Northern Indulgence: Forget about going on diet if you’re heading north this summer. The far north coast of NSW is famous for its tropical fruit and fresh produce, and has some seriously good eating options hidden away in the tiny seaside villages and hinterland hills and valleys.  From chocolate coated bananas and flutterbie cupcakes to pickled (Bangalow) pork, here’s our pick, in no particular order, of the region’s top 10 foodie spots. Story by Lee Atkinson

The $50 Cup of Coffee: Coffee lovers are beating a path to the door of a remote old pub in North Queensland, one of only two places in Australia serving the rare Kopi Luwak or "cat-poo coffee". And what's more, no-one seems to mind that the coffee costs $50 a cup. Discover why. Story by Lee Mylne

Australian features
International features

Australian features

Port Wine: Think Port Macquarie and most people think sun, sand and sea.  Long a favourite summer holiday destination, the area around Port Macquarie and the Hastings River is fast becoming a new wine region. There are five wineries in the area and you can visit them all on the north coast wine trail from Lake Cathie in the south to Kempsey in the north, which also features cafes, restaurants and local producers.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Food and vines: We’d arrived at Chapel Hill Winery Gourmet Retreat in the dark, where we’d signed up for a weekend hands-on cooking school, so when we finally emerged from our suites the next morning, it was with great delight that we realised we were smack bang in the middle of some of the country’s most picturesque wine country: McLaren Vale. Story by Lee Atkinson

Brisbane's Historic Pubs : There's nowhere better to while away a sub-tropical afternoon than on the wide verandah of one of Brisbane's many historic pubs.
Story by Lee Mylne

Wine Country B&Bs: 10 great places to stay amongst the vines in some of Australia’s prettiest wine regions.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Peppermint Bay: Architecturally stunning, with breathtaking views across the magnificent D'Entrecasteaux Channel and islands, Peppermint Bay is Tasmania 's newest dining experience, set in gardens dominated by a massive 150-year-old oak tree. To get there, cruise down the River Derwent to Woodbridge, or take a 40 minute drive from Hobart.
Story by Lee Mylne

Orange for foodies: When I lived in Orange as a teenager it was your typical country town, where a flash dinner out meant steak and three veg and not much else.  These days Orange has transformed itself into a regional food capital, with several award-winning restaurants and a sophisticated new wine bar, Belgravia at Union Bank.  We check out what’s being dished up and where. Story by Lee Atkinson

Eating out in Margaret River: Good restaurants are attached to a number of Margaret River's wineries, but look a little further and you'll discover some hidden gems offering terrific food. Story by Lee Mylne

Sea and vines: The Sea and Vines Festival in McLaren Vale, 45 minutes from Adelaide on the Fleurieu Peninsula, is not your typical food and wine festival, which tend to be a much more refined sip-and-taste affair, but a rollicking celebration of food and wine that’s more like a giant progressive party, held over two days of the June long weekend. Story by Lee Atkinson

Bootleg Brewery: If wine is not your tipple, and you find yourself in Margaret River, head for Bootleg Brewery. This riverside "beer oasis" at Wilyabrup brews all its own amber fluids, and complements them with a menu of hearty fare including venison burgers and beef pot pie. Story by Lee Mylne

Great Western - the wine village: A visit to the Grampians region would not be complete without a trip to Great Western, the home of Australia's "bubbles factory", where a highlight is a tour of the underground "drives' where wine has been stored since the 1890s.
Story by Lee Mylne

The Tamar Tipple: The Tamar Valley Wine Route is a triangular loop drive from Launceston along the banks of the wide Tamar River and across to George Town and back via Pipers River.  There are 21 wineries along the way, producing some of the state’s best cool climate wines, and several places that offer long views and great food, all within an easy day-drive from Launceston.  Story by Lee Atkinson

King Valley Cellar Doors: North-east Victoria's King Valley cellar doors are a largely Italian family affair. Drop in to many of them and you'll find yourself chatting with descendents of tobacco workers who came to Australia in the 1950s and saw its wine-growing potential.
Story by Lee Mylne

Grape escape: Despite is larger-than-life reputation in the wine world the Barossa Valley is a snug collection of country towns surrounded by vineyards that is very easy to explore on a day trip from Adelaide.  Distances between towns are short, and wineries sit next door to each other so it’s easy to visit a few in a very short time – just make sure you have a designated driver! 
Story by Lee Atkinson

Mudgee: Take one crisp, sunny autumn day; a flower-filled garden buzzing with bees; a rickety table set under a old Hills Hoist clothesline draped in wisteria and laden with plates full of marinated olives, goat’s cheese, tapanades and just-picked garden vegetables, oven-warm, fresh-baked bread and succulent strips of locally-farmed venison; add a bottle or two of Mudgee red and a couple of friends and you have the perfect ingredients for lunch, best savoured over two or three hours.  Story by Lee Atkinson

International features

Bangkok's Floating Markets: Sitting on concrete steps leading into the river, we're watching our dinner being cooked. Can it get fresher than this? In a flotilla of wooden longboats, women in colourful aprons are wielding woks and tossing together dishes on request. Whether you visit the small floating market at Amphawa, or the larger and more famous Damnoen Saduak floating market, south-west of Bangkok, you'll be treated to a feast of colour and life. Story by Lee Mylne

Tastes of Italy: agritourismo, or farm stays, offer not only some of the best value accommodation in Italy – but some of the best home cooking around, most of it organic and grown by the women who are cooking it for you. Story by Lee Atkinson

The Chardonnay Capital: New Zealand's sunny Gisborne region is the first in the world to see the sunrise. It's temperate climate is also perfect for wine-growing, making this the country's Chardonnay Capital. Story by Lee Mylne

Sonoma County: Unlike nearby Napa Valley, which attracts crowds of wine snobs to its multi-million-dollar wineries, Sonoma County, just a couple of hours drive from San Francisco is predominately rural.  While wineries are big business here too, there are many more small-time innovative and amateur winemakers – even your B&B host is likely to dabble in wine-making and will probably have a cellar full of home-made wine you can taste if you ask.  What this means for the visitor is less crowds in the tasting rooms, cheaper accommodation, friendlier locals and an all-pervading attitude that grape growing is really just another type of farming.  Story by Lee Atkinson

Toast Martinborough, NZ: Excesses aside, the trick to really enjoying Martinborough's annual wine festival is to take it slowly, savour a few of the festivities on offer, and come back the next year to try the others out.
Story by Lee Mylne

Big Night Out: NZ’s Wellington has more restaurants and bars per person than New York.  We bar hop our way around five of Wellington’s coolest night spots.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Put on your apron: Take a cooking class to savour the tastes of your holiday long after you get home. Here's a guide to five of the best. Story by Lee Mylne

The cider trail: Home to Bulmers (makers of Strongbow cider among other brands), Hereford and the surrounding district is one of the major centres for the production of cider in the UK.  The free cider route map from the local tourist centre shows the way to eight cider farms, such as Broome Farm near Ross-on-Wye where traditional farmhouse cider is made and sold. 
Story by Lee Atkinson