BYRON BAY, NSW SARAH SWAN
Drawn by the beaches and natural beauty of northern NSW, as well as the incredible local produce, chef Sarah Swan moved from Sydney to Byron Bay in 2011 for a quieter life. Ironically, she now runs 100 Mile Table, a busy café and catering business. “Byron is a great destination for food lovers as it’s young, fresh and diverse,” she says. “Eating out is exciting and if you’re self-catering our farmers’ markets are second to none.” What are your favourite restaurants? Fleet in Brunswick Heads — the jewel in Byron’s crown. Their food is honest and original, their wine list is extraordinary and the service is the best. St Elmo in Byron Bay is a local favourite and I’m a huge fan. I can’t go past the arroz negro — black rice with prawns, cuttttlefifish, chilli, lemon and garlic. Any suggestions further afield? A trip to Byron is not complete without a visit to Mullumbimby’s Milk and Honey. It’s laid-back, unpretentious and owner Tim Brebner makes the region’s best wood-fifired pizza. He may change your mind about ‘ham and pineapple’ forever. At Newrybar, wander through the amazing Newrybar Merchants, then stop for a long, lazy lunch at Harvest. Excellent negronis! Head to Bangalow Bowlo for Fried Chicken Thursday. This is no-frills dining at its best — Graeme ‘Big Red’ Stockdale and his team at The Stockpot Kitchen turn out piles of fried chicken with coleslaw and hot sauce. Kid and dog friendly — I love this place. Where do you go for coffee? My favourite coffffee is from local company Marvell Street Coffffee Roasters. It’s served at Table View in Brunswick Heads, and 100 Mile Table and Bayleaf Café in Byron. Bayleaf also does a great brekkie and the staffff are awesome. Which farmers’ markets are worth a visit? Tuesday is New Brighton, Thursday Byron Bay, Friday Mullumbimby — my favourite — and Saturday Bangalow. I like to pick up a loaf from Heart Breads, eggs, bacon and skirt steak from Hayters Hill, tomatoes and peppers from Coopers Shoot Tomatoes, mushrooms from The Witches Broomstick, and garden herbs at One Organic. If Roberto’s there, grab breakfast at the Nomadic Kitchen. Your pick of the area’s beaches? Belongil Beach is dog heaven, we go there all the time, while Broken Head is private, peaceful and incredibly beautiful. Wategos is the quintessential Byron beach — pandanus trees, waves, regular dolphin visits, the lighthouse above, views across the coast and up into the mountains. It’s heaven. Best fish and chips? I’m a big fan of the fried calamari at Starfifish in Brunswick Heads. Perfect post-beach eats. Any places you’d recommend for kids? The Farm is bang-on for kids. Adults can drink a beer or a good glass of wine on the grass, while the kids run around and meet the horses, cows and chooks, and learn a thing or two about vegetables. Best beaches for kids are Clarkes Beach — when the conditions are right there is a great littttle lagoon that forms there — and also Torakina Beach at Brunswick Heads. For address details, see page 112.