6 regional restaurants worth the weekend away
To get a real taste of Australia we think you’ll need to get outside the city. From the outback to the outskirts of town, chefs are marrying great food in even better locations.
“How was the food?” This is always our first question when reviewing travel hot spots.
So, it is with this in mind that we identified six of the best destinations to pair stunning Australian scenery and hospitality, with delicious menus.
From the outback to the outskirts, there’s something here for everyone - especially the hungry.
Kin Kin Hotel
An old pub with a thoroughly modern food philosophy is drawing big crowds into the historic former timber town of Kin Kin. The Kin Kin Hotel, established in 1914, reopened in November after a two-year renovation and has quickly established itself as a great spot for a weekend lunch. The kitchen is led by chef Oscar Holgado, who worked in the UK at the Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley and at Murano in Mayfair. Holgado leads a tight, four-person kitchen team working with lush local produce, doing whole-carcass butchery, and making everything possible in-house. The pub operates as a walk-in bar with dining tables on the wooden veranda outside. The sharing menu changes every day depending on availability, but might include ricotta-filled zucchini flowers with local honey, or smoked käsekrainer sausage. The renovation, while extensive, is respectful to the old pub’s heritage. Look for the Akubra hats lined up along the wall – they belonged to deceased former patrons who used to line up along the bar. A more formal restaurant which will take bookings, and a family-friend beer garden, will open in coming months. Written by Ellen Whinnett.
69 Main Street, cnr Old Wahpunga Road, Kin Kin, Queensland
Thurs: 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat: 11am – 10pm
Sun: 11am – 5pm
‘Dining Under The Stars’ at Mt Mulligan Lodge
Mount Mulligan, west of Cairns in remote Far North Queensland, is 10 times the size of Uluru. This huge tabletop mountain presents a remarkable sight as the light fades, which is why a visit to Mt Mulligan Lodge, which sits on a cattle property of almost 30,000ha, should include booking this private sunset and starlight dining experience. Guests meet with the resort’s culinary team in advance to design a seven-course menu and wine pairing to their tastes and preferences, before being seated beneath the eucalypts on the edge of the property’s weir as the sun starts to sink. According to the resort’s management, the dinner is a favourite activity for newlyweds – especially those who have run away for a romantic outback elopement.
Mount Mulligan Rd, Mount Mulligan, Queensland
Book now // Dining Under the Stars // Sample menu
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Cassis Red Hill/Eldridge Estate Winery
There is something undeniably special about sleeping surrounded by vineyards, and at this luxe Red Hill property the bucolic view that greets guests is like a balm for the soul. Cassis is the creation of Gina and Simon McNamara, who lived in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France and returned to Australia with a philosophy of “embracing the simplicity of French life”. Here, the couple has created five boutique villas, each appointed to exude opulence and to make the most of one of the loveliest locations in Australia. From your villa, walk next-door to Eldridge Estate winery to pick up a bottle of pinot noir or chardonnay and drink it on your veranda with a view of the vines on which the grapes were grown. In the morning, find a fridge stocked with local produce to make a hearty breakfast, and for lunch or dinner dine locally in some of the excellent local restaurants, including the glitzy nearby Pt Leo Estate. This is a property in touch with the food and wine country around it; book in to make a gourmet weekend of it.
Cassis Red Hill: 164 Arthurs Seat Rd, Red Hill, Victoria
Eldridge Estate: 120 Arthurs Seat Rd, Red Hill, Victoria
cassisredhill.com.au; eldridge-estate.com.au
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Sequoia & Mt Lofty House
The Adelaide Hills are always a good idea and this pair of hospitality venues are a particular attraction. Built in 1852, Mt Lofty House is as old as the Hills themselves, almost, even accounting for the destruction that was wrought on the property in the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires. Painstakingly rebuilt, it remains a shining star in the region and has in recent years been joined by a sister venue in Sequoia Lodge, a luxe 14-suite hotel perched right next door. The latter has been gaining attention and acclaim in recent times, particularly for its glorious setting, with each suite overlooking the exquisite Piccadilly Valley. Guests dine at the petite onsite restaurant – on darker nights, you can use the huge telescope located in the dining room to view the stars – or next door at Hardy’s Verandah restaurant, an elegant fine diner offering an eight-course degustation ($189) featuring morsels such as heirloom beetroot with dill emulsion and horseradish sorbet, and SA fruits de mer with celeriac cream and foraged sea herbs. Together the two properties make a beautifully polished staycation experience, and offer the perfect base to explore this magical wine-dotted region.
Mt Lofty House: 1 Mawson Drive, Crafers, South Australia
Book now (Accommodation) // Dining (Menu and events)
Sequoia Lodge: 1 Mawson Drive, Crafers, South Australia
Book now (Accommodation) // Dining
mtloftyhouse.com.au; sequoialodge.com.au
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Temperance Restaurant at Hotel Renmark
With a name like Temperance, this restaurant in South Australia’s Riverland wine country offers a cheeky homage to the historical prohibition movement. Choose either the “prosperity experience” ($135) or the “austerity experience” ($95) to sample executive chef Hugh Hazelwood’s food, which draws heavily on Riverland produce with dishes including Loxton lamb with eggplant and zucchini. Temperance is located in the historic Hotel Renmark, so book in and stay the night to enjoy the full country pub experience.
Murray Avenue, Renmark, South Australia
Price guide: $95 – $135
Fri, Sat: 6pm – late
Menu // Book now
hotelrenmark.com.au/temperance
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Babae at Hotel Vera Ballarat
Opened in January, this petite 26-seat restaurant makes a stylish foray into regional dining. Culinary director Tim Foster offers dishes like roasted duck with eggplant and sesame puree, and licorice ice cream with pink grapefruit granita across a glittering $190 degustation menu. The $90 lunch “experience” is a perfect daytime option, and if possible book into stay at the gorgeous Hotel Vera Ballarat, the meticulously restored 19th-century gold rush mansion in which the restaurant is located.
710 Sturt St, Ballarat Central, Victoria
Thurs: 6pm – 7.30pm;
Fri: 12pm -1.30pm, 6pm – 7.30pm;
Sat: 12pm – 1.30pm, 6pm – 7.30pm;
Sun: 12pm-1.30pm
Menu // Book now // Accommodation
