00:00As a travel editor, I visit Australia over and over again because each time is always
00:06different and exciting.
00:07For this trip, I'm traveling with an artist for The New Yorker, Gail Kavaker.
00:12Artists are naturally curious travelers, and I want to see this place I know and love through
00:17her eyes.
00:18See you in Sydney in the morning.
00:19Come and say g'day with us.
00:22They say it's dressed for the dog you want.
00:28After a luxurious and relaxing flight with Qantas, Gail and I wake up in Sydney, refreshed
00:32and ready to explore.
00:34Good morning.
00:35Good morning.
00:36Welcome to the land of Gadigal people.
00:38We head to Hickson Road Reserve in the Rocks for a welcome to country ceremony led by
00:42Auntie Margaret, Aboriginal elder and guide.
00:45This is a really special way to be welcomed to the story of Australia.
00:51It immediately connects us with the 65,000 year old culture that's still alive today.
00:56From our grandfathers who carried this sacred fire.
00:59That's the story of that intelligence up there today.
01:03Thank you very much.
01:05I'm feeling really moved.
01:06Are you?
01:07Very moved and very excited visually.
01:09The idea of traveling, giving myself permission to draw whatever I want.
01:15So exciting.
01:16Travel helps you see things differently, and I love that.
01:26Dinner is at Quay.
01:27It's one of the world's best restaurants with the world's best view.
01:30Wow.
01:31We have a beautiful kind of celebration of spring and Australian ingredients.
01:35So for you, sir, we have a wild fallow deer venison, and for you we have roasted maitake
01:40mushrooms.
01:41On top is all kind of heirloom greens that we get grown for Quay by Newcastle Greens
01:46from the coast of New South Wales.
01:48This is so gorgeous.
01:51Thank you very much.
01:52Almost the way that I think of a painting as a composition of light and dark and value.
01:58It's like a palette I would paint in.
02:00It's so beautiful.
02:01I can't wait to paint it.
02:02Oh my God.
02:03Oh my God.
02:04Chef Peter actually has a farm in Tasmania.
02:07Gail and I are actually going to Tasmania very soon.
02:09It's an amazing place to grow food.
02:12Whoa.
02:13Amazing.
02:14Oh my goodness.
02:15Next stop.
02:16Tasmania.
02:17There are so many places to enjoy incredible food in Australia, but I wanted to take Gail
02:21to a spot that's becoming known as one of the most exciting and creative culinary destinations
02:25in the world for talented young chefs.
02:27Hi.
02:28Welcome to Tasmania.
02:29Annalise Gregory is one of these chefs.
02:31So what's your order?
02:32Flat white.
02:33Flat white.
02:34Very Australian.
02:35Australia is the birthplace of the flat white, a simple blend of espresso and steamed milk
02:40that just hits different here.
02:41So Annalise, I'm curious.
02:43There's been this culinary trend for a long time.
02:45I'm curious.
02:46There's been this culinary renaissance here and you're a big part of that.
02:49Why did you choose to build your culinary life here?
02:51Tassie definitely like punches above its weight in a culinary sense for its size.
02:56I think it's a combination of the cold climate, things grow slowly.
02:59There's a lot of like small farmers doing really great work.
03:02Everything really just tastes of what it's meant to.
03:05Where are we going next?
03:06I'm going to take you to a local favorite, which is Lucinda Wine Bar.
03:09And then we're going to head down to the country to do some foraging and maybe even get in
03:14the ocean.
03:15Wow.
03:16Oh, that's so exciting.
03:17I can't wait.
03:18Lucinda Wine Bar has a wonderful array of local wines.
03:20Oh, that's a good noise.
03:21It's a good noise.
03:22It's good.
03:23A little Chardonnay.
03:24Cheers.
03:25Cheers.
03:26Cheers guys.
03:28You're welcome.
03:29Oh my God.
03:30Good.
03:31We've got some oysters from Boomer Bay.
03:32It's about 40 minutes away.
03:34That's the taste of the Tasmanian Ocean.
03:36And that's how like clean and briny and beautiful it is.
03:39I feel the same way about a lot of the produce around here.
03:43It's like, you know, you're tasting the environment.
03:45You know, on that note, it feels like with Australia's diversity of culinary landscapes,
03:50you know, you have the great restaurants of Sydney, the coffee culture of Melbourne, here
03:54in Tassie with all this fresh produce.
03:56I mean, everywhere.
03:57Because Australia, climactically and landscape wise, is so diverse and so different, there's
04:02all these pockets of great things everywhere.
04:04That's sort of how I view Australia.
04:08We head out to forage with Annalise in the Huon Valley.
04:11So what are you looking for out here, Annalise?
04:14Kind of whatever might be around.
04:15Grey solebush, which lives by the ocean.
04:17And some coonsia.
04:18Yeah.
04:19So this is very tea tree-esque.
04:20Oh, yeah.
04:21This is just soft and delicious to use in things.
04:24Well, in addition to the beautiful herbs, what are we having tonight?
04:28This could be a good spot to dive for abalone, so I'm going to put my wetsuit on and go have
04:32a look.
04:33Good luck.
04:34Well, we managed to foster cup some dinner from the ocean.
04:38Absolutely.
04:39That is amazing.
04:41It's so beautiful.
04:42It seems absolutely incredible that you just swam for your dinner, and you're cooking it
04:49now.
04:50And this is the life that you have manifested and created for yourself.
04:54And here we are.
04:55So these are scallops with wild wakame butter, cooked on the fire.
05:00Fantastic.
05:01And then this is a green garlic aioli made with the spring garlic.
05:04Also, while I was diving, I found some sea urchins.
05:07Are you interested to try some fresh sea urchin?
05:10Absolutely.
05:11So I will get some scissors.
05:12And the best way I like to clean them is also in the seawater, straight out of the ocean
05:17at the bottom of the world.
05:18Oh, my God.
05:19Can't beat that either.
05:21So that's what that's supposed to taste like.
05:23What a find.
05:24Salty, briny ocean.
05:26I'm kind of at a loss for words.
05:28I'm actually feeling a little teary.
05:30I wasn't sure if that was the smoke from the fire.
05:32No, it's not the smoke.
05:34I feel like my eyes have been opened in a way today of experiencing food that it relates
05:42to how I paint.
05:43It's the colors.
05:44It's the presentation.
05:46It's the process.
05:48This is so incredibly special.
05:50Only here in Australia can we feel this all together.
05:54Well, cheers.
05:56Cheers.
05:57My big takeaway is that no matter what your passion is, Australia is the place that allows
06:01you to connect with it in a deeper way.
06:04Next stop, Kangaroo Island.
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