10 of Australia's most unique foodie experiences
Australia boasts a rich tapestry of culinary experiences that are bound to impress even the most discerning palates, and we think that's as good an excuse as any to pay a visit.
By Bron Maxabella
From feasting your eyes on the views of zoo inhabitants at Me-Gal Restaurant at Taronga Wildlife Retreat to heli-foraging for your dinner's native ingredients at Darwin Distilling Co, there are some truly unique experiences on offer. You can dine with the animals at Canberra's Jamala Wildlife Lodge as well; join an all-white dining party for one night only a year; or hunt for truffles with specially trained dogs at Truffle Melbourne; or, of course, board The Ghan for a rolling meal unlike any other.
With so many memorable experiences to choose from, it's easy to miss some of the smaller, but still noteworthy, foodie fixes. Here are our picks for the top unusual culinary experiences in each state that prove Australia is truly a food lover’s paradise.
Whether it’s dining amongst ice sculptures or enjoying a degustation in an underground bank vault, these unique dining experiences are ready to make it straight onto your bucket list.
The Agrarian Kitchen
Derwent Valley, Tasmania
The Agrarian Kitchen is a garden, a cooking school and restaurant rolled into one - the full paddock-to-plate experience. Learn how to cook in the morning, forage for fresh ingredients straight from the comprehensive kitchen garden straight after and the chef will include those ingredients in your meal at lunch time. This is a showcase for local, sustainable eating and we hear the food is simply amazing as well.
11e Cave & Onzieme Restaurant
Canberra, ACT
Cave drinking is as old as humankind, but 11e has practiced some one-upmanship with their cave. It’s an underground bank vault that feels more than a little bit French, with loads of atmosphere, yummy drinks and simple nibbles. After your aperitif, you might head upstairs to Onzieme whose offerings are described as ‘small plates and cheerful wine’. This might be something of an understatement as each food morsel is a carefully crafted taste sensation, balanced with selected wines. Both the cave and the restaurant are walk-in only.
Balloon Aloft
Several locations in New South Wales
This one is only open for breakfast and requires a very early start to your day, but the rewards make it thoroughly worthwhile. Picture yourself in the sunrise as you float above the countryside of Mudgee, the Hunter Valley, Byron Bay, or the Camden Valley in a hot air balloon. For a special event such as a wedding proposal, you can pay extra and book the space just for yourselves and have a celebratory champagne with your brekky. On your return to earth, the Balloon Aloft people will have organised breakfast for you at a unique restaurant. We enjoyed the Byron Bay experience and bought a bottle of that very delicious local nectar, Byroncello, to enjoy after our exhilarating ride.
Sounds of Silence
Northern Territory
Also known as Dinner Under the Stars, this exquisite dining experience is set in the iconic Central Australian desert. The evening kicks off around a campfire where canapes and sparkling wine are served with a generous side of indigenous music and story. The dramatic setting of the sun and Uluru’s colour change before it disappears into blackness feels almost scripted. Just as you’re feeling life can’t get any better, you’ll be led to your elegant dining table for an astronomical tour of the vast Milky Way curtain. A bush tucker inspired banquet, perfectly balanced with fine wines and the thick velvety silence make this a pinch-me-am-I-dreaming surreal extravagance. Located in the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park.
Cliffside picnicking
Mount Buffalo, Victoria
This one is for the particularly intrepid diner - you'll be eating your picnic suspended 300 metres off the ground on a floating platform attached to the side of Mount Buffalo. Oof. Be prepared to abseil down onto your ledge and then enjoy the picnic hamper that is lowered down to join you. If that sounds like your thing, you can book for a sunrise, lunch or dinner experience to enjoy the amazing views over the Ovens Valley below.
Prawn Star
Cairns, Queensland
Unpretentious boat, the freshest and simplest of seafood, a range of alcoholic and other drinks or BYO, friendly waitstaff, and a chef you can chat to while he prepares your meal … an altogether nautical experience without leaving the dock. Open every day from 11am to 9 pm, three wooden fishing boats with loads of maritime charm will fulfill your urge for a memorable marine experience. Be hungry for this one. Smell the sea while you enjoy the sashimi, prawns, oysters, crayfish, bugs, and other ocean deliciousness to the tune of the gentle slap slap of the ocean against the hull.
Prairie Hotel
Parachilna, South Australia
Do you fancy outback feral food (camel, emu, goat, boar), seemingly a million miles from anywhere? Actually it’s about a 5-hour drive (480k) north of Adelaide, so this experience will probably require your caravan, or you can book to stay in the very fine accommodation at this historic hotel. If you stay over, you might decide to tour the fossil fields in this world heritage area of the Flinders Ranges. Oh, and if you don’t fancy the feral food, they also serve what they cheekily call non-feral food. The Prairie Hotel is the quintessential outback culinary experience, complete with interesting backcountry characters and plenty of surprises.
Faro
Hobart, Tasmania
You’ll find Faro in the grounds of MONA, the quirky Museum of Old and New Art near Hobart. Suspended over the Derwent River, and open for lunch and dinner, this dining experience is decidedly unconventional and even bizarre. Unique performance artists will enchant and delight, and for an added cost, if you’re game, you can immerse yourself in some quite uncanny art installations that will leave your eyes boggling. Small servings of unusual deliciousness are degustation style rather than a hearty meal. As with your visit to MONA, you should have an open mind and put aside all your concepts of restaurant normality.
IceBar
Melbourne, Victoria or Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Picture yourself dressed in Arctic attire, enjoying drinks and snacks in minus-10 degrees, in an igloo off Federation Square in Melbourne or on just off the beach Surfers Paradise Boulevarde. Your entry fee includes the snow gear and a cocktail, a display of ice sculptures and ice furniture, oh, and even the shot glasses are made of ice. How crazy is that? Self-activating cameras will capture your sub-zero selfie to send friends a guess-where-I-am pic. Kids are welcome as long as they are accompanied by a surpervising adult, so this might be a good one to take the grandkids to when next they're in town.
Fervor
Somewhere in Western Australia
We can’t tell you exactly where this restaurant is because its 'roving' location changes regularly. Each destination will be stunning and extraordinary, perhaps a salt lake, a forest, a gorge, the beach, or somewhere quite wonderful in the city. Each menu will feature local foraged native ingredients that might include goombing (green tree ants), ngamoorrwarding (bush banana), qandong, finger lime, or the roots of young boab plants. The dishes are inventive, the stories are memorable, the flavours are wild Australia. A truly unique Aussie dining experience that will require careful planning for dates and locations, which are advertised in advance on Fervor’s website.
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