DRINK:HuskDistillersandCapeByronDistillery
“We’veseengreatbreweriesanddistilleriesemergeas
a localtrend.Closesttousis the‘paddocktobottle’Husk
Distillery:theymakeAustralia’sonlyagricolerum,made
withfreshlycrushedcanejuiceinsteadofmolasses.
WealsoreallyadmireandloveCapeByronDistillery,
setonthefamily’smacadamiafarm.They’vedone
extensiverainforestregenerationonsite,whichis both
theinspirationbehind,andthesupplyofnativebotanicals
usedintheirgins.Bothbusinessesdoworthwhile
behind-the-scenestoursandtastingsattheircellar
doors.”huskdistillers.com; capebyrondistillery.comSTAY:HalcyonHouse
“I’ma bitbiasedasanex-employee,andmywifeand
I alsogotmarriedthere,butit’sa totalstand-outboth
ontheTweedCoastandnationally.Therewasa lotof
thoughtandcarefromtheownersinsettingupthehotel,
andgeneralmanager,MauroDeRiso,runsit beautifully.
They’veaddeda spasinceopeningwhichmakesit great
forlongerstays.Andbeingrightonthe beach is hard
to beat, too.”halcyonhouse.com.auONETOWATCH:GritCeramics
“WecollaboratedwithlocalPottsvilleceramicist,
LeiaSherblomofGritCeramics,onPipit’ssustainable
tableware.LeiamadeuseofPipit’skitchen“waste,”
suchasourwood-grillashinglazes,fishbonesinbone
chinaandpipishellsfortexture.Shehasveryinteresting
ideasaboutwildclayandusinghumanboneash,too.
A newretailstudioaboutfivedoorsdownfromthe
restaurant is in the works.”gritceramics.com➤EAT:PottsvillePizzeria
“ValterArenzanitookoverandrevampedthelocal
pizzaplaceacrossthestreetfromuslastyear.Hehas
restaurantexperienceinEuropeandbringsthatextra
attentionandqualitytoa genrethatcanbefairlyaverage
andubiquitousinsomeplaces.Thepizzacrust,in
particular,is great– andwelovethesimplicityofthe
prosciuttopizza.Andwitha sweettooth,it’sveryhard
toavoid the knock-out tiramisu.”pottsville-pizzeria.comHIDDENGEM:TropicalFruitWorld
“Morethana touristattraction,andmorethana
commercialfarm,thisis theplacetogoforveryfresh
anduniquefruitsthatyoudon’toftenseeelsewhere;
thingslikejackfruit,blacksapote,anddragonfruitare
somefavouritesusedonthePipitmenu.There’salso
a stellarviewofMtWarningfrom the hilltop carpark.”
tropicalfruitworld.com.auClockwisefrom
left:BenDevlin;
macadamia
liqueurbyCape
ByronDistillery;
barrelsatHusk
Distillers;
ceramicsby
LeiaSherblom
ofGritCeramics.
OPPOSITE
Halcyon House.“MostpeopleknowtheTweedorNorthernRiversasa stretchof
amazingbeaches,”saysBenDevlin.“Whatmanyforget,is thatit’salso
anchoredwithamazinggreenhinterlandtothewest,greatwaterfront
alongtheTweedRiver,andhasthescenicbackdropofMountWarning
andtheBorderRanges.I grewupinByronBay,butI movedtoBrisbane
formyapprenticeshipandwork.Afterbeingawayinthecoldwinters
ofCopenhagenfortwoyears,it wasa familytripbackhomethatmade
medecidethatactuallythesun,thesurfandthecommunityofthisarea
waswhatI wanted.I wasapproachedabouta short-termgigat Halcyon
House,andI endedupstayingformorethanthreeyears.Thedreamof
openingmyownrestaurantneverdiedduringthistime,andwemade
a decisionthattheNorthernRiverswasthebestplaceforit.It wasa mix
of luck, availability, and timing that landed Pipit in Pottsville.”BEN DEVLIN’S NORTHERN RIVERS, NSW
60 kilometresfromtheGoldCoast’sCBD
Owner and chef of Pipit restaurant, Pottsville102 GOURMET TRAVELLER