DESTINATIONS FOOD & DRINK | TV TIE-INS
stops RICK STEIN’S
CENTRAL COAST AND HAWKESBURY RIVER As Rick drives up the coast of New South Wales, he shops at
farmers’ markets, samples oysters straight from the sea and cools off with a spot of open-water swimming.
THE OUTBACK
Heading inland, Stein tackles the five-hour drive from the mineral springs of Moree to Bourke, a town in northwest New South Wales, where he takes in remote canteens and rustic pubs and visits the 40,000-year-old Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps.
SYDNEY
Stein discovers Chinese brunch traditions and meets Bundjalung chef Mark Olive, who pioneered the Indigenous cuisine served in his restaurant in Sydney Opera House, Midden by Mark Olive.
ABOVE: Rick visits Umina Beach during his 3,000-mile New South Wales road trip BELOW LEFT: With chef Mark Olive AUSTRALIA
Australia’s food scene is a big draw for many clients, from world-renowned wineries and artisan coffee shops to fresh takes on homegrown Aussie ingredients. This week, the BBC released a six-part series in which chef and restaurateur Rick Stein goes Down Under for another serving of Rick Stein’s Australia, this time tackling a 3,000-mile road trip through New South Wales.
Q. What drew you to New South Wales? A. I landed in Sydney when I first went to Australia aged 19, on a ship. I had family acquaintances in Sydney, so it just seemed natural to travel through New South Wales first. When I was there, the Sydney Opera House had just been built. It meant a lot to come back and see it in all its splendour.
Q. What were your highlights of filming? A. I loved virtually every aspect of filming but particularly enjoyed the restaurants in Sydney – it was great seeing the harbour and Opera House in full Technicolor – and going up the coast of New South Wales. My favourite thing, though, was going into the outback. When I was a teenager, I worked in the outback, and it had an enormous effect on me. To return to that red land, with very little vegetation and endless horizons, was so meaningful.
36 8 JANUARY 2026
Q. What do you hope viewers will take away from the series?
A. I think they’ll get an idea of how incredibly beautiful New South Wales is. I also hope they’ll learn about the enormous diversity of Australian cuisine – and how successful it’s been. There is a piece in the series where I’m having a flat white and observing how much care and attention the Aussies put into making each coffee. That’s why it’s so much better than anywhere else; people there are really on the ball and realise how important food is for us all.
Q. You’ve opened a restaurant in Australia, which you visit in the first episode. A. Rick Stein at Coogee Beach is on the ground floor of the new InterContinental hotel. I never really wanted a restaurant in Sydney because I don’t think my style of restaurant suits cities. But Coogee Beach was perfect because it’s by the ocean and it’s less well known, which is better for me.
TW BOOK IT
Gold Medal sells a 13-night Sydney, Rock and Reef self-drive tour, which leads in at £4,199 per person on a room-only basis, based on two sharing. The price includes four nights at the InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach, seven days’ car hire, domestic flights and indirect international flights with Qantas from Heathrow, based on a September 4 departure.
goldmedal.co.uk
travelweekly.co.uk
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