GASCOYNE FOOD FESTIVAL
The region’s produce takes centre stage in the much-anticipated follow-up to last year’s resoundingly successful Gascoyne Food Festival. Running from July to September 2021 with a stunning collection of destinations hosting unforgettable events, this is a must-do part of any foodie’s itinerary. Expect events from Exmouth to Dirk Hartog Island, and Mount Augustus, as well as Carnarvon and other new locations.
CARNARVON
CARNARVON COMMUNITY BBQ
- Date: Thursday 5 August
- Location: Carnarvon Civic Centre
- Time: 5.30pm
LONG TABLE DINNER
- Date: Friday 6 August
- Location: Bentwaters Plantation, 99 North River Road
- Time: 5pm to 10pm
Pull up a chair for one of the highlights of the Gascoyne Food Festival – and make friends into the bargain. The highly anticipated event of the year returns; Long Table Dinner. This is your opportunity to enjoy the kaleidoscope of ingredients produced in the Gascoyne region. Held on the banks of the mighty Gascoyne River at Bentwaters Plantation, guests can expect a long dinner for the ages set in the heart of this productive, sub-tropical horticultural country. With dishes prepared by some of Perth’s top chefs putting Gascoyne ingredients in the spotlight in a tapas-style menu. Those ingredients will have been gathered after the chefs visit local growers and farmers, making this long table dinner one of the most location-specific – and freshest – you’re ever likely to enjoy.
CHILLI FESTIVAL & GROWERS MARKETS
- Date: Saturday 7 August
- Location: Carnarvon Civic Centre
- Time: 8am to 2pm
A celebration of the world’s hottest chillis which are grown in Carnarvon. Heat king and Dingo Sauce maker, Leigh Nash will host a sauce making class, there will be a chilli eating competition and everything hot and spicy. It will coincide with the Gascoyne Growers Markets held every Saturday morning where you will be able to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a wide range of locally made products such as preserves, jams and pickles. Don't forget to grab yourself a famous goat pie from Homestead Hampers, a coffee or even a chorizo burger.
RED BLUFF - FEAST ON THE BEACH
- Date: Saturday 14 August
- Location: Red Bluff on Quobba Station
- Time: From 5.30pm
It is the perfect way to celebrate Red Bluff’s beauty with the annual, Feast on the Beach. Guests will feast on Shark Bay seafood paella or a veggie alternative, salads and of course a WA beverage until the sun goes down. There’s live entertainment to keep the fiesta going, and as far as unique events go, we think this one will be right up there in terms of unforgettable moments with brand new friends made on Red Bluff’s sand. Good vibes, Spanish fare and sand between your toes.
CANAPES ON THE GASCOYNE
- Date: Friday 10 September
- Location: Brickhouse Station
- Time: 6pm to late
Canape evening set on the pastoral station of Brickhouse, a sheep station on the mighty Gascoyne River where you will enjoy a gourmet ten-canape menu by chef Sophie Budd. Sophie has worked for both Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein and cooked alongside Gennaro Contaldo, and Antonio Carluccio. Passionate about the region and its fine produce, Sophie is back to create a series of gourmet canapes. The evening will be complete with live entertainment and the finest beverages from the South West and Gascoyne region.
SATELLITE EVENTS
THE TABLE
- Date: Saturday 31 July 6, 2021
- Location: Bullara Station Stay
- Time: 6pm to 9pm
The authentic outback station stay experience at Bullara is a new venue for this years Gascoyne Food Festival. Bullara Station will host The Table, an intimate three-course long table dinner under a billion stars – a showcase of the Shallcross family’s grass feed Bullara Beef with Gascoyne fresh produce. The evening promises an authentic experience in the Gascoyne outback surrounded by stunning scenery and native wildlife. Get your friends together and accompany great people with this authentic and unique experience with a rustic charm where you will enjoy live music and gastronomic food.
BLACK TIE AT THE BONE
- Date: Friday 6 August
- Location:
- Time: Whalebone Brewing Company
New to the Gascoyne Food Festival program is Black Tie at the Bone presented by Whalebone Brewing Company in Exmouth. It is an evening showcasing produce from the Gascoyne region, with all you can eat pizza and smoked meats, music from The Bambuseae Rhythm Section and ice cream from Mutts Exmouth. This is a formal event so dust of your dancing shoes and get dressed to the nines for what is sure to be a memorable evening at the Whalebone in Exmouth.
SIX COURSE BEERGUSTATION
- Date: Saturday 28 August
- Location: 5 Kennedy Street
- Time: 6.30pm to 9.30pm
If you love a cold one – in particular with a view – you're in luck. The annual award-winning 6 Course Craft Beergustation returns to Froth Craft Brewery in Exmouth. The self-styled "North-west's favourite new micro-brewery and live music venue" will offer up the winning combo of tasty toe tappin' live music coupled with a gourmet degustation that boasts each delectable course to be paired with a craft beer specially brewed on-site. This year literally takes it to a new level, coined "Top shelf dining", as the event takes place in their new second storey observation deck that gives views of Exmouth Gulf. French-trained Head Chef Ash Henry and Head Brewer/Co-owner Tyler Little will personally present each course and will pull out all the stops to create an evening you, and your tastebuds will never forget. The vibes will be presented by talented multi-instrumentalist Ken Young and folk/ Americana up-and-coming artist Jimmy McGrath.
ISLAND LIFE FESTIVAL
- Date: 26 - 30 August
- Location: Dirk Hartog Island
Think platters of Shark Bay prawns, plump scallops, juicy snow crabs, stiff fresh whiting and pink snapper. Think an island paradise off the Coral Coast, ready to welcome foodies and nature-lovers. Think you’d like to come along too? Well, get ready to experience one of Australia’s more remote gourmet experiences on Dirk Hartog Island this September. Discovered in 1616, the island is one of the Coral Coast’s largely undiscovered gems, and home to one of Australia’s premier eco-tourism destinations. With fresh fruit and vegetable flown in from nearby Carnarvon, visitors will feast on the freshest seafood and gourmet cuisine, produced by Russell Blaikie and George Cooper, some of the country’s leading chefs, in an authentic beachfront ocean to plate experience.
AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST BBQ
- Date: Saturday 4 September
- Location: Mt Augustus Tourist Park
- Time: 6.30pm to 10pm
Celebrate the best of the bush at one of WA’s most extraordinary settings. Mount Augustus – the world’s biggest monolith – is the backdrop for a BBQ of epic proportions. You’ll be served outback beef cooked on roaring open fire pits with locally sourced vegetables on the side. It’s the perfect opportunity to explore this wild and unspoilt part of the world, a landscape that’s full of natural wonders, birds unique to the area, wildlife and flora unparalleled in its beauty. Chef Stuart Laws will be on the tongs and he’ll bring the best out of the ingredients at his disposal; think juicy, rare beef steaks, tender ribs and a mouth-watering dessert created especially for this event. You’ll be tucking into all the BBQ goodies with fellow foodies and be informed and entertained by a line-up of guest speakers.
FLAVOURS OF SHARK BAY
- Date: Saturday 18 September
- Location: RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort
- Time: 1pm to 4pm
Join us at the RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort with award-winning chef, Tony Howell, and sample the best local produce the Shark Bay and Gascoyne region has to offer at this beachfront event on the shores of Monkey Mia. Guests will enjoy a live cooking demonstration from Tony and a selection of WA beer and wine. This is an event on the Gascoyne Food Festival calendar that should not be missed.
THE TOP TABLE LUNCH
- Date: Saturday 18 September
- Location: RAC Ningaloo Reef Resort
- Time: 2.30pm to 5.30pm
Find your seat at our Top Table Lunch on the Coral Bay beachfront and let us take you on a culinary journey through the tastes and flavours of the Gascoyne. Enjoy a glass of sparkling wine on arrival, four spectacular courses accompanied by the finest WA wines and world-class ocean views to match.