Get Shucked, Bruny Island, Tasmania © Adam Gibson/Tourism Tasmania
Typical Aussie foods to try
Celebrate Australia's fantastic fresh produce and as you taste your way across the nation.
Smashed avocado (or ‘avo’ to locals) on toast is a much-loved staple for Australians’ morning meal. Its simplest form includes a thick layer of avocado smeared on freshly toasted bread with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon, but these days, you’ll find all kinds of quirky takes at cafés across the country. Think creative additions like pickled fennel, fried halloumi and toasted hazelnuts.
Eating bacon and eggs for breakfast might be a British tradition, but in Australia, this dish has been transformed into a popular grab-and-go meal. Its base is simple – bacon and eggs served in a bread roll with your choice of sauce. But Australia’s diverse communities have gifted us with local versions of this brekkie (that's the Aussie word for breakfast) favourite, like Mediterranean style with chilli jam and Vietnamese style with cucumber on a bahn mi roll.
Broken down, a lamington is a square of sponge cake, some chocolate sauce and desiccated coconut – but these simple ingredients combined make a truly delightful treat. This beloved local delicacy is considered by many to be Australia's national cake and can be found in neighbourhood bakery windows and trendy cafés alike. Mostly, you'll find this treat simply served as is, but some are layered with jam and cream.
Aussie locals are mad about seafood – unsurprising given the country’s abundant coastline. Barramundi is a white, firm-fleshed fish, and it’s especially popular in Darwin, where it can be caught in the morning and served by lunchtime. Join a fishing expedition with Barramundi Adventures to land your very own catch, or keep an eye out on restaurant menus to taste this fresh, flakey delight.
Flaky pastry filled with minced or diced meat and rich gravy – the once humble meat pie has been a part of Australian working-class history for decades. Traditionally made of beef, this quick takeaway snack can now be found in many variations. Almost any bakery you step into will offer different (and sometimes surprising) flavours, from Moroccan lamb pies and cheeseburger pies to adventurous scallop pies.
Native to Australia’s northeast rainforests, macadamias are large, round nuts with a sweet, creamy taste that locals adore. You’ll find them sold fresh in supermarkets, but they’re more commonly enjoyed as the star ingredient of many sweet treats. Taste the little balls of bliss right from the source at Macadamias Australia in Bundaberg, where you can tuck into a macadamia-inspired meal amid the trees, collect your own nuts or shop locally made creations such as macadamia honey.
Abundant along the north and east coasts of Australia, mud crab has been an important source of food for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for many millennia and continues to be enjoyed today. You can join Walkabout Cultural Adventures in the Daintree Rainforest, or Tweed Eco Cruises on the New South Wales north coast to catch and cook your very own alongside Traditional Custodians.
Small in size but big in taste, Sydney rock oysters are a must-try when visiting Australia. You’ll find these delicacies on many restaurant menus, and they are usually eaten fresh with a squeeze of lemon. If you fancy shucking your own, you can join Sydney Oyster Farm Tours less than an hour from the city to shuck and eat your own while standing in the water. Or, sit back and leave the work to Get Shucked on Tasmania’s Bruny Island, where the oysters are pulled straight from the water – so fresh.
