48 AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM
SHORTCUTS | On the menu
FORAGINGwithoneofAustralia’smostknowledgeableguides,
MEGANARKINSTALLexperiencesNATIVE foodsfromthebush
to the table of one of the country’s best GUESTHOUSES.
1“WE ARE ALL INDIGENOUS to this
planet. We all need to take time out to
reconnect and the bush is my place for that,”
says Jake Cassar as we stand on top of a rocky
headland on New South Wales’ Central
Coast. I take in my surroundings: the ancient
tessellated rock that has been shaped by wind
and sea over millennia, the bush that I have
just discovered is a bounty of nourishment,
and the vast, mighty ocean that stretchesbefore us. Jake bends down to collect some
ochre-coloured sediment and draws some
lines on his hand to demonstrate Indigenous
ceremonial body painting.
We are in Bouddi National Park, the
traditional land of the Darkinjung and
Guringai people and home to more than
100 important Aboriginal sites including
artworks, shelters, middens and archaeological
deposits. The word Bouddi has variousmeanings in Aboriginal language but its
most common is ‘heart’. We stand in this
sacred place and look out to the South
Pacific Ocean as Jake tells me his story.
Born to an Egyptian father and Australian
mother, Jake befriended an Aboriginal family
in his neighbourhood and through them he
learnt about Indigenous culture and native
foods from a young age. Youthful interest
turned into a lifelong calling to share aBUSH
BOUNTY
FROM LEFT: Pretty
Beach House sits just beyond
Bouddi National Park;
A dessert of buttermilk panna
cotta with dragon fruit, peach
compote and lemon balm.