Mildura, a town for food and wine lovers
A region on the Murray River with so much to offer
Mildura is a town I’ve had the good fortune to visit in the past, primarily when researching The Foodie’s Guide to Melbourne, as a chef to assist with special events for The Slow Food Movement and once as guest chef for the annual writers festival.
But this was some years ago and the opportunity to go back just hasn’t presented itself. Until recently when celebrating a reunion of long time friends. It really was great to reconnect with the food scene I remembered and try out many new hospitality experiences.
Mildura is situated in the North West corner of Victoria near South Australia and New South Wales. It’s basically as far as you can get from Melbourne before crossing another state border. I choose to fly to Mildura (1 hour 20 minutes) as this was only a three night visit. Drive from Melbourne and it’s a solid 6-7 hour trip, around 250 kms each way.
The region’s agriculture sector is vast producing table grapes, citrus, almonds, asparagus, cherries, garlic and an array of quality produce. There is also extensive wine grape production and wineries galore.
The local scenery is beautifully, especially along the river. Combine this with some great restaurants, cafes, bars, wineries, breweries and distilleries and you have plenty to offer food and wine loving visitors.
The Murray River runs through the town and the riverfront is home to good cafes like Bobby + Me and Cafe 1909. Plus the Sunraysia Farmers’ Market each two weeks at Jaycee Park, which is definitely worth a visit.
Walk west along the river from the town centre for lovely water views and plenty of native trees, see Loch 11 on Mildura Weir and the old Mildura Station Homestead.
Drive east around 20 minutes (17 kms) and you will arrive at Trentham Estate Winery. I was impressed with the hospitality here including excellent estate wines to try, good quality platters to order and extensive lawns to sit and relax while taking in the iconic Murray Riverfront views. I’m not sure it could be any better. Highly recommended.
In the heart of Mildura, in the cellar of The Grand Hotel, lies one of this countries iconic restaurants, Stefano’s headed by chef Stefano de Pieri. It is a must-do dining experience when visiting and serves a set menu of beautiful Italian inspired food using ingredients sourced from local farmers, growers and producers.
The combination of great service, food and wine is just right here. Amazing for an Australian country restaurant which had been overseen by the one chef for over thirty years. Read my complete review of Stefano’s Restaurant here.
If a good local gin, whisky and vodka is up your alley then Fossey’s Distillery is a must visit spot. This is a beautiful venue with a large indoor and outdoor spaces, great cocktails and food to enjoy. Especially love their lime gin with a quality tonic, mulled wine and their winter negroni. The Mildura Brewery is also worth a visit, they serve up some excellent beers and you can view into the brewery area.
I discovered two great coffee spots in the few days I was exploring. Blk Mlk Speciality Coffee is excellent and alongside great coffee they have a quality breakfast menu and sweet treats. Definitely recommended.
Stefano’s Cafe serves an excellent coffee too, Italian style and full flavoured. Just as I like it. Along with a popular breakfast and brunch. They also have a food store with a selection of Stefano’s preserves and olive oil, local wine, house baked breads and local produce.
No doubt there are more hidden gems in Mildura… and with more time (next time) I’ll get to them. It really is a town worthy of a visit with plenty for food and wine lovers.
If you get to Mildura and discover new places let me know via the comments below.