I’
ve been making G&Ts wrong this whole
time. This realisation comes while sitting
on the deck at Stony Creek Farm, five-and-
a-half-hours drive south of Sydney. It’s here
that distiller Gavin Hughes and his partner
Karen Touchie make their small-batch
North of Eden gins from a farm shed turned distillery.
“If you fill the glass with tonic, all you’re going to taste
is tonic,” says Hughes. “We do just 60ml tonic, 30 of
gin.” It’s a revelation. And something I never would’ve
expected to discover in country New South Wales.
The pristine Sapphire Coast in NSW stretches
roughly from Moruya to Eden, with a swag of
heritage, hinterland and beachside towns in between
including Central Tilba, Bermagui, Tathra, Bega and
Pambula. It’s known as Australia’s premier oyster-
growing region, but thanks to a host of savvy bakers,
distillers, brewers, restaurateurs and small-scale
farmers, there’s a lot more than oysters to savour.
I start my week-long food safari at the community-
run Sage Farmers’ Markets in Moruya. Every Tuesday
afternoon many of the Eurobodalla and Bega Valley
Shire’s most dedicated growers congregate on the
riverbank to sell their produce. Floppy-hat-wearing locals
gather in front of their favourite stalls in anticipation of
the 3pm brass bell; nothing can be sold before it rings.
I eye a table laid with handfuls of tender garlic scapes,
and wonder what to do with them. I’m swiftly handed
a bunch.“Try them out, fall in love and I’ll see you next
week,” says the grower. Another producer tosses me
an orange with a wink. Later in my fully equipped tiny
house at Tilba Lake Camp, I squeeze the citrus over
the scapes with a slug of local olive oil, and toss them
through broad beans from Turlinjah, and the sweetest
floretsofbroccolinigrownnearbyinTurossHead.
Anhoursouth,thevibrantgame-fishingtownof
Bermaguihasbecomeitsownfoodandcoffeemecca.
Oneofthemostsought-afteraddressesis BungaStreet.
There,SteveHoperunshiscafé,MisterHope,after
movingtoBermaguifromCastlemaine,Victoria,five
yearsago.“It’sthemostincrediblewayoflifehere,”he
says.“Thebeachesandenvironmentaresobeautiful,
sowhyshouldn’tthefoodscenebejustasgood.”
Thedaytimetradeat MisterHopeis allabout
dark-roastedFairTradebeansfromHyperHyperin
Nowraalongsidelocaleggsandbagels,andbynight,
it’sanintimatespeakeasyvibewithboutiqueAustralian
gins,absintheandthepop-upcinema,ElectricHope.
“Weputabout 35 chairsin,projectsomethingspecial
andservelocalwines,fancypopcornandhomemade
choc-tops,”saysHope.“The 1934 L’AtalantebyJean
Vigowastheinauguralfilm.It’slyricalandromantic.
Andwhodoesn’tneedmoreofthatintheirlife?”
A fewdoorsup,at artisanbakeryHonorbread,
formerSydneysidersHonorandTimNorthambake
slow-fermentedsourdoughandseasonalpastriesClockwisefrom
above:a lifesaver
atTathraBeach;
oystersfarmedin
Merimbula;
AlfrescoCoffee
Roasters,
Moruya;Mister
Hopeowner
SteveHope;water
views,Bermagui.
PREVIOUSPAGES
Left:a scenein
Tilba.Right:
Bermagui’s
BluePool.MORUYA
NSWusing organic flour and heritage grains. “We loved
Sydney. But our bigger want had always been to
try living in a small community,” says Honor.
The couple built a loyal following for their
baked goods as the owners of Il Passaggio, an Italian
restaurant on the Fishermen’s Wharf. They sold the
restaurant to focus on baking full-time, and have been
at the sunny Bunga Street site for four years. The next
step is taking over the vacant block next door where
they’ll install a woodfired oven for baking bread, a
pétanque court to help build community, and a garden
ofBermaguinativeplantsincludingacacia,wattleand
kangaroograss.Uptheroad,theBermaguiPreschool
hasitsMoodjiCulturalGarden,wherechildrengrow
cropsthatweretraditionallyfarmedintheregion
byYuinpeople,includingyamsandoatgrass.
NorthofEdentakesa similarlyhyper-localapproach
tomakingtheirLondonDry-stylegins.They’vedistilled
oystershells,kelpfromMysteryBay,andintheir
Classicgin,thefarm’shomegrownnativefingerlime
providesthecitrusbackbone.TheClassictookhome
a silvermedalat theworld-renownedInternational
Wine&SpiritCompetitioninLondonlastyear,
onlyninemonthsaftertheduohadmadetheir
firstcommerciallydistilledgin.TheNorthofEden
cellardoorandGinSchoolis duetoopenshortly,
wherestudentscanchoosetheirownbotanicals
andcrafta bespokegin,inlessthana day’swork.
I’mtwoG&Tsanda BreakfastMartinidown,
thelatterstirredwithKaren’shomemadecumquat
marmalade.A full-timeseachangerightnowis too
muchtofathom.ButsomewherenorthofEden,
it seems,is a goodplacetogeta taste.➤ PHOTOGRAPHY JACK MOUNSEY (MISTER HOPE) & DESTINATION NSW (TATHRA BEACH).126 GOURMET TRAVELLER