HAMISH BLAKE & ZOË FOSTER BLAKE
What’s your favourite holiday activity?
Hamish: I love bike riding, and Australia has world-class spots to ride in the mountains, but I can’t resist the beach. Which is strange because I can’t surf (but love snowboarding) and am a pale kid from the suburbs who’s not naturally a beachgoer.
Where are you most excited to take your kids to?
Zoë: We’ve never taken the kids to Queensland and showed them the glory of the reef, which is something I can’t wait to do. We love Daylesford in Victoria, the Southern Highlands and the greater Blue Mountains in New South Wales, and of course Byron Bay and surrounds up north. It’s always tricky finding a happy medium between visiting the same places you know and love, and trying somewhere new and exotic to flex those exploration muscles.
Hamish: I went to Uluru with my dad for his 60th birthday. It was incredibly moving being there and learning from the traditional owners about their connection to country. I can’t wait to go there with my kids and not just to Uluru, but all over Australia.
Do you have any recommendations for the best places to eat?
Hamish: Of course all the capital cities have their big hitters in the food game, and Melbourne, in particular, I would always rank highest. But outside of that, Tassie is pretty spectacular in lots of little places purely for the freshness and quality of the food available. That’s where we are just so lucky in Australia. If the world is a supermarket, we’re the boutique organic section!
Where is the most interesting place you’ve visited in Australia?
Zoë: When I was about 15, we went to Darwin for my brother’s wedding. The next day, when everyone was feeling a bit tender, we went to a waterhole, where the groom speared a barramundi in the water while standing out over the water on a branch. He then barbecued it and we ate it then and there, while quietly freaking out about crocs. It was magic. I want to do more of that.
Have you had any travel disasters?
Hamish: The first thing that popped into my head was a pub in the Northern Territory that had some pet emus out the back and I sculled a pint of warm raw emu egg in an attempt to show the publican I could do it without getting sick, to impress him. It didn’t really impress him at all, and I still got sick, so it was a lose, lose!
Hamish Blake and Zoë Foster Blake are ambassadors for Tourism Australia. australia.com/holidayhere