exquisitely presented dish at Pipit, in Pottsville on the NSW North Coast.
Karkalla, Byron Bay Credit: Karkalla Byron Bay
Native ingredients feature heavily at Karkalla in Byron Bay.
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Karkalla, Byron Bay Credit: Karkalla Byron Bay
Native ingredients feature heavily at Karkalla in Byron Bay.
Kawul, Pokolbin
Created by Wonnarua people Kim and Scott Waters, Kawul restaurant, on the grounds of Calais Estate winery in Pokolbin, offers a chance to dine on native ingredients that were once used by their ancestors. Chef Jayden Casinelli creates dishes with native bush spices and local organic produce in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine region, where you can get a taste for pepperberry hummus and gnocchi with warrigal greens, while in the bar you can savour a lemon-myrtle spritz.
Warakirri Café, Mudgee
In the central west NSW town of Mudgee, Sharon Winsor, a Ngemba Weilwan woman from western NSW, has been selling sustainable, premium bush foods and botanicals since 2012 under her Indigiearth label. Now she also has the Warakirri Café, where you can wash down your quandong glazed emu fillet with a wattleseed-infused coffee. The café also serves as a retail outlet for Indigiearth products such as chutneys made with bush tomato or wild peach, freeze-dried Kakadu plum powder and native teas.
Bangalay Dining, Shoalhaven Heads
In the food bowl of the NSW South Coast, the team at destination restaurant Bangalay Dining, at Bangalay Luxury Villas in Shoalhaven Heads, works with indigenous food supplier Something Wild to bring native flavours to the table. Co-executive chef Simon Evans also forages for local native ingredients such as warrigal greens, beach mustard, saltbush, seablite, oxalis and samphire in the coastal area around the resort. If you like lobster thermidor, it’s time to try a Moreton Bay bug thermidor with native herb butter and saltbush. Or how about a raw ruby snapper with finger lime and heartleaf ice plant? Or both? Finish on a native ingredient sweet spot with a Davidson plum sorbet.
Mirritya Mundya, Callala Bay
Mirritya Mundya means ‘hungry blackfish’ in the Ngarrugu language group of southeastern Australia, and at Callala Bay on the South Coast, it’s also the name of a food truck. Order dinner packs and food platters with a native-ingredient focus, including Davidson plum pork belly, lilly pilly chicken and pepperleaf mac and cheese. It also hosts pop-up dinners, at Silos Estate winery outside of nearby Berry, where you can go on a five-course indigenous food journey.
Harvest Restaurant, Newrybar Credit: Destination NSW
Exterior view of the charming Harvest Restaurant in Newrybar.
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Harvest Restaurant, Newrybar Credit: Destination NSW
Exterior view of the charming Harvest Restaurant in Newrybar.
Warakirri Cafe & Dining Credit: Indigie Earth
Visit Warakirri Cafe & Dining for a meal full of native ingredients.
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Warakirri Cafe & Dining Credit: Indigie Earth
Visit Warakirri Cafe & Dining for a meal full of native ingredients.
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Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, CorowaCredit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa.
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Feast on the riches of one of Australia’s most important food bowls on a road trip through the Murray, named after the mighty river that flows through this southwest area of New South Wales. Float down the river on a historic paddlesteamer wine cruise, stop by farm gates to sample incredible fresh produce, and dine at chic restaurants and bars in this unique culinary playground.
Take the back roads for gourmet treats
Head off the beaten path along The Backroads Trail, a 250km driving route that passes through the small pastoral towns of Barham, Moama, Mathoura and Deniliquin on the upper reaches of the Murray River. Sink your teeth into fresh olives, avocados, free-range pork, honey and citrus fruit from farm gates along its loops and trails, and taste the region’s wines at vineyards such as Restdown Wines. While you’re at this winery, venture out along the Restdown Wetland Walk to encounter Aboriginal cooking hearths and an old sheep camp.
Cruise along to The Old School Winery & Meadery in Womboota to pick up wine, pottery and honey mead. Or seek out Ivy Joyce in Barham to indulge in a warm space, offering local produce from farms for a truly paddock to plate experience in the heart of Murray River country. For more snacks and meaty fare such as British-style pork pies and sausages, head to Pacdon Park’s factory shop in Moama.
You can work up an appetite as you build your own itinerary on the theme of food, paddocks and produce, and find suggested routes and maps to Murray River farm gates, at the Echuca Moama Visitor Centre.
Wine and dine along the river
Embark on a wine tour by water in Moama, where the first steamboats made their way up the Murray in 1853. Take a Murray River Paddlesteamers Wharf to Winery Cruise from the town to Morrisons Riverview Winery for a leisurely lunch. Or drive along the river, stopping in at Three Black Sheep for risotto and woodfired pizzas, and tasting crisp dry whites and full-flavoured reds at St Anne’s Vineyards, where you can nibble on a cheese platter overlooking a scenic lake.
Head east along the riverside roads to rest and recharge in the town of Tocumwal, known for its riverside beaches, golf courses, glider flying and iconic Big Murray Cod statue. Start the following day with a solid foundation of breakfast pizza (topped with bacon, eggs and a hash brown) at The Old Bank and indulge in a scoop of ice-cream or sorbet from Tocumwal Ice Creamery – flavours include rocky road, green apple or macadamia. If you’re in town on a Saturday, pick up honey, fruit, vegetables, olive oil, dressings and other condiments made by local producers at the Tocumwal Foreshore Markets.
Continue your odyssey along the river to Corowa, the birthplace of Australian Federation. Immerse in the town’s rich turn-of-the-20th-century colonial heritage as you make your way to the former 1920s flour mill housing Corowa Distilling Co. Here you can book a whisky tasting and behind-the-scenes tour and buy locally made chocolates and sweets from sister shop Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory. Work off an indulgent afternoon with a walk along the river before settling into the stylish Circa 1936 hotel, which is housed in an Art Deco former bank on the main street of Corowa.
Celebrate regional ingredients in Albury
From Corowa, follow the Riverina Highway eastward to the city of Albury, a food, wine and culture hub. Taste how seasonality and locality are expressed at The Proprietor, a former butcher shop turned cafe offering brunch treats such as fruit toast with Beechworth honey and whipped ricotta, and banana waffles with Gundowring vanilla ice-cream. Or try the all-day breakfast offering at Mr Benedict, from cheesy bacon waffle with popcorn chicken to one of its signature eggs benedicts, including one with cider-braised ham hock.
At The River Deck restaurant, local ingredients are celebrated alongside stunning river views, and dishes may include chicken Caesar salad with Milawa eggs or beef brisket braised in coffee by Albury roaster The Brothers Cup. At tiny and elegant Bistro Selle, complement warm Gooramadda olives with a buttery Australian chardonnay and fresh market fish. Yardbird offers a bold-flavoured menu featuring dishes like scorched Albacore tuna, along with meats grilled in a Spanish woodfired oven.
In between meals, stroll along the Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk and take in the contemporary artworks by Aboriginal artists that line the Wagirra Trail. Meander through the Murray Art Museum Albury’s contemporary photographic collection, Aboriginal art and works by renowned Australian artist Sir Russell Drysdale. Afterwards, order lunch or dinner at the museum’s excellent Canvas Eatery – try the saltbush lamb rump or one of their Neapolitan-style pizzas.
The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
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The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
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Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
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Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.
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Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.