Harvest, NewrybarCredit: Destination NSW
Visit Harvest for a long lunch on the cool verandah, sample the bespoke weekly changing Wild Harvest menu at night or enjoy a traditional country breakfast at the weekend. The dishes at Harvest are rare, wild and creative. Each new ingredient is a fresh challenge to their ingenuity, and the evening menu is imagined and reimagined weekly.
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Dine on native ingredients in NSW
Harvest, Newrybar Credit: Destination NSW
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Indigenous people have cultivated, collected and feasted on Australia’s bounty of native ingredients for thousands of years. With more than 6,000 unique ingredients, the land produces berries with the freshness of a cucumber, crustaceans with sweet and herbaceous meat, greens that taste naturally seasoned, and much more. Now, native ingredients increasingly star on restaurant menus around the state (with increasing ownership and involvement from Indigenous chefs), plus more Indigenous culture tours are on offer to show us how to find, cook with and respect each ingredient. Here are best places to try them in New South Wales.
Sydney
Incorporating many Indigenous languages and peoples, Sydney is home to an ever-increasing array of places to try native ingredients. If you’re only able to choose one experience for your bucket list, Midden by Mark Olive at the Sydney Opera House should be the pick. Not just due to the restaurant’s leading light, celebrity chef and Bundjalung man Mark Olive, but because of the harbour foreshore location (including water, city and Sydney Harbour Bridge views) and one of the most comprehensive and diverse menus of native ingredients in the country. Try barramundi with a bush tomato romesco and coastal succulents or a kangaroo fillet spiced with natives and served with a tangy quandong jus and native yam chips (you’ll also find Aboriginal-owned Mt Yengo Wines on the drinks list).
Next on the list are two of Sydney’s best restaurants: fine diner Quay and Netflix’s Chef’s Table subject Firedoor, both regularly incorporating native ingredients on their seasonal menus. Others include Bush, an innovative mid-range, sustainability-focused diner in Redfern that uses almost only native ingredients and invasive species; lush, multicultural CBD bistro Penelope’s brings wattleseed, strawberry gum and Davidson plum jam to their dessert menu; and Bennelong brings the flavours of the land to their famous dining room under the Sydney Opera House sails. For a more casual taste of native ingredients, duck into Aboriginal-owned CBD venue Sydney Aboriginal Cafe for a cuppa alongside a pastry, or non-Aboriginal-owned BTB Kirribilli for a creative menu that uses native produce to spice up classic cafe orders.
If you want to taste NSW’s produce fresh off the land, Aboriginal-owned social enterprise Bush to Bowl works with local tour operators Salty Safaris and Australia by Nature to provide on Country food and cultural experiences around Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Not far away in Brookvale, Seadrift Distillery use local botanicals (including foraged kelp) to make non-alcoholic craft drinks. Join a dusk or dawn foraging trip with Yaegl-man and Bush to Bowl co-owner Clarence Bruinsma followed by tastings of Seadrift spirits to learn how they do it.
Seadrift Distillery, Brookvale Credit: Destination NSW
Bartender creating cocktails with the Seadrift distilled non-alcoholic spirit at Seadrift Distillery, Brookvale.
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Seadrift Distillery, Brookvale Credit: Destination NSW
Bartender creating cocktails with the Seadrift distilled non-alcoholic spirit at Seadrift Distillery, Brookvale.
South Coast
In the food bowl of the NSW South Coast, the team at Bangalay Dining (at Bangalay Luxury Villas in Shoalhaven Heads) works with an Indigenous food supplier to bring native flavours to the table. Sour fruits like muntries might add zing to a lamb backstrap and seasonal salad could be dressed with lemon myrtle. 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. Or instead of a luxurious sit-down meal, drop by Mark Olive’s other venue, The Farm Kiosk, for a takeaway meal by Killalea Beach, just north of Kiama. The ever-changing menu could have anything from wattleseed muffins to tandoori croc pies.
Whether it’s a food truck parked in a cute village or a luxurious monthly pop-up dinner in the beautiful dining room at Silos Estate winery, follow Aboriginal-run Mirritya Mundya (translating to hungry blackfish in the Ngarrigu language) for pop-up feasts focused on native ingredients, or find them at their regular spot for lunch every Tuesday at 7 Concorde Way, Bomaderry. You can also explore the South Coast area with local guides Wandi Wandian man Matt Simms and Ngemba Karulkiyalu man Nigel Millgate from Djiriba Waagura, stopping for beach dips, bush tucker snacks and visiting sacred Aboriginal sites.
Bangalay Dining, Shoalhaven Heads Credit: Destination NSW
Chef Brett Strong showcasing the local and native ingredients featured on the Bangalay Dining menu to patrons.
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Bangalay Dining, Shoalhaven Heads Credit: Destination NSW
Chef Brett Strong showcasing the local and native ingredients featured on the Bangalay Dining menu to patrons.
North Coast
Due to its climate, fertile lands and incredible collection of talent, the North Coast is a foodie destination, so it’s no surprise to see the impact and celebration of native ingredients in the area. Byron Bay hosts Karkalla, a pop-up and online shop celebrating native ingredients from the region run by Bundjalung woman Mindy Woods (former CEO of Sydney’s Lotus Dining Group). Just outside Byron find acclaimed restaurants Harvest Newrybar and You Beauty (Good Food Guide 2025 Regional Restaurant of the Year). The former is a deli-bakery-restaurant hybrid with its own produce garden, and the latter a pub reinventing the classic Australiana menu with kangaroo schnitzels, croc toast, and a chocolate and wattleseed cake.
Leave the restaurant dining rooms to discover the flavours of the coast in situ with an Explore Byron Bay guided tour. The tours are run by Aboriginal guides Delta Kay and Nigel Stewart and share local history, culture, medicine and food, as well as provide guests with a taste of the regenerated Bangalow bushland on Bundjalung Country. Just up the coast in the tiny town of Pottsville, find one of NSW’s most celebrated regional restaurants, Pipit. Here, renowned chef Ben Devlin works only with sustainable, local and low-impact ingredients – a lesser-known fish could be complemented by foraged ingredients such as kelp, riberries, lemon aspen, wattle flowers and more.
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.
Other experiences around the state
There are countless more native ingredient-focused culinary experiences to be enjoyed around NSW. In Mudgee, the bucolic grounds of Lowe Family Wine Co host The Zin House, an award-winning restaurant utilising the organic and biodynamic gardens around the estate and vineyard. Its seasonal menu might show off linguine enriched with emu-egg, mandarin and native peppermint sorbet, or a wattleseed lemon tart. Just inland of the Central Coast, Firescreek Botanical Winery works with regenerative farming principles. On weekends and select weekdays they take guests on tours around their lands with a local Aboriginal Elder, who guides each participant through a culinary and cultural journey before a wine tasting with the winery’s distinct botanical wines. Not far north in the Hunter Valley, EXP. Restaurant in Pokolbin has taken in a decade of awards for their innovative menus, which in more recent years have included more native ingredients. Try kangaroo from one of the country’s best suppliers, Paroo, which you might find grilled over charcoals with satay and native tamarind.
EXP. Restaurant, Pokolbin Credit: Destination NSW
Australian fine dining cuisine at EXP. Restaurant, Pokolbin.
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EXP. Restaurant, Pokolbin Credit: Destination NSW
Australian fine dining cuisine at EXP. Restaurant, Pokolbin.
More Inspirational Stories
Mulwala Water Ski Club, MulwalaCredit: Destination NSW
Mulwala Water Ski Club located in the Riverina Murray region in Mulwala, offers an outdoor bar and casual relaxed dining overlooking Lake Mulwala. Learn to water ski on a world-class, private, twin lake the Max Kirwan Ski Park.
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Cool off with an adventure: NSW is a watersports playground
Mulwala Water Ski Club, Mulwala Credit: Destination NSW
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Hot sands, wild rivers, bays with towers of coral and waves that curl like a rockabilly quiff – NSW is a paradise for adventure on and under the water. For adrenaline-chasers, there are world-class waves and whitewater runs, foils and jet boats built for speed, and reefs home to sharks and turtles. For the quiet adventurers, try paddleboard expeditions, fishing for rainbow trout and bass in pristine rivers, and colourful snorkelling spots.
Your next adrenaline hit
Surfing may be the famous action-hero of the NSW watersports scene, but the state’s rivers, lakes, bays and beaches also host a huge diversity of aquatic adventures to get the heart racing. Take in Sydney Harbour’s icons, while spinning, splashing and thundering past in a jet boat with Oz Jet Boating or Thunder Jet Boat. In Western Sydney, Penrith is a hub for adventure. Penrith Whitewater Stadium, purpose-built for the 2000 Olympics, is uniquely set up for both beginner paddling and intense raft adventures, as well as kayak courses where you can test yourself against Olympic times; Cables Wake Park teaches you to wakeboard via zipline (jumps and obstacles included); and Jet Pack Adventures lets you feel like a water-powered Iron Man.
In Brooklyn, on the Hawkesbury River, Jet Ski Safaris will take you around the bends of the river at 30 knots, while Fliteschool Manly and OzFoiling (with multiple locations on the Mid North Coast) will teach you how to cruise the coastline via eFoil, a motorised surfboard that glides above the water like an elegant seabird. Outside of Sydney, on the Murray River, encounter one of the greatest and oldest waterski clubs in the world at Mulwala Water Ski Club.
Find a wave
With reliable breaks on some of the world’s most picturesque beaches, NSW is a premium spot on the international surf circuit. Surfers with their own board and years of experience behind them can find world-class waves all up the coast while newbies can join in on a surfing lesson, all you have to do is choose which one and which beach. You can also practice on a perfectly shaped, perfectly reliable wave (with multiple options suitable for beginners or experts) at URBNSURF, Olympic Park’s surf park, and finish off with a meal at RAFI, the onsite Applejack-run restaurant and bar that overlooks the waves.
URBNSURF Sydney Credit: Applejack_Sandy’s_URBNSURF Sydney
URBNSURF Sydney
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URBNSURF Sydney Credit: Applejack_Sandy’s_URBNSURF Sydney
URBNSURF Sydney
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
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Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Explore NSW’s coral reefs
The pristine, ecologically rich seas of NSW have seen the development of 10 protected marine parks covering more than 100,000 square kilometres, offering a haven to wildly diverse range of sea life. Beyond those areas, in the harbour and the bays of the coastal cities, there are also vibrant ecosystems ripe for snorkel or scuba dive trips. Self-guided snorkelling can be done in most places along the coast and, provided you have the equipment and training, so can diving. Or learn the ropes with a tour. Woebegone Expeditions and Courses will teach you how to explore the reefs of the South Coast with safe, freediving techniques; Region X Snorkel Tours has you jumping off a kayak with a snorkel around Batemans Bay; and Ecotreasures fits in a headland walk between time in the aquatic reserve around Manly. For new divers, you can explore the lower North Coast with Jetty Dive Centre or the tropical far North Coast with Cooly Eco Adventures. While Sydney Underwater Scooters will set you up with a handheld swim-assister and show you the clear waters and underwater fauna of Sydney’s Gordon’s Bay.
Paddling sunrise to sunset
Every river, bay and lake has a different scene and a different story, and cruising on a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard (SUP) lets you discover at your own pace. NSW is also full of explorers and local experts ready to guide you along the way. In Sydney, Sydney Harbour Kayaks and Sydney by Kayak will introduce you to the harbour at its multicolour best with dawn and dusk paddles. Manly Kayak Centre has both hire and guided options for kayaks and SUP, as well as giving you the opportunity to try your hand at SUPBALL, which is like polo but replaces the horse with a SUP. Cronulla SUP and Balmoral Paddlesurf let you explore less famous, but no less beautiful, beaches of Sydney’s south and north respectively.
On the Sapphire Coast combine your next river adventure with a story, like on Navigate Expeditions’ Aboriginal Culture Tour, where you journey into the land’s Indigenous heritage, or a Kayak and Shuck Tour where you visit the oyster farms. On the North Coast, social enterprise and SUP tour guides Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours offers cultural eco-tourism on a paddleboard around the pristine waters of Solitary Island Marine Park. Not far away in The Tweed, Watersports Guru offers SUP lessons and hire, allowing you to cruise the waters Cudgen Creek while taking in the local birdlife – if you’re lucky you may even see a pod of dolphins.
Reel in a new experience
With pristine rivers and wild oceans, NSW is a dream for fishing for both newbies and those looking for the next big catch. Out on the oceans of the South Coast Kiama Charter Service will help you pull in your first deep-sea fish (go for blue-eye trevalla, gemfish or hapuka). While Port Macquarie Fishing Charters, Reel Ocean Adventures (in Tuncurry) and Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters, provide the boats, deep-sea equipment and vibes on the North Coast. Inland, learn traditional yabbying in the bush at Narrabri Fish Farm, or set up your own line on NSW’s most epic jetties at Coffs Harbour, Lake Macquarie and Lake St Clair in the Hunter Valley. If you know the ways of a fly fisher, the Snowy Mountains and Blue Mountains are the hot spots.
Kayaking, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of kayaking on Sydney Harbour.
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Kayaking, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of kayaking on Sydney Harbour.
Navigate Expeditions, Kalaru Credit: Destination NSW
Guests on a walking tour with Navigate Expeditions in Kalaru
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Navigate Expeditions, Kalaru Credit: Destination NSW
Guests on a walking tour with Navigate Expeditions in Kalaru