5 best bush tucker experiences in Australia
Australia is home to the world’s oldest surviving culture and the indigenous population has been living off the land for more than 60,000 years. Experience a small slice of their history with these bush tucker experiences.
1. Kingfisher Bay Resort, Fraser Island
The expert rangers at Kingfisher Bay Resorts on Queensland’s Fraser Island regularly take guests on tours of the grounds and the dedicated herb garden to see native ingredients in their raw state. The tours are followed by a cooking demonstration with plenty of tastings. Finish with a three-course dinner in Seabelle restaurant, where the menu features ingredients like bush tomatoes, lilly pilly, quandong, roselles and warrigal greens.
2. Mbantua Dinner Tour, Alice Springs
Mbantua is the name given to Alice Springs by the original indigenous inhabitants and this tour explores the area surrounding the town, including the MacDonnell Ranges and Simpson’s Gap. Local Arrernte man Bob (Penunka) Taylor owns the company and runs the tour, taking visitors through the bush to point out plump bush figs or native lemon grass. The tour finished with dinner under the stars with local delicacies like yam fritters, kangaroo fillet or wattleseed pudding.
3. The Coorong, South Australia
The Coorong is a huge expanse of wetlands and lagoons along the coast south of Adelaide where the Murray River meets the sea and it’s one of the country’s most significant national parks. It’s best explored by kayak, spending hours or days paddling along the extensive system of waterways. Go ashore for a bush tucker walk through the dunes with a local Ngarrindjeri guide who will point out edible plants and show you how to dig for cockles (pipis) in the sand, before cooking them over a campfire.
4. Heywood, Victoria
The Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape is the traditional land of the Gunditjamara people and sits in the southwest corner of Victoria. Budj Bim Tours operates guided tours led by local indigenous people that take in aquaculture systems constructed thousands of years ago for farming eel. A bush tucker lunch is served featuring things like kangaroo, smoked eel, water parsnip, warrigal greens and wattle seed damper. Traditional dancers will also perform, giving a deeper insight into the Gunditjmara culture.
5. Walkabout Park, Central Coast
This wildlife park on the northern outskirts of Sydney is a great local introduction to bush tucker. The rangers have worked with local indigenous elders to create special bush tucker walks that look at how native plants are used for food and medicine. You can also learn how to throw a boomerang and come face to face with more than 180 species of native animals in their natural (protected) habitat.
Have you had any of these bush tucker experiences? Do you have any holidays on the cards? Let us know in the comments.
Related links:
Longreach Queensland: “This is the real Australia”
A spiritual oasis in the outback