Gourmet Gold CoastThe Australian gourmet scene is going far beyond the stereo-type of barbies and beers, as it stretches to the Gold Coast and beyond, reports Alex James.

Go back to the golden era of the Aussie film boom between 1980 and 2000 when the country’s film industry could be called the best in the business. Flicks like Priscilla

Queen Of The Desert showcased a new flamboyance in a sense of style, while Nicole Kidman was the face that could guarantee a blockbuster smash. It was a formula that only Australia had mastered, a grasp of sophisticated culture delivered in an unpretentious and humorous way.

Following its lead, the food scene is taking over where the film industry left off. Fresh, bold, and leaving behind the snobbery of the old world, the country is taking on some of the old assumptions about food, and turning them into new creations to dazzle the visitor and notch up credentials on the world culinary scene. It’s a literal banquet for the kind of traveller the Australian Food News calls the ‘gastro-tourist’.

Sydney has cosmo chic, and Melbourne has mastered café culture. But the latest Aussie dominion to go down the gourmet avenue is the Gold Coast. Take a look at its position in the Australian landscape and it’s not hard to see why.

The Gold Coast is arguably Australia’s premier holiday destination. The region cuts a glimmering swathe from Paradise Point in the north to Coolangatta - Tweed Heads in the south. It’s a wonderland of golden beaches, awe-inspiring sea and a burgeoning food scene. The trend is fuelled by visitors hungry for experiencing new tastes, while having the reassurance of finding what is familiar. At peak holiday periods the visitor population swells to three times its normal size - not just a mecca for visitors from within the country, but from Asia, Europe and beyond, bringing with it their own penchant for different types of accommodation, restaurants and bars. The Gold Coast features some of the biggest choice of cuisine from across the globe in the southern hemisphere.

The appetite is fuelled by the enormous demand from interstate and international visitors. You’ll find among the best Thai, Japanese and Italian cuisine on the planet. And, because of the Gold Coast’s sea position, it naturally lends itself to providing the choicest seafood restaurants Australia has to offer. The alfresco dining experience is part of the lifeblood of locals and the backdrop of beach, provides an environment that few restaurants will ever match.

One leader on the scene is The Little Truffle Dining Room, on Mermaid Beach, a bold attempt to bring the haute cuisine, and give a contemporary twist by mixing elegant food with local produce. One of the biggest gourmet trends of the year is bringing in food of provenance to menus across the world, using what’s seasonal to the locality of the area, whether you’re in Birmingham of Brisbane. That keeps the menu fresh and cuts down on much-feared food miles.

The Little Truffle exploits the Gold Coast’s gift of seafood, but combines it with some interesting imagining from its avante garde chef, such as zucchini flowers stuffed with a salmon mousse and scallops with black pudding. The theme of seafood with unpredictable touches continues at The Lazy Lobster on Marine Parade, where the year-round fresh fish menu includes Sword Fish Steak with roast garlic olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a truffle mash, a dish unmatched elsewhere.

Some of the best food is found in the Gold Coast’s most stunning spots, and hidden remote enclaves. Go 20 minutes south of Surfer’s Paradise to escape the bustle and you’ll find the pristine nature of Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta. The more serene environment calls for more subdued affairs like the Frog and Turtle, the latest addition to the area’s café culture, where you can sip silky lattés served with chocolate coated coffee beans, and breakfasts sumptuous enough to last you all day.

Alex James has been a senior writer and travel editor at Men’s Health magazine, and is now a respected travel journalist contributing to a number of titles including Cosmopolitan, The Times, The Guardian, Metro, Marie Claire, Esquire and Channel 4. Alex has also featured on radio shows including BBC London and LBC.

The Gold Coast, al fresco dining at it’s best

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Scallops,Ebb Waterfront Dining & Cellar

A step up from surf ‘n turf

Mt Tamborine wine tasting

Mt Tamborine Estate Winery

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Gourmet Gold Coast - AustrAliA

The nearby Marina Mirage at Southport has a mixture of restaurants offering high dining and affordable family meals, all with views of the marina. Then there’s Sanctuary Cove, a waterfront marine village, 20 minutes north of Surfers Paradise at Hope Island, with more than 80 specialty stores, restaurants and cafés.

More than eight of the restaurants in Sanctuary Cove appear in the Australian Good Food Guide, and among the pick is Loesco Restaurant, boasting sumptuous Italian flavours, with zesty authentic aromas. The area boasts its own brewery cornering the trend of micro brewing and bucking the perception that Australian lager is a watery and tasteless affair, with gourmet choices such as the seven per cent Cane Toad Beer.

If you’re likely to tire of the beaches and coast, head west and explore the jaw-dropping scenery and diversity of flora in the hinterland. Just 30 minutes drive from the beaches will whisk you to an area of 260 kilometres of world class walks, and hidden restaurants that could well hide the next big culinary find. So you can breakfast by the sea, and eat

dinner by lush green valleys by sunset.

Among the sub-tropical paradise sit Tamborine Mountain - a plateau sporting a labyrinth of teahouses and art galleries. But its big addition to the gourmet scene is the award-winning wineries, and most noteworthy is Heritage Wines, which has scooped the prestigious title of Winestate Wine of The Year.

For the first time within the 13 years of the Winestate Wine of the Year competition, the winner was a white wine - Heritage Estate Reserve Granite Belt Chardonnay 2007. Given that Australia is noted mainly for its red wines, this in itself is unusual, but it’s also rare a Queensland wine has scooped such a coveted award.

Even more interesting, the wine wasn’t the product of a food and drink conglomerate, but of a family team of owners: Paddy and Bryce Kassulke and their son, winemaker John Handy. You can visit the boutique wine centre at Cottonvale near Stanthorpe.

One more established vineyard is Mount Tamborine Winery and Homestead now located in the heart of Tamborine’s famous Gallery Walk. It’s a centre of exceptional local food and wine, and receives as much acclaim for their superb food as their award wining vino. Move from there and to The Cedar Creek Estate Vineyard to sample the fruits, and you’ll also discover the Glow Worm Caves; two interlinked magical underground caves with thousands of glow worms.

Another big feature for the area is The Mount Tamborine Coffee Plantation, a small family owned and operated boutique coffee plantation and roastery specialising in producing high quality gourmet coffee.

It might be a strange revelation to find coffee beans growing in this part of the world, but the rich volcanic soil, pure mountain water and high altitude (550 metres above sea level), combined with organic growing methods make their beans some of the most sought-after on the continent.

Some of the real gems however, lay in the surrounding countryside of the winery landscape - a wilderness of beauty that you wouldn’t typically fit with the icons of postcards. The environment is lush green and splintered with refreshing waterfalls like Curtis Falls, that refresh and imbibe the most jaded spirits.

Some people travel to find what is new and thrilling, others to find comfort in the familiar. On the Gold Coast, you can find both.

For a copy of Travelbag’s 2011/12 Australia & New Zealand brochure visit www.travelbag.co.uk. To speak to an expert Travelbag tailor-made consultant call 0844 846 8992.

Burleigh Heads

Discover the world...

First stop is the Far East and the irrepressible pace of Bangkok. There really is no other city like it, immersing yourself in the hustle

and bustle for three nights will certainly kick start your trip.

Next stop on this multi-centre is Sydney. Spend four nights enjoying this vibrant city with excellent beaches, iconic sites and

superb shopping it’s hard not to enjoy your time here.

Moving on to laid back Melbourne. Voted one of the worlds most liveable cities has something to offer everyone. It is known as the

arts, sport, food, wine, fashion and culture capital, offering any number of multi-cultural culinary delights.

Last stop is Hong Kong and soak up this high-tech city with three nights in your city centre hotel.

To request a brochure or to bookvisit www.travelbag.co.uk or call 0844 846 8992

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AustrAliA - Gourmet Gold Coast