In recent years, Tropical North Queensland has evolved into one of Australia’s most exciting food and travel destinations. The region’s capital, Cairns, has experienced a wave of new investment, led by the Crystalbrook Collection’s trio of hotels – Riley, Bailey, and Flynn – which have redefined the city with impressive bars, oceanfront pools and destination restaurants.
Drive an hour north and the story continues in Port Douglas, where chefs and restaurateurs are championing local produce and tropical flavours. Among them are Melbourne escapees Ben Wallace and Rachael Boon, who first made their mark with The Oaks Kitchen and Garden. In 2022, they opened Jungle Fowl in Port Douglas (The Oaks Kitchen and Garden now operates as the catering arm of the business).
“We only use produce that’s local and local fish that are line-caught,” says Boon, who spent months with Wallace taming jungle weeds and planting a kitchen garden before opening The Oaks. “It’s an approach that happens all the time down south, but up here we’re still seen as kind of niche.”
Wallace, formerly sous-chef at the now closed Easy Tiger in Melbourne, and Boon, who managed Lee Ho Fook, bring that ethos to Jungle Fowl’s Thai-inspired menu and cooking classes. Expect street food and fragrant curries built around tropical abundance: betel leaves, lemongrass, makrut lime, Thai eggplants and turmeric, for example. Organic beef comes from John Bull Farming at Malanda, on the Atherton Tablelands, while pork is sourced from Sunnyville Free Range Pastured Pigs, also in Malanda.
Jungle Fowl builds on momentum created by early innovators such as Nick Holloway, of Nu Nu Restaurant at Palm Cove. The chef-restaurateur arrived from Melbourne in 2004 and is celebrated for capturing the essence of his adopted home through bold and vibrant flavours.
Labelled by tourism authorities as Tropical North Queensland, the reef-edged region sweeps along the coast from Cardwell in the south to the Torres Strait in the north, encompassing the holiday hubs of Port Douglas and Palm Cove. Keen for a taste? Here’s our pick.
There’s something deeply calming about dining in the treetops above a running river. Fortunately, the food matches the impressive setting. While breakfast and dinner are reserved for in-house guests, lunch is open to visitors.
Much of the menu at Jungle Fowl is inspired by what’s growing at the team’s four-acre farm in Oak Beach, which also keeps very happy chickens – hence the name. Chef-owner Ben Wallace’s deft grasp of Southeast Asian flavours, honed during his time at Easy Tiger and Longrain Melbourne, shines through in dishes such as betel leaf topped with prawn, coconut, peanuts and pomelo, and a rich yellow curry of pork with potatoes from Tolga. Ice-cold Singha and Thai-inspired cocktails are ideal for matching with the bold flavours, especially after a day at the beach. The nine-course chef’s table lunch on Sundays is the best way to experience what makes Jungle Fowl special.
2/28 Wharf Street, Port Douglas 0438 055 038, junglefowl.com.au
Nick Holloway, Nu Nu’s co-owner and chef, is a true pioneer of the Tropical North food scene. Everything here has a local story. Tomatoes might hail from the Atherton Tablelands, coffee beans are roasted in Cairns by The Tattooed Sailor, and sourdough emerges from the oven twice daily. For breakfast, dishes include the likes of cassava hash browns with avocado and whipped buffalo feta, or spanner crab omelette in a white-pepper broth.
Come sunset, icy cocktails with those palm-filtered Coral Sea views are the perfect precursor to the impressive tasting menu, which adds a sense of casual luxury to the local ethos. Think barbecue scallops with green masala and smoked yoghurt, or line-caught reef fish teamed with rich red curry sauce, pipis and coconut.
Interiors at Spencer and Reina Patrick’s split-level space at the Sheraton Grand Mirage resort eschew the breezy coastal vibe of Port Douglas, conjuring instead an ambience of old-style hotel dining with statues, patterned carpet and potted greenery. In contrast, dishes are sharp and contemporary. Order the locally caught painted crayfish with brown butter and green sauce together with the rib of beef for a refined take on surf and turf. Those who prefer blue skies to chandeliers can enjoy the innovative fare out by the pool.
Easy, breezy interiors at this suburban all-day venue belie the care and attention shown by the kitchen team. Grab a house soda – makrut lime and lemongrass, perhaps, or lychee and Thai basil – or a locally brewed Macalister Hazy Pale Ale. Snacks include Korean fried chicken, gochujang mayo and baby cos, and soy-marinated chicken wings with green onion, pickled jalapenos and tare sauce.
1 Pyne St, Edge Hill, Cairns, (07) 4032 3117, noaeat.com.au
And also:
Ochre Restaurant A Cairns institution highlighting native Australian ingredients. Harbour Lights Boardwalk, 1 Marlin Parade, Cairns, (07) 4051 0100 ochrerestaurant.com.au
Ganbaranba This stalwart has Cairns’ best ramen. 7/12-20 Spence St, Cairns, (07) 4031 2522
Little Sister A casual esplanade restaurant serving pan-Asian dishes such as fried pork salad with green pawpaw, tamarind, soy and sawtooth coriander. 101 The Esplanade, Cairns, (07) 4031 5400little-sister.com.au
Located on the ground floor of Crystalbrook Riley, the Calypso Club is a great way to spend an afternoon. There’s a laid-back, coastal charm with a focus on rum and rum-based cocktails. Try the Rum Overboard – charred pineapple-infused rum, falernum and orgeat syrup, lime and Angostura bitters – or Calypso’s Treasure, combining Havana Club white rum, Malibu, lime, coconut and kaffir lime leaf cordial. The seafood-heavy menu includes mud crab and snapper croquettes, salmon tostadas, and a Daintree barramundi burger.
Port Douglas’s first proper small bar is hidden behind heavy drapes, with an eye-catching stencilled red floor. Nab a button-back couch or sit at the long counter and chat to the knowledgeable white-shirted bartenders.
13/53-61 Macrossan St, Port Douglas, (07) 4099 5912, jimmyrums.com
With four venues across Cairns, Port Douglas and Trinity Beach, Hemingway’s Brewery has become a Tropical North Queensland mainstay. The Port Douglas location was the first to open and overlooks the superyachts of Port Douglas’ Crystalbrook Marina. Grab a growler of Hard Yards dark lager for your next boat trip, sink a skiff, or take on a paddle of five beer tasters.
Ignore the uninspiring industrial-estate surrounds – this microbrewery crafts fresh, unfiltered beer onsite and serves a quintessentially north Queensland vista of cane fields against a backdrop of the Macalister Range from an unfussy cellar-door bar. Fans stir overhead and communal tables encourage conversation, while patrons order a Cairns Pale Ale or a pot of Latitude 17, a citrussy, tropical blonde. Or settle with a schooner of Bushwacked, a 5 per cent smoked porter.
Gin Social: Effectively a lobby bar at the Hilton, Gin Social has 40-plus gins on pour including locally distilled Mt Uncle Navy Strength and Jinzu, a Japanese-inspired gin made with sake. Hilton Cairns, 34 Esplanade, Cairns, (07) 4050 2006, hilton.com/en/hotels/crnhitw-hilton-cairns/dining/
Mt Uncle Distillery: Well worth the 90-minute drive from Port Douglas for the scenery alone, this distillery is set among banana plantations at Walkamin. A $10 tasting could include the likes of Mt Uncle’s Botanic Australis gin range, including bushfire-smoked gin, a Navy Strength and a popular dry gin. All are made with local botanicals such as river mint, lemon-scented gum, anise myrtle, eucalyptus, and native ginger. 1819 Chewko Rd, Walkamin, (07) 4086 8008, mtuncle.com
Three Wolves: This small, dimly lit bar has a speakeasy vibe and a laneway location. They love their whiskey here, and bar staff are happy to serve half-shots so patrons can explore more widely. 13A Spence St, Cairns, (07) 4285 3590, threewolves.com.au
Black is, well, the new black at The Chamber Room – everything from the gothic-looking website and the darkly gleaming brew bar to owner-barista Kristy Greenardi’s focus on no-milk brews hits the theme. There’s a clipped but clever offering of snacks including soft-boiled eggs with parmesan and Vegemite soldiers, and pumpkin toast with house-made hummus. Tea is brewed with the same level of care shown in the coffee-making process.
Annee’s Caphê Sua Da Prefer a Vietnamese-style brew? This stall at the front of Rusty’s Markets specialises in drip coffee with condensed milk, but also serves straight up cold brew and kombucha. Shop 14, 57-89 Grafton Street, Rusty’s Market, Cairns, anneescaphesuada.com
One of three new Crystalbrook properties in Cairns. Flynn sits in the heart of the city. The hotel has two dining options – Boardwalk Social and Flynn’s Italian – plus a bar, called Whisky & Wine. With two pools and the iconic Cairns lagoon across the road, there are plenty of ways to cool down after a day of exploring.
City stresses evaporate as soon as you pull up at this Palm Cove property, part of the Australian Bespoke Collective. Guests relax in lush gardens with two pools, a day spa and big old paperbark trees framing postcard views of the palm-edged beach opposite. There are 67 rooms, dazzlingly white and some with four-poster beds. The onsite Reef House Restaurant continues the laid-back theme with friendly service and a focus on local ingredients – saltwater barramundi paired with coconut pilaf rice and red curry sauce, perhaps, or yoghurt pannacotta with Daintree Forest vanilla and Davidson plum coulis.
99 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove, (07) 4080 2600, reefhouse.com.au
Dropping a fishing line during your reef trip? Hang on to your catch. Shangri-La’s executive chef Aaron Habgood will cook it one of four ways. The hotel has a prime waterfront location, while the rooms have blue and white nautical-themed interiors with timber floors and banquettes angled to make the most of balcony views. A grassed area that opens out onto the marina is a scenic spot to enjoy family-style breakfast; come nightfall it turns into a lively space with music and entertainment.
Most travellers hire cars to get around the Tropical North Queensland region. From Cairns airport, it’s a 30-minute drive north to Palm Cove, and just over an hour’s drive from Cairns to Port Douglas.
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