Flavors of Australia

A culinary journey through Australia > the warmth of the Queensland

Next we head for Cairns, in the extreme northeast, facing the Great Barrier Reef, where you'll find large mud crabs that live hidden in the mud: they have a slightly sweet, though not silty, taste. They're absolutely delicious and the coast dwellers will tell you proudly that they're the best in the country. They can also be found around Brisbane, and at Tweed Heads you can even gather them yourself. 

The Granite Belt is one of the two most fertile regions in this state. The Stanthorpe and Warwick regions are known for their production of stone fruits: cherries, peaches, nectarines and plums. Cheese makers have succeeded in producing brie, camembert, Edam and blue cheeses that, while not having quite the same character as their prototypes, are nevertheless quite respectable and do justice to Australia's fine dairy products.

The region of Toowoomba, 125 km east of Brisbane, has been nicknamed the golden west because of its grain crops, including sunflower seeds and canola destined for the presser.

Brisbane, situated between the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, is where summer travellers come to enjoy the seaside, but if you want to eat well, head to Noosa, 107 km further north, a town acknowledged as the gastronomic capital of Queensland. As soon as you go a little further inland you'll find abundant plantations: pineapple, macadamia nut, avocado, banana, ginger, bean and sugar cane.