Restaurant Awards

Finalists: Best Destination Dining

The annual awards are back. Here are the finalists for this year's Best Destination Dining Award, celebrating the restaurants worth travelling for.

By The Gourmet Traveller team
Glenarty Road, WA. Photo: Van Huis

Glenarty Road, Margaret River | WA

Glenarty Road isn't just an address, it's a state of mind. It's also a multi-generational farm 30 minutes south of Margaret River that's setting the standard for farmhouse dining in the region. Owners Sasha and Ben McDonald tend the veggie patch; raise their own sheep, cows and pigs; plus grow the grapes for their deeply expressive wines. Add in accomplished cooking from emerging talent Jess Widmer and you're looking at an irresistible lunch package that needs to be on your radar.
In short: Essential Margaret River dining.
Homestead Restaurant at Piermont Retreat, TAS.

Homestead Restaurant, Piermont Retreat, Swansea | TAS

Tasmania's startlingly gorgeous east coast is the failsafe backdrop to a meal at Piermont Retreat's Homestead Restaurant, but the view is not left to do all the heavy lifting. The Scandi-minimal, light-filled space might direct the eye out to the landscape but the food, much of it sourced from nearby growers, allows you to taste it too in the form of oysters or cheese, duck or saltbush. Pro tip? For optimum enjoyment, book a guest cottage and stay the night.
In short: Eat the landscape.
Maxwell Wines, SA. Photo: Duy Dash

Maxwell Wines, McLaren Vale | SA

A restaurant with a vineyard view isn't necessarily a big deal in South Australia. There's a lot of them and the quality is high, especially in McLaren Vale. Maxwell wines, however, gets it all right: the vine-packed vista, view into the working winery, sexy renovated interior, and a wine list that goes beyond what's made in the winery. Most importantly, chef Fabian Lehmann is at the top of his game. His 12-ish-course menu exudes technical nous and wit. Cameos inspired by dishes from his German homeland (like spätzle) surprise and delight.
In short: Silver service with heart.
Megalong, NSW.

Megalong, Blue Mountains | NSW

"Produce-driven" cooking is one thing; what's happening at this ambitious Blue Mountains newcomer is quite another. Indeed, almost everything featured on Megalong's six-course menu is organically grown or reared on the 600 hectares surrounding the lavishly restored homestead. The respect for ingredients here is clear, the flavours true and the experience well and truly occasion-worthy. Heck, even the 20-minute drive from Blackheath into the Valley feels like an event.
In short: Paddock to plate – and then some.

Silky Oaks Lodge, Daintree | QLD

Silky Oaks Lodge, QLD. Photo: Parker Blain
You don't need to be a resort guest to dine at Silky Oaks Lodge and admire its soaring wooden ceilings and sweeping outlook over Mossman Gorge. Anyone visiting Tropical North Queensland can enjoy lunch at this lush rainforest retreat if they book ahead. From coconut milk flatbreads served with verdant green pandan oil to crunchy, battered nannygai atop garlicky greens, executive chef Mark Godbeer brings subtle tropical flourishes to an elegant menu that pairs perfectly with the surrounding natural grandeur.
In short: Tropical splendour.
Underbar, VIC.

Underbar, Ballarat | VIC

There was never a reason not to visit the original incarnation of chef Derek Boath's Ballarat dégustation restaurant. His always impressive, often-brilliant flavour combinations and starry CV (New York's Per Se) were always reason enough. But now Underbar has shifted from its gritty urban phase to the beautifully renovated, better upholstered, light-filled dining room of the boutique Hotel Vera things have shifted up another gear, pushing this closer to essential territory.
In short: Just go.
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  • undefined: The Gourmet Traveller team