Native Aussie Bites

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Reflecting all the laidback charm of its beachside location, Deep Blue Bistro does fine dining in casual Coogee style. Diners spill out onto the pavement, soaking up the sea breezes, while the interior is decorated in shades of blue and ochre, alluding to Australia's red earth as much as to the seaside address. While Carr Street in Coogee is about as far from outback Australia as one can get, this bistro brings a bit of the bush oceanside with a menu packed with native goodies.

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At first, the grandiose space, the sloping, cavernous ceilings and copious comfortable seats - all flanked by a Cadillac-sized stone hearth - capture the diner's imagination. Then, the menu, wine list and excellent service slowly bubble into consciousness. Chef Rachel Reed's local fare-inspired menu has garnered the restaurant a great reputation both on and off the mountain.

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Outback Australian charm combines with incredible native ingredients to create this beautifully warm restaurant. Polished wooden floorboards stretch from one side of the dining area to the other, wide glass windows enclose the room, with cloth-less tables complete with high-backed, padded chairs, and wood and corrugated iron bring the Australian landscape indoors.

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Set high in the treetops that surround the exquisite Jervis Bay, The Gunyah (aboriginal for meeting place, or place of shelter) is part of Paperbark Camp, the best eco friendly accommodation option the South Coast has to offer. Just a short stroll from the simple yet elegant safari style tents, chef Gary Fishwick offers a delicious three-course mod-oz menu for a very reasonable fixed price.

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Step back in time and sample Ned's Revenge (tender roo fillets accompanied by a chilli and red wine sauce) at this Ned Kelly-themed restaurant. The menu is full of Australian classics named after the Kelly clan, and the restaurant itself is overflowing with memorabilia and souvenirs relating to our most famous outlaw.

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Crocodile, emu, kangaroo, baby barramundi - the menu reads like an outback safari checklist, although this is no cheap, touristy gimmick. Chef Matthew Connell takes his bush tucker very seriously indeed, sourcing fresh and fine native produce to create a sensational fusion of native and international flavours.

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Rustic Charm is part of the Wild Cattle Creek vineyard, making it a wonderful place to sample both the produce and the liquid delights of the Yarra Valley. The menu also makes use of distinctly Aussie bush products, from native herbs to wild limes and bush tomatoes.

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Built inside a restored miner's pub in the small, peaceful community of Heathcote, Emeu Inn is successful in its adventurous attempt to combine the global with the local in its culinary approach.

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A great place to relax safe in the knowledge that the staff will be friendly, the food delicious and wholesome Aussie bush tucker, and the atmosphere chilled.

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Tukka features a native Australian foods menu and has earned a swag of awards under its previous moniker, Cumquats. Try the wattle seed pavlova... yummmmmmm!

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Seabelle is the signature restaurant of the Kingfisher Bay Resort, perched on the western shores of Fraser Island. The restaurant is named after a ship tragically wrecked off the island's coast in the 19th century, and echoes of that maritime influence are visible in the decor.

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Chef Sunny Gilbert has brought his skills over from Liquid, crafting a menu of contemporary meals. Bistro classics (think prawn cocktails or maybe an eye fillet with mash) sit alongside pastas and native Australian game dishes - try the crocodile burger for a truly Aussie dining experience. Kids aren't left out, as all their favourites are made fresh with no tacky frozen ingredients.

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Signature dishes include salt and native pepper prawns and crocodile, vietnamese pickles, lemon aspen sambal, Australian antipasto platter, grilled kangaroo sirloin, quandong chilli glaze and wattle seed pavlova.