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8 Episodes 2003 - 2003
Episode 1
Two world-class Aussie chefs, Ben O'Donoghue and Curtis Stone, have escaped their kitchens to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. With their surfboards and boning knives packed, they embark on a gastronomical adventure across our sun, fun and food-filled land.
Episode 2
Two world-class Aussie chefs, Ben O'Donoghue and Curtis Stone, have escaped their kitchens to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. With their surfboards and boning knives packed, they embark on a gastronomical adventure across our sun, fun and food-filled land.
Episode 3
When I was growing up in Perth, we'd often come to Margaret River to surf, party and play up. It's only a three-and-a-half hour drive south from Perth to some of Australia's best beaches. Since I've been away the whole region has become a gourmet's delight with world-class produce: including game, seafood vegetables and fruit, not to mention wine. A buddy of mine, Aaron Carr, who I did my apprenticeship with, is now head chef at Vasse Felix - so that means surf-time and, for old time's sake, party-time too. The region is bound on three sides by ocean, so the climate is mild. In between the towering forests, beautiful lush, green farmlands grow fabulous produce. With over sixty wineries in the region it's not hard to get a drink either.
Episode 4
Ah beautiful Tassie. What can I tell you about it that you don't already know? It's an island off the south-eastern tip of Australia. It looks more like Europe than Australia with it's lush farmland, pure freshwater streams and spectacular mountains. They make some beer there, the wines are pretty good and everything else is special, too. This was not my first trip there, I'd visited and stayed with Gruff and Sandra a number of times before, as they were the parents of a mate I shared a house with for a few years in Sydney. So I was pretty familiar with the place and I thought it appropriate that I show Curtis around. I have surfed there in the past, but because it was a fair old drive from where we were staying in beautiful Strahan, we didn't get the boards off the roof. Hope we didn't look like poseurs driving around.
Episode 5
26 mins
I had read about a Spanish monastery town, just 132 kilometres north of Perth in Western Australia, called New Norcia. Founded by Dom Salvado in 1846, New Norcia is today home for six Benedictine monks. The architecture, with it's strong Spanish flavour, dominates the Australian bush setting and the buildings are classified by the National Trust. I was interested to see it for myself as the Mediterranean influence ( even to this day they produce the three Mediterranean staples of bread, wine, and olives, and they still observe an afternoon siesta). Very civilised, I think. Ben told me he had played Aussie rules footy there when he was a school-kid, so that settled it, we had to check it out. Plus we were a hundred kilometres from the ocean, so there was no chance for Ben to show me up again in the surf. New Norcia is in the middle of what the West Australians call the 'wheat belt' - kilometre after kilometre of rolling pasture and wheat plains with sheep and cattle everywhere, and quite a few surprises, too.
Episode 6
I love great wine, and when you combine it with great food, I'm in heaven. So an opportunity to put the two together again on this trip (Margaret River, New Norcia, Tasmania and the Hunter Valley) was too good an opportunity to pass up. The Hunter Valley is about a two-hour drive north of Sydney and extends way up to Barrington Tops. The region is lush and green and the rich volcanic soils and the regular rainfall have ensured that parts of it look more like Wales than the classic image of Australia. There are great vineyards there and so, purely in the interests of research, we took an opportunity to sample as many of them as we could. We met some great and passionate characters and we even did some horse riding while helping the stock men round up the herd on a cattle station in Barrington Tops. Thankfully, I am to horse riding what Bender is to surfing, so this was my turn to shine. Hi-ho Silver, away!
Episode 7
The Bellarine Peninsula, just 24 kilometres south of Geelong, outside of Melbourne, is where I did a fair amount of growing up and that seemed like a good reason to visit and show Bender some special places. The clincher for Ben was that there are sensational beaches all along the coast. It's even called the Surf Coast from just outside the historic town of Queenscliffe all the way along the Great Ocean Road. Bells Beacha Torquay is where one of the major surf comps in Australia is held every year. There are loads of other surprises, too. The biggest surprise of the trip that I was under the impression that Bender and I were going to cater for a party my mother was hosting, but there was something cooking between Lozza and Bender that I wasn't aware of - and that was a surprise party for me! It was great fun, although much of the party itself is something of a blur. I'm sure someone will have some incriminating photographs to help me out, which are bound to be brought out at an inappropriate time. Oh well.
Episode 8
I had been to Byron Bay with Dee, my partner, on many occasions before. This time was different, however. I was to meet Dee there and reconnect with our brand new daughter, Ruby, who had flown from England to meet Dee's family for the first time. So as you can imagine, as Curtis and I flew in to Coolangatta (about an hour's drive from Byron Bay) I was a little nervous. When I saw my two favorite girls in the airport my heart melted. See, I'm just a big softie! Byron Bay is absolutely beautiful - it's where the rainforest meets the sea. The rich volcanic soils of the surrounding countryside mean sensational produce and spectacular scenery. Curtis and I found some great seafood, macadamia nuts and oils, excellent pork and some pretty special coffee too. All this came together at a family gathering Curtis helped me cater for: a bloody fantastic barbeque on a deck overlooking a rainforest creek. How good is that? Hard to beat, I say.