Food and wine

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-off-the-grass steak that won’t fit on the plate, Asian-fusion modern cuisine stacked in elegant nouveau style, a racy riesling with chilli mud crab (caught yourself), or a crocodile sausage with wattleseed 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, fishand 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 climatic diversity.

Some of this is among the oldest in the world. Aboriginal people have long 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 upmarket restaurants offering dishes 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.

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 behind 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.

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 city workers at lunchtime 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 our own coffee style, the flat white.

Originally published 30 July 2009.

(i) Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census data