THERE are many roads well travelled in pursuit =
of great=20
food and wine experiences around Australia, but the NSW mid-north Coffs =
Coast=20
has never really been at the forefront of people's minds. So with the =
collective=20
knowledge of friends in the region we map out a three-day, food-focused =
drive=20
(with a glass of wine or two along the way), taking in Sawtell, =
Bellingen,=20
Dorrigo, the Nambucca, Gladstone, South West Rocks and Port Macquarie. =
And what=20
we find is a region rich in food heritage that should be high on any =
gourmet=20
traveller's must-do list.
![3D"Coffs](3D"http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,6290970,0= "3D\"Coffs")
The colourful Coffs Coast Growers =
Market
Setting off from Coffs Harbour airport in a hire car, our first stop =
is the=20
Coffs Coast Growers Market in the city square. Here, the tomatoes from =
Bromley's=20
at Nana Glen are so unbelievably red I take photos and the aroma of the=20
Woolgooga samosas is so seductive I could easily pass on lunch.
Nevertheless, after checking out the many stalls, including the =
cheekily=20
named A Bit on the Side, with a great range of chutneys and jams, we =
continue=20
north of Coffs, turning off the Pacific Highway at the sign to Emerald =
Beach and=20
Carole Walsh's stylish Saltwater restaurant, set on the beachfront with =
a superb=20
outlook across Marine Park to Groper Island. We tuck into a mezze plate =
of dips,=20
olives and toasted flatbread, followed by a warm salad of squid, lemon, =
fennel=20
and Dorrigo feta with verjuice dressing, before wandering next door to =
browse=20
the eclectic array of paintings and jewellery at Greenstone Studio =
Gallery.
Just a clip down the highway at Sawtell, our home away from home is =
Sawtell=20
on the Beach, a spacious two-storey apartment where a welcome cheese and =
fruit=20
platter and a nice bottle of red prove irresistible. Little do we =
realise that=20
this and our lunch, coupled with an extravagant dinner of soft shell =
crabs,=20
tempura prawns, and pork and peanut parcels at Crying Tiger, on the =
Coffs Jetty=20
strip, and a dessert tasting plate at nearby Piccolo of lemon tart with=20
strawberries, pannacotta with berry coulis, tiramisu, chocolate nut cake =
and=20
profiteroles, is just the tip of the iceberg.
The next morning, for starters, we tuck into a breakfast of field =
mushrooms,=20
fresh farm eggs, organic tomatoes and bacon in Bellingen at the Elite =
Cafe=20
Gallery run by Brian Clark, who used to live in Sydney's Balmain.
You could write sonnets about the views and the World Heritage-listed =
rainforest around Bellingen and Dorrigo, west of Coffs, and home to a =
vibrant=20
artistic community as well as an eclectic range of shops, cafes and =
restaurants.=20
Here we meet Kevin Doyle at Kombu Wholefoods in Bellingen, an Aladdin's =
cave of=20
affordable and sustainable organic produce, more than half of which =
comes from=20
local suppliers.
"Since we opened, we have been keen to keep as much local product as=20
possible," Doyle says. "It keeps prices down for our customers and =
significantly=20
reduces transport costs."
Later we meet David Scott and Suzie Snodgrass at Waterfall Way Winery =
who=20
produce boysenberry, persimmon and lime fruit wines; Kelly Cockern, who =
cooks up=20
a tasty meatloaf at the delightful Ruby's Cafe and Books, and Sonya =
Buck, who=20
moved from Sydney to start the Dorrigo Sweet Shop.
"I enjoy my minor celebrity among local children," Buck says, smiling =
broadly. She says that in the street "they either follow me or point me =
out to=20
their parents, 'That's the lolly lady."'
In Raleigh, 22km from Coffs Harbour, we drink wine and taste cheese =
at Vinny=20
Dingle's Raleigh Winery and Vineyard on the Bellinger River, where Jeff =
Daley of=20
the nearby Honey Place pours his lime-infused honey over Philadelphia =
cheese to=20
good effect.
Heading into Nambucca Shire we find producers such as Dennis Ryan on =
his 41ha=20
Valley of the Mist sustainable, organic bush fruits and nuts farm. He =
and his=20
wife, Marilyn, show us through avenues of Davidson plums, macadamia =
trees, lemon=20
myrtle, finger limes, riberries, lilli-pillis, aniseed myrtle and =
warrigal=20
greens, tasting this and sniffing that, then cracking the macadamias in =
an=20
antiquated machine.
From this bounty the Ryans make a delicious lilli-pilli dressing and =
crunchy=20
macadamia chutney, in addition to other sauces, jams and marinades. It's =
their=20
bush tucker that is the secret ingredient in Dangerous Dan's gourmet =
sausages;=20
we get a taste in the Ryans' famous bushman's roll, which comes with =
Davidson=20
plum sauce on one of their lunch tours. Dangerous Dan operates an =
award-winning=20
butchery in Macksville, a town the locals call "the sausage capital =
ofNSW".
Meanwhile, at Jacaranda Country Lodge in Macksville, we dine with =
brothers=20
Ian and Stuart Johnson on their Aabenraa prime beef. The Johnson family=20
property, Aabenraa, is named after a small Danish village that was the =
ancestral=20
family home. These third-generation farmers run a genuine operation of =
paddock=20
to the plate and take pride in the high yield and flavour of their beef. =
Another family-run operation is Bliss in the Bush, operated by =
sisters Angie=20
and Jilly Hazelton at Turners Flat in the Macleay Valley.
Inside a huge corrugated-iron shed is a delightful cafe where comfy =
lounges=20
and dining tables are surrounded by an diverse range of homewares, =
jewellery and=20
gifts. Not only do they make a mean espresso and a superb arborio =
risotto with a=20
soft cheese centre, their business is a salient reminder of the joys to =
be found=20
when you take yourself off the beatentrack.
Before arriving in South West Rocks for a night at the lovingly =
renovated=20
1880s Heritage Guest House, we stop in Gladstone on the banks of the =
Macleay=20
River to explore the buildings in its splendidly restored main street. =
Our=20
accommodation, in the heart of South West Rocks, run by Bob and Trish =
Ryan, is=20
just around the corner from award-winning Geppy's Seaside Restaurant, =
where we=20
enjoy a nine-course degustation menu of seafood, game and Australian =
native=20
produce.
Our final day begins with a walk around Smoky Cape Lighthouse and an =
amble=20
through Trial Bay Goal, a public works prison from 1886-1903 and now a=20
fascinating museum. Then it's time for morning tea and a tour of Anthony =
and=20
Richard Sarks's Ricardoes Tomatoes in Port Macquarie. This =
state-of-the-art=20
operation uses computerised technology in the greenhouses, where =
high-quality=20
hydroponic tomatoes and pick-your-own strawberries are grown.
There is time for a cellar-door tour at the Cassegrain Winery then a =
glass of=20
Champagne and a lovely tapas lunch with Lou Perri at the Stunned Mullet, =
which=20
overlooks Port Macquarie's Town Beach.
It's the perfect finale to a memorable few days in a region filled =
with=20
surprises.
Jill Innamorati-Varley was a guest of the Mid North Coast =
Regional=20
Tourism Organisation.
Checklist
Coffs Coast Growers Market runs =
fortnightly=20
from May to September and then weekly, on Thursdays, from October to =
April.=20
More: Coffs Coast Visitor Information Centre, 1300 369 070.
http://www.coffscoast.com.au/&=
nbsp;
http://www.atasteofcoffsco=
ast.com.au/
http://www.nnsw.com.au/
http://www.midnorthcoastnsw.=
com.au/
http://www.qantas.com/