ISYS 100 Gr. 5 Video : TOURISM AUSTRALIA

Future blog prospective

With more tourists and immigrants travelling to Australia each day, there is a growing interest in the cultural values and landmarks of Australia. As many travellers are unaware of Australian culture or are unable to access needed information, this blog will attempt to address the global interests in Australian tourism and lifestyle.

Topics explored throughout this blog will include Australian cuisine, wildlife, sports, and landmarks.


Group members:
Angie Yao 43318711
Yuqi Zhang 43318746
Janelle Hwang 43444954
Mushfiq Nazib 43107222

Layout and design of our blog

We came up with the final design of our blog by using a few steps. Firstly, in order to develop unique ideas we searched for blogs and research websites which were relevant to our central topic, 'Tourism Australia'. Then, we discussed the prospective design and layout of our blog, which we individually searched the internet for the background image, header image and our logo. After that, we combined and shared all the gathered information together and had a final discussion. In the final discussion, we made decisions on the choice of theme, template, background image, header image, logo, gadgets, colors and fonts. We also decided the settings and arrangement of them. During the initial stage of actually placing all the components of our design onto the blog, we were actually not satisfied with the overall layout. Hence, we continued to redevelop and improve our design. Comparing and analysing the design layout and structure of other related blogs enabled our group to finalise the design of 'Tourism Australia'.

The design of 'Tourism Australia' was created with a high focus on simplicity and positivity. We used orange and white as the main colors of our blog. The fonts are in black and the background for the blog posts and gadgets are in white. These particular colours and styles were used for the international tourists and visitors. As Australia is famously known as a country with warm, dry summers and weather conditions, the colour orange was used in the background to represent this concept.The colour white was also used to symbolise unity and Australia's acceptance of multiculturalism, as the colour white is a universal colour found in diverse places. Besides, the colours and styles, we also allowed our readers to comment on each of our individual topics posted on the blog in order to share their thoughts and ideas of Australia and the information we provided. We also put labels and added a search function for them to find their interested part of our blog easily. Our design of the blog is to keep everything simple and user-friendly while providing useful information to readers.

Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney. It is located 7 km (4 mi) east of the Sydney central business district. Numerous festivals and events such as the annual Miss Bondi beauty pageant have made Bondi Beach a popular destination among travellers. The beach has long captured the attention of poets including Joanne Burns, Les Murray and Brook Emery. The Vans Bowl-A-Rama skateboarding competition is held at the skate bowl in February every year. Bondi Pavillion is a community cultural centre, located right on Bondi Beach, which features a theatre, gallery, rehearsal, meeting and function rooms, art workshop, studios. Bondi Pavilion is the centre for major festivals performances throughout the year. It has a state heritage listing.

Bondi Beach

Storyboard

Australia Sport

Sport is an important part of the culture in Australia, with a long history in the country dating back to the pre-colonial period. Early sports that were played included cricket, horse racing and Australian rules football. There are a number of professional sport leagues in Australia, including the Australian Football League, National Rugby League and Super Rugby. As a nation, Australia has competed in many international events including the Olympics, Paralympics and the Commonwealth Games. Every year, a thriving number of tourists come to visit magnificent stadiums located all over Australia. Among these venues, Melbourne Cricket Ground, ANZ Stadium, Etihad Stadium are a must to tour around. Watching your favorite team's play in such glorious venues is a lifetime achievement.

ANZ Stadium

Etihad Stadium

Melbourne Cricket Ground

Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant

Around Australia you’ll find a collection of restaurants that tell the story of Australia’s dining excellence; the creative direction of our chefs and our high standards of service. If you are a gourmet and seeking for some unique and winning dining experience, here is the list of the Top 5 restaurants in the country according to the 2014 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide which has been compiled using star ratings, moderated by state and national editors and they all achieved a placement in the top represent a higher order of excellence.

1. Momofuku Seiobo, NSW

http://momofuku.com/sydney/seiobo/

New York chef David Chang’s Sydney outpost is fine dining, by any standards, but it’s as counter-intuitive as fine-dining gets. There’s the sought-after izakaya-esque counter around the no-secrets kitchen, the AC/DC posters and matching soundtrack, and, of course, the artful dishes, served and explained by a series of youthful chefs. Chang’s greatest hits feature, such as his soft, steamed pork belly bun – uncommonly delicious with a squirt of Sriracha. Marron, seaweed and a ciggie-shaped salsify is delightfully fresh and fleshy. Beef tongue with watercress and fennel offers a new take on wagyu, though a marbled, dark chocolate-tasting short-rib with daikon and turnip is richness in overdrive. Desserts are a beauteous pleasure, particularly a small scoop-sized mandarin sorbet with coconut and egg.

Location: the star 80 pyrmont street | level g  sydney, nsw

2. Quay, NSW

http://www.quay.com.au

Quay is one of Australia’s most respected Restaurants. Perched above Sydney harbour Quay is a magnificent setting for the highest culinary endeavour with a true sense of occasion. Day or night the views from the Restaurant – the Sydney harbour bridge to the left and the Opera House to the right are spectacular. Quay was established in 1988 originally named Bilson’s. Quay’s philosophy under Executive Chef Peter Gilmore is to deliver a dining experience with an emphasis on nature. The diversity and beauty of nature is his inspiration. Harmony of flavours and textures combine to create a sensual dining experience.

Location: Upper Level, Overseas Passenger Terminal/5 Hickson Rd  The Rocks NSW 2000

3. Marque, NSW

http://www.marquerestaurant.com.au

Best’s take on contemporary French cuisine is a little like magic. Innovative techniques from dehydration to jelly or flash-frozen, robust flavour combinations and carefully composed presentations allow him to push conventional food boundaries in unexpected ways. The constantly evolving menu is a testament to Best and Head Chef Pasi Petanen’s labour-intensive cooking styles, which combines classic forms and contemporary innovation. Whilst dishes may look wonderfully simple, they are frighteningly complex, layering multiple flavours and textures to surrender diners to new pleasures with every bite. The main degustation menu, which can be accompanied with matching wines, features the likes of a duck egg with macadamia, stout sabayon and button mushrooms and grain fed Wagyu bavette with onion, black tea and stem salad. 

The recent addition of Friday ‘Prix Fixe’ lunches feature a three course market menu that changes weekly. Sommelier Nicholas Andre holds things to a similar standard with the wine, boasting an extraordinary level of knowledge, experience and a palate that drives the dynamicity of his well-rounded list. 

Location: 4/5/355 Crown St  Surry Hills NSW 2010

  

4. Sepia, NSW

http://www.sepiarestaurant.com.au

 Just as the wine service puts a focus on diversity and eclecticism, the big theme in Martin Benn's cooking remain modernity and Japanese ingredients. Whether it's the seemingly simple combination of tiny, sweetly smoky spring onions with a dark, sticky soy-vinegar dressing and peppery, herby purple shiso leaves, or the refined umami-ness of shiitakes with the flowery, citrussy perfume of a light ponzu, vegetables are the way to start. Follow with gingered curls of soft baby squid, or a single scampi, with a scattering of gently gritty, dusty-pink scampi salt for dipping - rich, meaty and melting. Alternatively, get your teeth into a pudgy grilled tiger prawn swooshed through tingly Japanese mayo.

And then there is the chicken - the soul of yakitori. Here it comes as corn-fed Holmbrae chook meat turned into gently fatty thigh skewers, sweetly juicy batons of breast meat, or teensy, quirky twists of rich'n'crisp chicken skin. Martin Benn is having fun with his more casual side. And so will you.


Location: 201 Sussex Street Sydney 2000 Australia  

5. Attica, Vic

http://www.attica.com.au/#!home

It’s been named one of the world’s best restaurants and is booked out weeks ahead. Yet there’s no lyrical journey up mountain roads or through snow-covered lowlands preceding dinner at Attica. How can this simply appointed Ripponlea dining room possibly live up to the hype? Relax. The wait won’t be in vain. From the flurry of intricate unlisted starters to a caramel-filled chocolate egg at the end, New Zealand-born Ben Shewry and his enthusiastic team lead diners on an Antipodean journey full of intrigue and delight. Earth-cooked potatoes are plated with crisped saltbush leaves, king george whiting comes parcelled in paperbark, buttery and lifted by lemon myrtle, and rare wallaby is paired with scorched macadamia nuts. A quick turn around the courtyard garden for warm apple juice and DIY toasted marshmallows provides an interlude before dessert. There’s serious intent behind this temple of fine dining.

Location: 74 Glen Eira Road Ripponlea, VIC 3185

Echidnas

Australia's echidna is a short-beaked creature and along with the Platypus, are the only members of the monotreme family which are Mammals that lay eggs and produce milk for its young. 

Echidnas are sometimes referred to as spiny anteaters which resemble the Hedgehog and the Porcupine in that they are covered by sharp spines. The Echidna is found all over Australia and can survive a range of temperatures and habitats. Though mostly nocturnal, in mild weather they can be seen during the day, but if the weather is extreme (either very cold or hot). Echidnas will stay in shelter (under rocks, fallen timber or burying themselves in the ground).

Description

An Echidna's body is covered with 2 types of hair. A "normal" short coarse hair to keep them warm and long sharp spines each being a single hair but hard(similar to our fingernails in composition).

The colouring and length of their "normal" hair differs wildly across Australia depending on climate and habitat. In size Echidnas are between 35 - 45cms long and weigh anything between 2-7 kg.

The Echidna has a pointy snout and an extremely long sticky tongue to catch ants and termites. 

The Echidnas feet have sharp claws for digging and though like the Platypus the male has a spur on its ankle, it is not poisonous. They make a sniffing noise as they search for food.

Habitat & Location

The Echidnas main requirement is a large supply of ants and termites so Echidnas are found all over Australia from the highlands to deserts to forests. The Echidna has no fixed home except when the female is suckling its young. Echidnas can be found in a variety of shelters from rocks to fallen wood, small caves, or even under bushes. 

Feeding

Normally the Echidna feeds at night on ants or termites.The tip of its snout or nose is sensitive to electrical signals from an insect body thus it searches and "sniffs" out ant and termite nests. Echidnas then normally tears into the mound or nest with its sharp claws (front feet) and its snout exposing the ants or termites and then catching them with its fast flicking sticky tongue. Because they have no teeth the Echidna crushes the insects between horny pads in its mouth.

Breeding

The female Echidna develops a pouch at the start of the mating season which occurs in July and August. 3 weeks or so after matting the female digs a burrow and lays 1 soft leathery like egg into this pouch.

It takes 10 days for an Echidna egg to hatch. The young blind hairless Echidna attaches itself to a milk patch on its mothers skin inside the pouch and suckles for the next 8 to 12 weeks.

 Once spines develop on the young Echidna is "evicted" from the pouch but stays in the burrow.The female Echidna comes back and regularly lets the young Echidna suckle. This occurs for the next 6 months. Baby Echidnas are called a "puggle".

Australian best snacks

When you were back home ready to come to Australia, if you met somebody who had visited Australia and found out you were going too, there’s a good chance they asked you this:“Can you pick me up some Tim Tams?"
 Tim Tams are Australia’s favourite and much loved chocolate biscuit made up of two layers of chocolate-malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate and more a vanilla, butter and chocolate flavorfilling and coated in melted chocolate. It were first launched in 1963. They were named after a horse that ran in the Kentucky Derby in 1958. A member of the Arnott family, Ross Arnott, attended the race day and decided ‘Tim Tam’ was the perfect name for the new biscuit he was about to launch. Tim Tam biscuit Arnott's have now made eight different flavoured Tim Tams: Original, Chewy Caramel, Mocha, Double Coat and Classic Dark Chocolate, Special Edition Tim Tam Hazelnut, Limited Edition White Chocolate and new Special Edition Chewy Choc Fudge.
One thing foreigners often don’t know about a Tim Tam is that there is a special way to eat it. It’s called a Tim Tam Slam and it is awesome. Here’s how you do it:

1. Make yourself a glass of hot Milo or milk.

2. Bite a little bit off one corner of the Tim Tam.

3. Now bite a little bit off the diagonally opposite corner of the Tim Tam.

4. Lean down towards the glass and put your mouth over one corner of the Tim Tam, like a straw.

5. Dip the other corner into the glass so it is slightly submerged.

6. Suck the liquid through the Tim Tam.

7. As soon as you taste the liquid, put the whole Tim Tam in your mouth.

Fantales, a favorite Australian food, the delectable bite-sized treat is made up of chewy caramel coated in milk chocolate. It's renowned for yellow and blue wrapping scribed with movie trivia, a marketing move that has endeared the treat to DVD groupies,movie goers and great at parties, during road trips or just to better your general knowledge.

Cherry Ripe are pretty much self explanatory. As Australia's oldest chocolate bar, it offers an indulgent and rich treat. The ripe juicy cherries and moist coconut smothered in rich old gold dark chocolate that ensures a unique taste experience. When your home on a Sunday night, sweet melting on the tongue and a delicacy for any sweet toothed movie addict. 

Meet the Kangaroo

Red Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo is Australia's largest Kangaroo of the nearly 60 species in the kangaroo family, and is the most commonly known animal to represent Australian wildlife. It is the Kangaroo which dwells in our "Red Center", the arid portion of Australia. Kangaroos are most commonly seen throughout inland Australia and occupy mixed habitats of open shrub lands, grasslands, mallee scrubs, mulga country, and the desert.They normally move in groups ranging from a few dozen to several hundred individuals, and are known as Mobs . The makeup of the red kangaroo Mob varies but usually consists of a dominant male, a number of adult females, and young kangaroos of both sexes. 

Appearance

* There are distinct regional differences in the colouring of the red kangaroo. In the eastern part of its range, males are usually red (pale red to brick red) and females are a bluish grey

* Lifespan in the wild is thought to be around 15 years 

* Kangaroos have a black and white mark on the sides of the muzzle, and a broad white stripe from the corner of the mouth to the base of their ears

* The body posture of Red Kangaroo is upright except when feeding

* Kangaroo fur is velvety to the touch.

* The front limbs of a Red Kangaroo is small and short with heavily-clawed digits

* The hind feet are lengthened and powerful enabling the Red Kangaroo to travel at speeds as fast as 65kph (40mph)

* The weight of a red kangaroo ranges from 18kg to 90 kg 

* Kangaroos can range from being 74-140 cm tall, even to 2 m. The tail of a red kangaroo (used for jumping) ranges in length from 64 cm to 1 m

Breeding
Red Kangaroo females are sexually mature at about 18 months, males at about 2 years. There is a single young (Joey), though a mother can nurse more than one joey at a time. Red Kangaroo joeys remain in the pouch for 5-6 months. They emerge looking just like their parents just smaller.

Over a period of 2-3 months they gradually spend more time away from the pouch, returning to its safety when they feel threatened. Joeys are usually weaned around 1 year of age, but will normally remain close to the mother for another 6 months or so.

Desert Survival

Red Kangaroos are able to survive temperatures in excess of 40°C by using shade and avoiding activity during the day. Red Kangaroos also concentrate their urine to conserve water and thus can tolerate severe dehydration. They regulate their body temperature largely by panting and licking their forearms.Feeding

The red kangaroo grazes during the night on a wide variety of grasses and low herbaceous plants, though sometimes this grazing period starts late in the evening and ends early in the morning. When water is available it will drink but, if it obtains sufficient green food, it does not need to do so.

Communication and "Boxing"

Red Kangaroos will thump the ground with their feet to warn other members of the mob of impending danger, such as a dingo attack. When male kangaroos fight, they may appear to be 'boxing'. They usually stand up on their hind limbs and attempt to push their opponent off balance by jabbing him or locking forearms. If the fight escalates, they will begin to kick each other. Using their tail to support their weight, they deliver kicks with their powerful hind legs. 

The Platypus

The Platypus

The shy Platypus is also an Australian animal found only in eastern Australia, where they live on the edges of rivers and freshwater lakes where burrows can be dug. The best streams are ones where the banks are strong enough for building their deep burrows, and often these banks overhang the river. During the day, a Platypus often rests in this burrow, but it may spend some hours near the entrance to the burrow, basking in the sun and grooming its dense fur. But Platypuses are most active for several hours after dusk and before dawn. Platypuses are renowned for their excellence in the water as both a diver and a swimmer.

Swimming

Whilst underwater the Platypus has its eyes
and ears shut and, being buoyant, it must  

continuously swim downwards with its 

webbed forefeet to remain submerged. Webbing on the front feet extends well beyond the claws, forming large paddles for swimming. The hind-feet of the Platypus are also webbed but are employed in steering or braking-not in propulsion., platypuses can swim underwater for 2 minutes, but may rest underneath a submerged object for up to 10 minutes. Dense fur fibers trap a layer of air next to the skin, giving excellent insulation for an animal that spends up to 12 hours each day in water as cold as 0 degrees Celsius. 

Appearance

The Platypus has a bill that resembles a duck's bill but is actually an elongated snout covered with soft, moist, leathery skin and sensitive nerve endings. The body of the platypus is 30 to 45 cm long; the flattened tail measures 10 to 15 cm in length. The feet are webbed. The body and tail are covered with a thick, soft, woolly layer of fur, from which long, flat hairs protrude. The platypus has three layers of fur; an inside layer to trap air and keep the animal warm, a middle layer which works like a wet suit, an outer layer to feel if it is close to objects. A Platypus grows to a maximum weight of 1 to 2.4 kg. The Platypus is known to live for at least 12 years in the wild.

Feeding

The Platypus usually feeds at night on aquatic insect larvae, shrimps and worms by dabbling in mud or silt on the bottom of rivers and freshwater lakes with its sensitive, flexible, duck-like snout, aided by electro-receptors (electronic sense) on its bill. These are stored in the cheek pouches and will be chewed after returning to the surface. The Platypus can eat their own body weight in food in one night. ..................................

Reproduction

Platypus males are larger than females. Mating occurs once a year, beginning in late June in the warmer northern parts and in October in the southern part. The female usually lays two eggs ( the soft leathery egg resembles a reptiles egg) but may lay up to four and incubates these against her abdomen (by clasping them with its tail)for about two weeks in a blocked-off nest at the end of a long breeding burrow. The young "puggle" have no fur when they hatch. 

The female has no teats. Milk is produced in large glands under her skin which oozes out onto a patch of fur and the young Platypus (puggle) sucks it up.  

Australian Animals

Australian Animals

The Koala











Australia is a country home to many unique animals found nowhere else in the world. A popular example is the Koala, which is an animal many tourists and families seek to visit each year. Koalas are both mammals and marsupials, most commonly found in South Eastern Australia. The name koala, comes from the Aboriginal saying that means "no drink". The Koala obtains enough moisture from the eucalyptus leaves that it lives on, therefore requires no water.



LOCATION

Because of the reliance on its one food source, Koalas are found where there are suitable Eucalyptus forests (Gum trees) and woodlands which is along Australia's East coast and inland of the mountain range known as the 'Great Dividing Range' (see map on right).

ACTIVITY

The Koala does not prefer to move around neither in daylight or night, but rather just after sunset. Usually, Koalas spend their daytime by sleeping in the fork of a tree, as 80% of its time is spent sleeping. For a couple of hours after sunset it will move around in search of Eucalyptus leaves, and can often be heard 'barking' aggressively at other koalas. Koalas are extremely solitary animals, attached to its own specific home range.

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DESCRIPTION
Koalas are usually ash grey with a white chest and the males are larger than females. Thick fur, fluffy ears and a broad flat nose give them their "cuddly" appearance .They have strong limbs and large hands to help with climbing trees. Surprisingly, they have a short stumpy tail which is of no assistance to them in climbing at all. There are 2 sub Species (South & North) with the Southern Koalas up to 1/3 larger than Northern Koalas.


FEEDING
As already mentioned the koala survives almost exclusively on Eucalyptus leaves Not just any type of Eucalyptus as their choice changes with seasons, local conditions and personal preferences. There are approximately 12 species of Eucalyptus leaves that a koala can feed on. However, the most common is the Eucalyptus foliage which is high in fiber is also very bitter"and contains many toxins harmful to most life forms. Koalas have a longer cecum (part of the intestine) which allows more time for bacteria to break down the otherwise indigestible eucalypti fiber.


BREEDING

Mating usually occurs in Australia's warm Spring and
Summer months, normally between October and February.
The baby joey is born five weeks after conception, blind,
hairless and less than an inch long. It then crawls into its mother's pouch and drinks from one of the 2 teats there. For the next 6 months, the baby stays in the pouch drinking milk. The next period before being weaned at around the age of 1, their dietary needs are supplemented by eating some of the mother's feces (droppings) that supplements the bacteria in its own cecum (part of the intestine).

Australia’s Food and Wine Events

Throughout the year across Australia you’ll find plenty of food and wine festivals and other fun indulgences.

Australia is renowned for its fine fresh gourmet produce and wines of world-acclaim. Almost every city hosts a major food and wine festival every year. Visit during the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival to taste the flavour of autumn; or the Great Barrier Feast for Australia’s fresh seafood. Dig for truffles in Western Australia or Canberra. Enjoy vineyard concerts in the Margaret River. Toast the New Year with Tasmania’s finest sparkling wine in Hobart or the country’s entire rich harvest during Aussie Wine Month. All year, all throughout Australia’s you’ll find fine food and wine festivals and other fun indulgences.

Great Barrier Feasts

Hamilton Island, Queensland
Various

Hamilton Island’s highly successful Great Barrier Feasts includes a series of separate haute cuisine weekends at the luxury resort qualia. Held over four weekends throughout the year, they offer guests the exclusive opportunity to immerse themselves in an intimate ‘behind the scenes’ gourmet experience and learn directly from a world-class chef in a world-class setting. These gourmet weekends begin with a welcome dinner designed by qualia’s executive chef, paired with fine wines. Guests can join cooking master classes. A showpiece dinner allows guests to watch a world-renowned chef prepare culinary delights step-by-step via a live camera link-up from the kitchen.
For more information http://www.hamiltonisland.com.au/feast/

Cellar Door Wine Festival

Adelaide, South Australia

February                                                          

Explore iconic South Australian wine regions and enjoy unlimited tastings from more than 150 wineries. Discover new favourites from South Australia’s top food and wine producers at Adelaide’s annual Cellar Door Wine Festival. Thousands of wines are showcased at the event, from internationally renowned brands through to niche boutique producers presenting their newest and finest selections. Sample wines from some of South Australia’s internationally acclaimed wine regions such as the Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale and the Limestone Coast. Join wine-tasting master classes with the experts and indulge in a range of local specialty produce at the regional Farmer’s Market.
For more information: http://cellardoorfestival.com/#up

Taste of Sydney

Sydney, New South Wales
March

Taste of Sydney is an annual celebration of the diverse and delectable restaurant and food scene in Sydney. The event transforms Sydney's Centennial Park into one of the world’s largest outdoor restaurants. Here you can sample tastes from Sydney’s culinary elite as Sydney’s latest and best restaurants and their chefs cook for thousands of food-lovers over four days. The event also features wines, champagne, beer and produce from more than 120 of Australia's finest boutique producers. Taste of Sydney also presents a line-up of innovative and interactive programs on cooking and dining as well as live entertainment throughout the festival.
For more information: http://www.tasteofsydney.com.au

Aussie Wine Month

National
April

Aussie Wine Month, organised by Wine Australia, is a medley of around 100 events, tastings, promotions and celebrations across the country showcasing Australia’s reputation for producing some of the world’s best wines. The event brings the wine community together to promote the quality, diversity and value of Australian wine and to promote Australia’s internationally renowned wine growing regions. Aussie Wine Month presents a great opportunity to sample Australia’s best, be it a Tasmanian Pinot Noir, Hunter Valley Semillon, Margaret River Cabernet, Yarra Valley Chardonnay or Barossa Shiraz, or another variety from more than 60 designated wine regions across the country.
For more information 
http://www.wineaustralia.com/en/Market%20Development/Market%20Programs/Australia/AU0213%20Aussie%20Wine%20Month.aspx

Tasmania's Taste Festival

Hobart, Tasmania
December

Welcome in the New Year at Tasmania's Taste Festival, the premier event showcasing Tasmanian food and wine held on the Hobart waterfront over the New Year period in January each year. Tasmanian specialities such as fresh seafood, Bruny Island cheese and Bicheno berries are just some of the delights on offer. It is also an opportunity to sample Tasmania’s renowned cool-climate wines, peat-distilled malt whiskies and boutique beers. The festival also showcases a range of international cuisines prepared with fresh Tasmanian produce. The Taste Festival coincides with the finish of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, adding to the festivities.
For more information:
http://www.thetasteoftasmania.com.au

Good Food Moth               

Sydney, NSW

October 

If you think you've missed the biggest food trends of the year, you've got a month to get up to speed. as Australia's largest food festival, the best chefs, restaurants, farmers, wine experts and artisan food producers go on show in Sydney and regional NSW at dinners, lunches, tours, parties across more than 540 event listings. From kitchen gardens to craft beer to food trucks, just about every food trend will be covered in the 540 events. Sydneysiders are invited to enjoy exclusive signature dishes and beverages from The Star’s acclaimed restaurants including Sokyo, Balla and BLACK, whilst meeting some of the world-renowned chefs who create them. 
For more information:
http://www.goodfoodmonth.com

Asian Food Festival

Melbourne, Victoria
September – October

Melbourne dining comes alive with hot and spicy, sweet and sour and all flavours in between at Melbourne's month-long Asian Food Festival. The festival features a program of Asian-style cuisine events across in more than 50 restaurants across Melbourne, as well as Melbourne’s vibrant Chinatown in Little Bourke Street and a number of other venues. Celebrate Melbourne’s multi-cultural heritage with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. There are Asian food themed cruises, progressive dinners, and special tours of the Chinese Museum, along with dance performances and other unique events. Chinatown lights up during the Mid Autumn Lantern Festival.
For more information:
http://www.asianfoodfestival.com.au

Tasmanian Beerfest

Hobart, Tasmania
November

Australia’s largest beer festival transforms the Hobart waterfront into a world of boutique and craft beer each November. It’s not just local Australian beer. Breweries large and small from across Tasmania, Australia and overseas attend to put their best brews on show. Princes Wharf is transformed into a waterfront beer garden for two days of live music and entertainment. Meet the brewers and get tips on beer tasting. Sample excellent craft ciders and local Tasmanian produce. Whether your interest is recreational or professional, the Tasmanian International Beerfest offers a great opportunity to immerse yourself in more than 100 boutique beers.
For more information:
http://tasmanianbeerfest.com.au