Gippsland getaway

I honestly never heard of Gippsland prior to this trip. All I could recall was that several restaurants in Melbourne had sourced food from there, stating “Gippsland beef” or “Gippsland wine” on their menu.

Gippsland is a rural region in the southeastern part of the state of Victoria and I took a one-hour flight out of Melbourne to discover this region in Australia!

I went straight to lunch and had steamed Portarlington mussels with extra virgin olive oil, confit tomato and garlic, Lindenow spinach, and preserved lemon. The food was great and I did notice that they took pride stating where all the local food was sourced.

After lunch, I experienced Ride the Koalas (IG: @ridethekoalas) in Raymond Island. This is the only tour given in this residential island across Paynesville. This island has a population of 548 people and is also inhabited by koalas (introduced to the island in 1953), kangaroos, and a lone wombat. Taking this tour allows one to ride a bike on a guided tour (by a resident) to see how these marsupials co-exist with people.

Dinner was at Sardine Dining (IG: @sardinedining)  in Paynesville, reputed to be one of the best restaurants in the area. I did have an excellent meal that included freshly shucked local oysters, miso-glazed black figs with capocollo (dry cured Italian pork), and shallot crusted Gippsland beef, braised oxtail, and smoked cauliflower. After dinner, we walked over to Mariner’s Cove to catch some sleep and woke up to a wonderful view of the marina the following morning.

I am not a breakfast person but thoroughly enjoyed every single breakfast item served to me at The Long Paddock (IG: @lindenowlongpaddock). This little café blew my mind and gave me one of the best breakfast experiences of my life! They had amazing food made of fresh local Gippsland produce and beautifully eclectic utensils and plates. This charming place had the rustic charm of an old bakery turned into a café and restaurant, as well as a friendly chef/owner, Tanya Bertino. This place is a must visit when in Lindenow, Victoria.

The afternoon was spent with Gabrielle Moore who took us on a walk along the scenic Snowy River Estuary to forage some local plants. She managed to show us warrigal or New Zealand spinach, samphire, sea parsley, oyster leaf, sea blight, and karkalla or pig face. I tried everything and subsequently saw a lot of these on my plate around Australia! Gabrielle then took us to Sailor’s Grave Brewing (IG: @sailorsgracebreweing) in Marlo, a brewery she co-founded with her husband, Chris. This brewery produces hand crafted, artisanal beers with a diverse array of farmed and foraged ingredients. I loved the oyster stout and dill pickle beer.

A highlight is checking into Metung Hot Springs (IG: @metunghotsprings) to experience the warm and natural geothermal water as we bathed in our own private barrels in the beautiful “glamping” or glamour camping tents of this resort. This resort is open to the public (no need to be overnight guests) and they have outdoor bathing barrels overlooking great views!

Dinner was at a local seafood-focused restaurant Soda Fish (IG: @sodafish_) at Lakes Entrance where I had amazing Australian seafood such as smoked mussel toast, grilled Bass Strait scallops with nduja (Calabrian spreadable pork sausage) butter and herb crumb, Broadwater oysters with yuzu(Japanese citrus) dressing, and spaghetti with sand crab and tomato butter. Excellent meal with amazingly local fresh Gippsland produce!

Visiting a winery in this region is a must so we visited Carrajung Estate (IG: @carrajungestate) in Central Gippsland and sampled their award winning wines that went with our lunch prepared by their new chef Patrick Haney. This winery also offers beautiful accommodations (they have two houses) with roaming alpacas for those who wish to have an overnight stay.

Tarrabulga National Park in South Gippsland was a beautiful place to visit for an hour to admire giant ferns and extremely tall eucalyptus trees... I didn’t know they grew so tall! This was, after all, on the way to Meeniyan, probably my favorite place during this trip. The small town of Meeniyan has a population of some 770 people. It was as charming and quaint as I would like a town to be and stayed at one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever stayed at – Ross Farm (IG: @rossfarm_).

The farmhouse looks rustic from the outside but very modern inside.  The complex has the two-bedroom “Barn,” the three bedroom “Dairy,” and the “Cabin,” perfect for a couple. I stayed at Dairy, complete with all the spices, herbs, and condiments in the kitchen to cook a meal. We could get vegetables in the garden and farm fresh chicken eggs from the coop! Butter, milk, pasta, and bubbly were provided as well.

Dinner was at Trulli (IG: @trulli_meeniyan) where brothers Francesco and Claudio Laera, originally from Puglia, prepared wonderful Italian cuisine for dinner. They also have a huge wood fired oven to make their delicious pizzas and other dishes. The next day’s breakfast was at Mahob at Moo’s (IG: @mahob.at.moos) where Cambodian chef Woody Chet prepared an amazing Cambodian fish sandwich for me and serving us was the very friendly Marty Thomas, who used to own the establishment but sold it to Woody, whom he now works for. Excellent Australian and Cambodian cuisine and superb coffee!

Loch Brewery (IG: @lochbrewery) in South Gippsland is owned and operated by Craig Johnson and Melinda Davies. This was my final stop before heading back to Melbourne. They create their own single malt and gin using native Aussie botanicals as well as vodka distilled by hand with Alembic pot stills. The beautiful brewery and store is also where the owners live (upstairs). The building used to be Victoria Manor, an antique shop.

Gippsland was a welcome respite from my busy Australian sojourn. It was relaxing and enjoyable.  The region has the friendliest people, extraordinary food, and stunning sights. I left my heart in Gippsland and can’t wait to go back one day. *