CULINARY DELIGHTS TO TRY...

MEAT PIE: Considered by many to be the national dish of Australia; should be eaten with tomato ketchup, while mashed peas are also used as an accompaniment (known as a ‘pie floater’). Try legendary pie purveyors Harry’s Cafe de Wheels (harryscafedewheels.com.au) in the innercity Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo, or Yatala Pies (yatalapies.com.au), a 30-minute drive from Brisbane. For something more refined, head to Bourke Street Bakery in Sydney’s Surry Hills (bourkestreetbakery.com.au) or King Island Bakehouse on Tasmania’s King Island for its cheesy beef pie.

AVO ON TOAST: One of Australia’s culinary gifts to the world is avocado toast. Th is beloved breakfast favorite might sound simple enough but the nuance is in the type of bread used (thick and crunchy), the amount of citrus zing added and whether you have it with or without accompaniments (poached egg, chili flakes, feta cheese). The Sydney cafe Bills (bills.com.au) is credited with starting the trend in the 1990s, and it’s still one of the best places to go to enjoy it; in Melbourne head to The Kettle Black (thekettleblack.com.au). On the Gold Coast try Bam Bam Bakehouse (bambambakehouse.com); while in Perth, Tiisch (tiisch.com.au) is the place to go.

COFFEE: Australia’s multicultural society has resulted in culinary traditions from all over the world being added and adapted into the culinary DNA of the country. This is no more evident than with coffee, which has become something of a national obsession. Australia’s thriving cafe culture began with the arrival of Italian and Greek immigrants in the mid-20th century, and it now prides itself on producing some of the best brews in the world, including the ubiquitous flat white.

LAMINGTONS: These cubed sponge cakes dipped in melted chocolate and covered in desiccated coconut are a national institution. You can buy them at bakeries across the country, or head to Sydney’s Flour and Stone ( flourandstone.com.au) for its renowned panna cotta version.

OYSTERS: Australia produces some of the best oysters in the world; try Pacific oysters from Coffin Bay and Smoky Bay in South Australia, Blackman Bay in Tasmania, and Sydney Rock Oysters from along the New South Wales coast. These freshwater crayfish, MARRON: native to the Margaret River, have a sweet and delicate taste. Try them at the source at the renowned Cape Lodge Restaurant in Yallingup (capelodge.com.au) or Flying Fish at The Star in Sydney (star.com.au).