outdoor DINING
You’ll be hungry for more
WORDS NATASCHA MIROSCH
outdoor dining
You'll be hungry for more
WORDS NATASCHA MIROSCH
outdoor dining
You'll be hungry for more
WORDS NATASCHA MIROSCH
Toast the stunning water views.
From dining in the world’s oldest rainforest under an ancient tree canopy or whilst watching the sunset over Uluru on a carpet of red sand; food-meets-culture in these Indigenous-led foodie experiences that will leave you hungry for more.
Taste local produce as you cruise the waters of the Kabi Kabi peoples.
SALTWATER ECO TOURS
Mooloolaba
‘You know, the flowerbuds are edible – they taste like pistachio,’ says Simon Thornalley, pointing out the cotton tree with its long, broad leaves and low-slung trunk. We are motoring languidly down the blue-green Mooloolah/Murulla waterway on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, sipping lemon myrtle cocktails and enjoying the breeze rippling off the water.
Thornalley is on a mission, ‘To connect culture to coast’
Thornalley, whose Nana is from Horn Island/Ngurupai in the Torres Straits, is the owner of Saltwater Eco Tours and skipper of a 58-foot, century-old wooden sailing ketch, The Spray of the Coral Coast.
Thornalley is on a mission, ‘To connect culture to coast’, which he is fulfilling in partnership with the Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) Traditional Owners of these lands and waters.
Indulge in fresh local oysters.
Sample tastes of bush and sea tucker.
Thornalley and his staff take guests on a unique journey on board the beautifully restored, heritage-listed boat, sharing stories of their area’s history and cultural practices, including the collection and use of plants as food and bush medicine.
It’s a relaxing and gently educational excursion from Mooloolaba wharf, past the colourful prawn trawlers and tuna fishing boats around the river to the point where it spills into the sea.
Tastes of the sea and bush tucker are a delicious and integral part of the journey, with local delicacies ferried from the galley kitchen throughout the two-hour sail; local oysters and sweet Mooloolaba prawns — skewered, grilled and dusted with Aunty Dale Chapman’s pepper berry spice; kangaroo on soft tacos with bush tomato relish, as well as a snack box of local produce including bauple (macadamia) nuts, dips, fruit, and cheese.
As we reach The Spit and turn for our return journey, the glistening form of a river porpoise arcs out of the water. It’s an auspicious sighting, Simon tells us, as it’s the totem of the Kabi Kabi people.
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Flames of the Forest
Port Douglas
The eerie night sounds of the rainforest provide a backing chorus to the deep vibrating thrum of the didgeridoo that greets guests arriving at the Flames of the Forest venue. Its outdoor theatre restaurant is set amongst ancient spotlit trees within the world’s oldest rainforest.
Indulge in a four-course banquet.
Sip wine under the rainforest canopy.
You can meet your fellow guests during a casual icebreaker with a glass of sparkling wine before being shown to your candlelit table beneath a black silk canopy. Flames of the Forest is on the traditional lands of the Kuku Yalanji people and whilst you enjoy an intimate four-course banquet of gourmet local food, prepare to be taken on a spiritual journey by local Aboriginal brothers, Gary and Skip Creek, as they share their culture and connection to Country through traditional Dreamtime storytelling, didgeridoo playing and song.
Uluru and Kata Tjuta provide a spectacular backdrop for a sunset dining experience.
VOYAGES Indigenous Tourism Australia
Ayers Rock Resort
Tali Wiru means ‘beautiful dune’ in the local Anangu language and it is an apt name for the gourmet dining experience within sight of the 30,000-year-old sand dunes that provide the best seats in the house for the outback’s spectacular evening show. With views of Uluru and the distant domes of Kata Tjuta, the open-air restaurant at Tali Wiru provides a perfect vantage point for you to observe the desert light morph from a blaze of orange, to red and violet then an inky black throughout the evening.
Indulge in a gastronomic fine dining experience.
Toast one of the world's most spectacular sights.
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The exclusive and intimate four-course meal features ancient native herbs and spices that infuse each gourmet dish, which are carefully paired with premium Australian wine. Then, as if fine dining in such a spectacular setting is not special enough, an Aboriginal storyteller will bring the outback to life by sharing their culture, history, spirituality and connection to this ancient and breathtaking land.
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