Australia definitely has its own flavours and approach to food and we’re not just talking about vegemite. Australian food has evolved, becoming much more international compared to the meat and three veg staple of yesteryear.

In terms of modern Australian cuisine, there is no fixed thing, it’s constantly evolving as talented folks across the country, including on the Gold Coast, try new things with food and put a uniquely local spin on dishes from across the globe. From what we’ve seen of recent happenings in the culinary world of Oz, modern Australian tends to rely on fresh local ingredients, Gold Coast chefs have great produce from the Scenic Rim and stunning seafood to work with, while they're also not afraid to combine flavours and techniques from across the globe.

For foreign visitors there are some iconic dishes which Australian’s claim as their own, often leading to longstanding international disputes - we don’t really care who invented Pavlova, it’s delicious, what else matters?

Anyway here is a short bucket list of classic Aussie food experiences/things to try: prawns, park yourselves at Peter’s fish market with a kilo of local prawns (big shrimp for confounded Americans); pies, again, the Brits probably invented it but we’ll stick to the Australian version, which is best eaten at the footy; fish and chips, check out our top 10 list for the Gold Coast; and, have a proper Australian barbie (Oz for barbecue). In all honestly American or Korean barbecue may be tastier, though eating blackened snags (sausages) at the park or beside the beach is still a beautiful and obligatory thing. In Australia you can also have the unique experience of eating the coat of arms, yep kangaroo and emu are both delicious.