Food and Drink
Food, wine and lifestyle are the articulation of Australian
culture – the way we live, work and play. As with all things
Australian, it’s the contrasts that make our food and
wine culture most fascinating. A true expression of our young,
free-spirited and uninhibited culture, our food and wine have
become one of the best ways to get to know us.
Whether you’re in the mood for a perfectly cooked, fresh-offthe- grass steak that won’t fit on the plate, Asian-fusion modern cuisine stacked in elegant nouveau style, a racy Riesling with hot chill mud crab (caught yourself), or a crocodile sausage with wattle seed sauce… this is the place!
Food, wine and all the in-betweens are a serious passion for us Aussies who have learnt the techniques, then bent the traditional rules to create impressive wines, spirits, beers and a cuisine all of our own. Our international successes are our booming wine industry, boutique beers, meats, fish and cheeses.
We’re so passionate about coffee, we’ve even invented our own – the flat white. And there is an absolute smorgasbord of regional produce reflecting our clean environment, multicultural population and climactic diversity.
Some of this is amongst the oldest in the world. Aboriginal people lived on bush tucker –native fruits, berries, seeds, meat and fish – which you can experience today in traditional style or used in modern cuisine by some of our leading chefs.
It’s a vast country with microclimates ranging from the steamy, tropical heat of the north – just right for mangoes, avocados and macadamia nuts - to the brisk cool climate of the south where Asian herbs, mussels, tuna and Chardonnay grapes flourish.
You can find us savouring all of these fresh flavours anywhere from the most up-market restaurants offering dishes using our wide range of produce in cooking techniques influenced by Indigenous, Japanese, Thai, Greek, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Chinese or French cuisine, to pub balconies with fresh fish and chips, a locally-brewed beer and some of the best views in the world.
There are endless perfect settings for outside dining. You can order dinner in the desert under the big, starry sky of Uluru; eat a feast under the ancient canopy of a World Heritage rainforest; catch and barbecue your own barramundi or roast a witchetty grub over a smoky bark fire.
The Aussie spirit has been created by a mix of cultures typified by the many people from all parts of the world who now call Australia home. Our relaxed, easy lifestyle accentuated by our love of the outdoors means you’ll get the waft of barbecuing and the sound of laughter filling the weekend air, particularly during summer.
Some food, wine & lifestyle facts
• More than 160 languages are spoken in Australian homes, reflecting the diversity of our population.
• Early and 20th Century European immigrants from Germany, Italy and France helped pioneer and grow the Australian wine industry.
• Immigration from Europe, Asia, Middle East and surrounding islands has inspired a fusion of food styles and flavours that are like nowhere else in the world.
• There are more than 15,000 cafes and restaurants in Australia, providing 1.1 million seats for dining. Just over a third of these establishments are licensed.
• Australia produces some of the world’s premium beef, lamb, tuna and gourmet produce including cheese, truffles, saffron, scallops and coffee.
• More than 4.5 million people visited Australian wineries in 2004, and 12% of overseas visitors come specifically to experience our wines.
• Australia is the fourth largest wine-exporter in the world and 16th ranking wine-drinking country, with 22 litres quaffed per person per year.
• The main wine growing regions are the Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley in South Australia, the Yarra Valley in Victoria, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Margaret River in Western Australia and Richmond in Tasmania. While they produce the majority of the country’s wine, boutique wineries abound all over the nation.
• As of March 2004, there were 1,798 wineries in Australia, 78% with cellardoors, 29% with on-site dining, 11% with accommodation and some offering films, opera, theatre and festivals.
• Australia has 7.6 million hectares of certified organic land.
Uniquely Australian
• Find out why we embrace our wine industry so much when you tour a wine region and discover for yourself the people, landscape, traditions and lifestyle behind one of the world’s greatest wine nations. Join them in a glass or two in their cellar or over a meal in one of our world class restaurants, wine bars or cafes.
• Take a food trail and talk to the local providores who will be only too pleased to share with you their boutique beers, cheeses, chocolate, smoked fish or organic fruit and vegetables and to tell you their secrets to what makes their produce so special.
• Take part in one or more of the many courses on offer and learn from the experts. There are cooking classes at markets and gourmet retreats where some of our top chefs will guide you through the techniques used in an array of cuisines.
• Find out how to make chocolate confections or cheddar cheese with specialists in the trade who will share their knowledge and give you a skill for life. It’s a great way to meet the locals and fellow foodies.
• Taste the mix of cooking influences our migrants have brought to our tables in simple snacks like a takeaway gourmet pie to eat in the park with the city workers at lunch time or in a fine diner where you’ll be treated to a 16-course degustation menu with matching wines from our many wine growing regions.
• Drop into one of our country pubs, where you’ll be welcomed by the publican and meet the locals having ice cold beer and a meal. You’ve heard Aussies are friendly and you’re bound to hear a yarn or two over at the bar.
• Take your tastebuds on a 50,000 year journey with Indigenous tours or specialist chefs who create magic with traditional ‘bush tucker’. Not only can you taste food that has sustained Aboriginal people for thousands of years, you can experience the ancient, and still current, methods of sourcing ingredients such as digging for mud crabs, picking berries and more with the custodians of the land.
• Our passion for coffee is everywhere so it won’t be difficult to find a great espresso or latte. Try one of the thousands of cafes using Australia’s own-grown or home-roasted beans to make a fabulous coffee and own coffee style, the flat white.
• We like the great outdoors and we like to barbeque or picnic so if you’d like to join us in a beautiful location you’ll be spoilt for choice as there are perfect spots in our rainforests, National Parks, deserted islands, botanical gardens, at outdoor cinemas or city beaches. Or join us for a barbeque or picnic in your favourite backyard or in the great outdoors.