A Platter That Tells Australia’s Story
Introduction: More Than a Meal
This is what real Australian food looks like. No generic pub pies, no token meat trays, and definitely no soggy airport sandwiches. What you’re looking at is a slice of Australia on a board—a curated native food platter that hits you with flavour, story, and surprise in every bite.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a local who’s never tasted bush tomato or wattleseed dip, this platter is a reminder that the real soul of this country isn’t always found in its landmarks—it’s in its ingredients.
Table of Contents
What’s on the Plate?
The Stories Behind the Ingredients
Where to Experience This in Sydney
Why Native Food Connects Us
Final Thoughts: Wildly Australian, Deeply Local
What’s on the Plate?
This isn’t your average cheese board. Every item has been carefully selected to showcase native Australian ingredients—some ancient, some innovative, all unforgettable.
🦘 Kangaroo Salami
Lean, smoky, and rich in flavour. A bold alternative to your standard cured meats, kangaroo is high in protein and deeply sustainable.
🧀 Pepperberry Cheese
Creamy cheese laced with spicy native pepperberry. It has a bite that builds slowly, like a good yarn around a campfire.
🍅 Bush Tomato Chutney
Sweet, tangy, and slightly smoky. Bush tomato (aka "desert raisin") grows wild in Central Australia and is a flavour bomb.
🍇 Lilly Pilly Jelly
Vivid in colour and flavour, lilly pilly berries add a tart-sweet zing that cuts beautifully through rich cheese and meats.
🌿 Saltbush Lavosh
Crispy flatbread with salty, herby saltbush baked in. Adds crunch and complexity, perfect for scooping up dips.
🌰 Wattleseed Dip
Nutty, earthy, with hints of coffee and chocolate. Wattleseed has been used by Indigenous communities for thousands of years—modern chefs are just catching up.
🍓 Native Fruits
Think finger lime pearls, muntries, or quandongs. Tangy, citrusy, or tart, they surprise your palate in the best way.
🥜 Macadamia Nuts
Creamy, buttery, and uniquely Australian. A staple of both ancient diets and modern cuisine.
Each item is more than tasty—it’s a conversation starter.
The Stories Behind the Ingredients
Every ingredient on this platter carries generations of culture, connection, and survival.
Kangaroo has been hunted respectfully by Indigenous Australians for over 60,000 years. It’s a meat that symbolises resourcefulness and respect for the land.
Wattleseed, once ground into flour and baked into flatbreads, offers a robust, roasted flavour that adds depth to modern dips and desserts alike.
Bush Tomato is one of the most intensely flavoured native foods, revered by desert communities. It grows wild and needs expert knowledge to harvest safely.
Lilly Pilly berries were used not just for flavour but for their medicinal qualities. Their tart bite adds brightness to jellies, compotes, and even drinks.
Saltbush isn’t just an ancient ingredient—it’s a climate-resilient future food. It thrives in tough conditions and delivers a natural saltiness chefs adore.
Finger Lime, with its citrus caviar-like texture, is one of the most recognisable stars of native cuisine today. Originally foraged by hand, it’s now cultivated and celebrated globally.
Each of these ingredients connects past to present, tradition to innovation.
Where to Experience This in Sydney
Hungry yet? You can experience this exact platter—plus plenty more—on several of our Sydney food adventures. Here’s where to book it:
👉 Click here to book your native food experience
Choose from:
🍽️ Guided Native Australian Lunch & Distillery Tour
Award-winning dishes and native cocktails, paired with local spirits and storytelling.
🧺 Private Picnic with Indigenous Wine
A laid-back but luxurious park experience, complete with setup, pack-down, and gorgeous native bites.
🌿 Foraging Tour & Bush Tucker Hamper
Walk, learn, and taste your way through the Botanic Gardens—ending with a hamper full of native snacks like this platter.
These aren’t just meals. They’re edible memories.
Why Native Food Connects Us
Food is how we remember. It’s how we learn. It’s how we heal.
Native Australian ingredients aren’t just unique—they’re cultural connectors. They help visitors understand the land and its people. They help locals rediscover their own backyard. They help all of us shift from curiosity to respect.
When someone tastes finger lime for the first time and goes, “Wait—this is Australian?” that’s the moment we live for.
Final Thoughts: Wildly Australian, Deeply Local
This platter doesn’t just feed you—it grounds you.
It’s not fine dining for Instagram. It’s soul food for real life.
Every slice of kangaroo, every smear of wattleseed dip, every zingy fruit on that board says: “Welcome to Australia—properly this time.”
If you’ve ever flown here and wondered what real Australian food tastes like... this is your answer.
Wildly Australian, deeply local. Always.
