The top Australian food worth travelling for

Kate Bettes Kate Bettes
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Australia is blessed with incredible food and produce. Here are the best that are definitely worth a road trip.

Australians have countless reasons to travel overseas, but when it comes to top-quality produce, is it bragging to say that Australia comes out on top? Well, we don’t want to be accused of false modesty…

From native super fruits to wine that gives the French a run for their money, these are the Australian foods worth travelling for.

1. Barramundi, Darwin, NT

You will find barramundi on menus across Australia, but the barras in the Top End are considered the best. It’s become so popular that once a year, anglers descend on the Northern Territory to catch the ‘million dollar barra,’ which is tagged and released in the waters, ready for enterprising anglers as part of the Million Dollar Fish competition.

enjoying a Barramundi platter in Darwin
Barramundi in the Top End is considered the best. (Image: Jojo Yuen)

Best season? November to May (wet season).

Where to try? Fin and Tonic on Marina Boulevard in Darwin, NT.

2. Green Ants (gulguk), Arnhem Land, NT

Indigenous Australians have been eating these tiny but fierce insects for millennia. Today, the lemony-coriander seed-tasting treat is gaining momentum among more eaters. Try them in Arnhem Land.

green ants on a plate
Try green ants in Arnhem Land. (Image: Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia)

Best season? All year round.

Where to try? One of the most famous ant-based products is the green ant gin made by SomethingWild Australia on Larrakia land.

3. Bowen/Kensington Pride Mangoes, Bowen, Qld

Not just the home to the Big Mango! Australia’s most popular breed of the luscious, tropical fruit originated from the Whitsundays town of Bowen. This summer sweet treat is now grown up and down the Queensland coast. Pick your own in the Aussie summer.

ripe mangoes hanging from a tree
Pick your own mangos. (Image: Rajendra Biswal)

Best season? December to January.

Where to try? Fresh mangoes are everywhere here. If you’re taking a road trip up to Townsville, stop halfway to pick your own at The Frosty Mango on the Bruce Highway, Mutarnee, Qld.

4. Prawns, Gulf Country, Qld and NT

Whether cooked, peeled or chucked carelessly onto the barbecue, one thing is for certain: Aussies love their prawns. The tropical waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria, stretching between Queensland and the Northern Territory, contain enormous, fat banana prawns and some of the biggest tiger prawns in Australia.

tiger prawns on a plate
Aussies love their prawns. (Image: Getty Images/luchezar)

Best season? Tiger prawns are caught around August to December; banana prawns are best caught September to November and March to May.

Where to try? Take the Savannah Way to the coastal town of Karumba for prawns fresh off the fishing boats.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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5. Sydney Rock Oysters, South Coast, NSW

Turns out Australians are quite greedy when it comes to our oysters. Most are sold domestically, and the addiction doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Mad about the molluscs?

Go on a seafood odyssey down the NSW South Coast. From Nowra to Eden, there are plenty of places to try Australia’s native oyster.

sydney rock oysters being served at Jim Wild's Oysters
Go on a seafood odyssey down the NSW South Coast. (Image: Destination NSW)

Best season? September to March.

Where to try? Jim Wild’s Oyster Shack at Greenwell Point in Shoalhaven is a great pick for Sydney daytrippers.

6. Macadamias, Northern Rivers, NSW

Did you know Australia is the only place in the world where macadamias grow wild? The sweet and rich nuts have been growing here for tens of millions of years. Today, the native Australian macadamia is grown up and down the east coast of NSW, with the rich soils of Byron Bay producing gorgeously fatty mouthfuls that are popular overseas and at home.

a basket filled with macadamias
Pick some sweet and rich macadamias. (Image: Destination NSW)

Best season? March to August (harvest time).

Where to try? Wander through the macadamia crops during harvest time at The Farm near Byron Bay, NSW.

7. Cheese, Gippsland, Vic

Who wants a charcuterie platter? Our answer will always be a resounding, ‘Yes, cheese!’ Australia has a massive array of gourmet, inventive, and reinvented traditional cheeses.

And it’s down in the rich dairy pastures of Gippsland where the creamy milk is transformed into addictive specialties, like hearty slices of blue-veined cheese.

wine and cheese tasting at Bassine Specialty Cheeses
Bassine Specialty Cheeses makes premium artisan cheese.

Best season? Available year-round.

Where to try? Fill up your picnic basket at the Bassine Specialty Cheeses store at 2125 Bass Highway, Glen Forbes, Vic.

8. Samphire, Eyre Peninsula, SA

A quick pop followed by drops of seawater suffusing your mouth. Eating the salty snack of the samphire is oddly addictive. The samphire succulent grows in salty areas around the world, but Australia has its own species that can be found in salt lakes, such as those on the Eyre Peninsula. Try ‘sea asparagus’ on salads, as a side accompaniment to shellfish, or dried and sprinkled as a boost of vitamin C.

a close-up landscape shot of the samphire succulent
Samphire bursts with salty flavour. (Image: Getty Images via lynnebeclu)

Best season? Summer.

Where to try? Unfortunately, Australian samphire is currently at the ‘look, don’t taste’ foraging level. You can get a big fine for picking it.

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9. Kakadu Plum (gubinge), Dampier Peninsula, WA

Another win for those seeking some antioxidant power is the sweet-sour Kakadu plum. The fleshy native fruit is up to six per cent vitamin C and can be found in the Kimberley region, as well as stretching all the way to Cape York.

green Kakadu Plum fruits
The sweet-sour Kakadu plum grows in the Kimberley region.

Best season? January to February in Western Australia.

Where to try? Take a bush food tour on Nyul Nyul country with Twin Lakes Cultural Park.

10. Marron, Margaret River, WA

Jet 2500 kilometres south to Margaret River and try the state’s largest freshwater crayfish, which can weigh in at over two kilos. Hairy and smooth marron live in the fresh waters here, but the former are endangered and should not be eaten.

Luckily, other kinds of marron can be grown and harvested on farms during the short summer season, before being dished up with garlic butter.

a garlic butter maroon dish on the table
Marron is a must-try in the Margaret River region (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Best season? January to February.

Where to try? You can tuck into the crayfish during Marron season across restaurants in the Margaret River, like the Voyager Estate.

11. Sparkling wine, Tamar Valley, Tasmania

Australia has half a dozen regions where sparkling wines are produced. But it’s the cool climate of Tasmania’s Tamar Valley that produces French-style drops that have us dropping past Calstock instead of Champagne.

The wines found at the family-owned wineries here are made from pinot noir and chardonnay varieties and are delectable enough to make anyone cheers!

pouring sparkling wine into a glass at Jansz Tasmania
Enjoy a glass of Tasmanian sparkling wine in the Tamar Valley. (Image: Adam Gibson)

Best season? All year round – thank goodness.

Where to try? When it comes to Tamar Valley wineries, it is hard to go wrong. But for sparkling, Jansz Tasmania is a must.

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Kate Bettes
Kate Bettes is a freelance travel writer. Whether having a picnic in Vietnamese jungle with new friends, or partying in the back of a limousine in Hollywood, Kate’s experiences have left her with the sneaking suspicion that the best travel memories happen when you least expect. It’s this feeling - and how to get it - that she loves to write about.
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Farm fresh produce to a trail of lights: the ultimate guide to Mildura

    Rachel Lay Rachel Lay
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    The charm of Mildura is hidden in plain sight along the Sturt Highway. The capital of Tropical North Victoria is in a league of its own.

    From the moment you arrive in Mildura, the warm air and palm trees invite you to slow down. While most Australians might drive right past it, Mildura is full of surprises. Here you’ll spend one day witnessing over 50,000 years of First Nations history in a UNESCO-listed National Park, and the next dining in a hatted restaurant after wandering through 12,500 fireflies as the outback sunset bursts to life above. From roadside fruit stalls and family-run wineries to houseboats and galleries, it’s time to explore Mildura.

    Feast Street, at the heart of Langtree Avenue in Mildura.
    Taste, wander and be surprised in Mildura.

    Taste Mildura’s produce

    It makes sense to start your trip by addressing the most important question: where to eat. In the beating heart of Australia’s food bowl, sample the local produce directly from the source. And then, of course, experience it through the menu of a hatted chef. Or sandwiched between pillowy slices of Nonna’s ciabatta.

    Rows of orchards and olive groves invite you to spend the day traipsing from farm to farm. Taste olives propagated from Calabrian trees brought over in the 40s, oranges picked right from the tree and squeezed into juice and spoons full of honey. Bring the holiday back to your kitchen by stocking your pantry at roadside produce stalls, or calling into the ‘silver shed’ (Sunraysia’s gourmand Mecca).

    Thanks to the warm, balmy air and fertile soils, the wineries dotted along these hills produce award-winning local wines. Like Chalmers, a family-run, innovative winery dedicated to making their wines as sustainable as possible. And picturesque Trentham Estate offers views of the snaking Murray River as you sample their vintages.

    Venture beyond the gnarled shadows of olive groves and fragrant rows of blossoming fruit trees and you’ll find an otherworldly side to Mildura. With Discover Mildura as your guide, visit Murray River Salt’s Mars-like stacks. The naturally pink salt is formed from an ancient inland sea and evaporated entirely by the sun to create one of the region’s most iconic exports.

    Start your day with just-squeezed sunshine.

    Hatted dining & Italian history

    Mildura is home to a proud community of Calabrians and Sicilians. This, paired with the exceptional local produce, means that you can find paninos on par with those in Italy. The Italian is a Paninoteca serving up made-to-order, hefty, authentic Sicilian paninos. Nonna Rosa’s pork meatballs, slowly cooked in tomato ragu and served in a crusty, fluffy roll topped with gratings of Grana Padano cheese and salsa verde, will call you back to Mildura for the rest of your days.

    To find hatted dining in Mildura, simply follow the staircase down into the basement of the historic Mildura Grand Hotel to find Stefano’s. Following the muscle memory and instinct of his Italian roots, he delivers on the principle of ‘cucina povera’. That is, the Italian cooking ideology that turns simple, local ingredients into magic.

    Things to do in Mildura include dining at the acclaimed Stefano’s, where simple local ingredients are transformed into Italian culinary magic beneath the historic Grand Hotel.
    Bite into Mildura’s Italian heritage.

    Discover a thriving culture scene

    The city is alive with culture. Whether it’s painted on the town’s walls, told in ancient yarns, or waiting for you in a gallery.

    The Mildura Arts Centre was Australia’s first regional art gallery. Behind the walls of Rio Vista Historic House, you’ll find a lineup of ever-changing exhibitions. The gallery’s wall space pays tribute to the art and songlines of local First Nations People, the region’s awe-inspiring landscapes and more. Outside, on the gallery’s lawn, find 12 contemporary sculptures in the Sculpture Park.

    Mildura’s streetscapes are a punch of colour. Swirling strokes of paint blend the winding artery of the Murray River, red dirt and local characters into a story you can see with your own eyes, thanks to the Mildura City Heart’s Mural Art Project. Pick up a copy of the Murals of Mildura guide from the Visitor Information Centre.

    Follow the border of NSW and Victoria on a map and you’ll see it hugs the curves of a tiny island on the Murray. That’s Lock Island, where, as the sun and moon trade places, the island comes alive as darkness falls. The island is dotted with 12,500 firefly lights that lead you on a meandering path through the outback sunset. The installation is known as Trail of Lights and was created by the same visionary who dreamt up Field of Light at Uluṟu, Bruce Munro.

    Things to do in Mildura include exploring its rich cultural scene. From vibrant street art and ancient stories to exhibitions at the Mildura Arts Centre, Australia’s first regional gallery.
    Find culture around every corner.

    Wonder at ancient landscapes

    The landscapes of Mildura feel almost transcendental. The skyline bursts to life with reds, pinks, and deep, sparkly night skies.

    The nature will leave you in awe. See hues of pink water changing with the weather at Pink Lakes inside Victoria’s largest national park, Murray Sunset National Oark. Cast a line into Ouyen Lake. Watch the sunset against 70-metre tall red cliffs that reflect the setting sun. Or get the heart racing and sandboard down the Perry Sandhills dunes, formed 40,000 years ago at the end of an ice age.

    Just don’t leave without following the twists and turns of the Murray. Stroll or ride along the Shared River Front Path, or jump onboard a boat for a scenic ride.

    Your itinerary will be incomplete without a visit to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park. Head out with an Indigenous ranger to witness ancient campsites and footprints, before standing in awe of ancient civilisation near the discovery site of Mungo Man—Australia’s oldest human skeleton at 42,000 years old.

    Mungo National Park at night is a vast, silent landscape where ancient dunes glow under moonlight and stars blanket the sky in breathtaking clarity.
    Walk in the footsteps of ancient civilisation.

    Meet your home away from home

    On equal par with planning your meals and adventures, is finding the perfect place to relax at the end of each day.

    Sleep inside a Palm Springs postcard at Kar-Rama. A sleek boutique hotel complete with a butterfly shaped, sun-soaked pool. Here you’re staying right in the heart of Mildura but you’ll feel worlds away. Or if you really wish to connect with nature, a night glamping under the stars at Outback Almonds will have you spellbound.

    When in Mildura it’s only right to stay on one of the Murray River’s iconic houseboats. Wake up each day to the calm waters of the Murray lapping outside your window. Enjoy days full of river swims, fishing and exploring. All boats are solar-powered and can be self-skippered or moored along the river.

    A solar-powered houseboat on the Murray River in Mildura.
    Stay and play on the Murray in a solar houseboat.

    Start planning the perfect getaway at mildura.com.