Best ice cream spots in Australia: perfect sweet treats for summer
As the summer holiday season draws to a close, seek sweet consolation at these dreamy, creamy venues around the country.
There’s really only one antidote to sultry summer days: well-crafted ice cream, sorbet or gelato, eaten somewhere sun-splashed as it drizzles down your wrist. If this sounds like the kind of simple pleasure the end of the holiday season demands, head to the following places for that perfect sweet, creamy, drip-feed.
1 Gelato Messina, Circular Quay, Sydney
Are you even Australian if you haven’t dug into one of Gelato Messina’s famous geometric-printed cups of gelato? The big cheese in Aussie ice cream is available in almost every state, and if you can’t get it, at one of their branded stores. These days you can even pick up a tub at Woolworths. Messina drops new specials weekly – coconut sorbet with dark chocolate chip and cherry puree is an example – but the classics are classics for a reason. The Coconut and Pandan Sorbet is one of the greatest iced bites you’ll find anywhere. Line up with the tourists at the Circular Quay outlet then take a seat on the Opera House steps as the sun glints off the harbour.
2 Popolo Artisan Gelateria, Newcastle, NSW
With its classic Italian recipes and strict adherence to the ancient methods of the motherland, Popolo Gelateria has been one of the best places to eat ice cream in Newy since it opened in 2016. The core range is uniformly good, especially the chocolate and the stracciatella, but it’s also worth digging into their seasonal options such as lemon myrtle, fig and ricotta, and Nutella and banana. The shop is just a short walk from the Newcastle foreshore, and it’s also a great place to grab dessert after a wood-fired diavola napoli from Napoli Centrale Pizza Bar across the road.
3 Piccolina Gelateria, St Kilda, Melbourne
The folks at Piccolina got all of social media twitching this year with their oddly mesmerising “greyscale” ice cream, an entirely grey-toned concoction of indeterminate flavour. If you’re curious enough to try it, this concrete-coloured confection has returned for the summer at the MPavillion inside Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens. But for those who prefer their gelato to be more deliciousness, less an art installation, head to the brand’s St Kilda outlet and pick up a tub of rich pistacchio, churned daily on site, and take it for a spin along the St Kilda Pier.
4 Timboon Fine Ice Cream, Great Ocean Road, Victoria
Founded in 1999 by third-generation dairy farmer Tim Marwood and his wife, Caroline Simmon, Timboon Fine Ice Cream has serious cream credentials. The milk comes direct from the cows that graze next door, and every flavour is free from artificial additives. There are plenty of kid-friendly options such as cookies and cream and strawberry cheesecake, while adults might want to give ginger or licorice a whirl. Even furred family members are catered for, with a range formulated specially for dogs. A good way to walk off the calories is a stroll along the bushland track that heads to the pretty Timboon Trestle Bridge.
5 Daintree Ice Cream Co, Tropical North Queensland
It’s certainly not the newest or coolest place to get ice cream in the Sunshine State, but there’s a good reason the Daintree Ice Cream Co does such a brisk business, even after more than 30 years of operation. Partly it’s the location. Set on a 9ha farm surrounded by the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest, it’s a gorgeous place for a wander, particularly around the rows of exotic fruit trees. Mostly, though, it’s the product itself. The company specialises in tropical fruit flavours, both native and exotic, with the ingredients for each grown on site. The four-flavour Signature Cup is the only serious option (with 15 flavours to choose from, anything less and you’ll feel like you’re missing out). An excellent mix would be mamey (a creamy Mexican fruit that tastes like papaya and caramel with the texture of avocado), native Davidson’s plum, their popular banana and rich Arabica coffee.
6 Scoop Gelati, Gold Coast Queensland
This blink-and-you’ll miss it family-run gelato store on James Street in Burleigh Heads doesn’t look like much at first glance, but dig into its backstory and you’ll find a little business that could, swathed in more ribbons and medals than your average Australian Olympic swimmer. In particular, their Miso Maple with Sesame Brittle gelato is a perfectly balanced mix of sweet and umami, cream and crunch. The shop sits just one block from the beach, so you can grab a cone or cup, and wander up to the headland to watch the surfers ride the coastal swell.
7 Happy Pops, Noosa Queensland
No one’s pretending these are the most highbrow ice creams in Noosa (for that, you’d best go round the corner to Massimo’s) but they are a lot of fun. These rainbow-bright gloopy things on sticks are the ultimate post-beach treat, and come in a bunch of cheerful flavours such as raspberry cheesecake dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with coconut shortbread crumble, or mango with chocolate stripes. Don’t be fooled by the Instagram-friendly whimsy, though; each churn is handcrafted and uses top quality local ingredients. The best place to enjoy one is right on Noosa Beach, or on a stroll through the ferns and eucalypts that line the trail circuiting the headland.
8 Bottega Gelateria, Henley Beach, Adelaide
If you try only one flavour at this busy beachside gelateria, make it Uncle Gino’s Fig. Grown by owner Adriano Macri’s relative on his enormous backyard tree, it’s rich and ripe and infused with a tonne of Italian soul. The figs are available only now in late January, though, so if you’re here at another time, the seasonal Salted Coconut and Mango flavour is another local favourite, as is the classic Hazelnut Piedmonte, containing “tonda gentile” nuts imported from northwest Italy. Macri suggests the best places to enjoy his handcrafted treats are at nearby Henley Square (particularly if a gorgeous SA sunset is streaking the horizon) or head west to the salty sand dune past Grange Jetty.
9 Canopy Ice Cream, Hobart
A stroll around Hobart’s waterfront is a must for all visitors to the Tassie capital, but what is arguably even prettier is a wander through the heritage terraces and cottages of Battery Point, just south of the CBD. A charming companion for your walk would be a handmade ice cream from Canopy Ice Cream in Salamanca Markets, open every Saturday. The flavour that draws the crowds here is Goat’s Curd and Blackberry, which scooped top honours at this year’s Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards. The ingredients are paramount, including organic berries picked in the Huon Valley and fresh and tangy goat’s curd from Tongola, which is known as one of the island state’s best cheesemakers.
10 Chicho Gelato, Fremantle WA
Perth is in the grips of a gelato boom, and that’s never something to complain about. The original Chicho in Northbridge led the pack since 2016, and its newer sibling in Fremantle is more than holding its own, beloved for its mix of new and old school flavours as well as regular collaborations with neighbouring businesses. Creativity is the mantra here, and you could visit daily for a month and never eat the same flavour twice. Some of the more adventurous options include prickly pear and lime, or violet lemon meringue. If you really want to push the boat out, you can also get their scoops served inside a sweet brioche bun. Everywhere around Freo is walk-with-an-ice-cream-friendly, from the historic backstreets dotted with rustic buildings and murals to gentle walks along the Swan River down to the shoreline.
11 Elski Danish Ice Creamery, Dunsborough, WA
“Rodgrod med flode” is a phrase Danes love to get people to say (it’s virtually impossible for anyone not born in Denmark). You could try pronouncing it when you head into this cute little store in the southwest seaside town of Dunsborough, around three hours’ drive south of Perth, or you could simply ask for a scoop of the “Danish berries and cream” and everyone will know what you mean. The shop is a short wander down to Dunsborough Beach.
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