Feast your way through local flavours with the ultimate Mildura foodie itinerary.

Mildura is the centre of Victoria’s food bowl and specialises in fresh produce and gourmet food. You’ll be amazed at how local ingredients are showcased to bring out the best in a multitude of flavours.

Your day at a glance Varapodio Estate Open: Tuesday to Sunday 9.30am-4.30pm. T: 03 5023 2292 Orange World Open: Daily 9.30am-4pm (closed all of February), tractor train tours daily at 10.30am, 11.30am and 2.30pm. T: 03 5023 5197 Stefano’s Café Open: Monday to Friday 7am-6pm, Saturday, 8am-3pm. T: 03 5021 3627 Mildura Farms Open: Monday to Friday 6am-2:30pm, Saturday 7:30am-12pm, T: 0417 877 947 Larry’s Prosciutteria Open: Wednesday, 10am-5pm, Thursday 10am-9pm, Friday, 10am-late, Saturday, 11am-late, Sunday 11am-5pm. T: 0409 615 991 SRS Benetook Farm Open: Daily 8.30am-4.30pm, Tours: Monday to Friday at 10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm. T: 03 5022 1741 Sunraysia Produce Open: Monday to Friday 8am-5.30pm, Saturday 9am-4pm. T: 03 5022 2286 The Province by Matt De Angelo Open: Tuesday to Thursday 6pm-10pm, Friday and Saturday 6pm-11pm. T: 03 5021 5550 Stefano’s Restaurant Open: for dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 6.30pm, Sunday and Monday by appointment, Office hours Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm. T: 03 5022 0881 400 Gradi Open: Wednesday to Sunday 12pm-11pm (Restaurant), 8am-11pm (Gelateria & Deli). T: 03 5022 2988

Insider tips

• If you can’t make all the stops, call into the Mildura Visitor Information Centre (180-190 Deakin Avenue, Mildura) and pick up a range of local goods to take with you.

• Check the quarantine restrictions if you’re planning to take fresh produce home with you to protect Australia’s fruit growing regions.

• Make sure you add a visit to one of the local markets when visiting over a weekend for a chance to buy direct from farmers and chat to them about what’s in season.

• Tuck into the river’s most famous fish, Murray Cod. While famous by name, the Murray Cod is slightly more elusive when it comes to restaurants where it features on the menu. Taste this local fishy favourite at Botanica Cuisine and Stefano’s Restaurant.

Start your culinary journey at Varapodio Estate (Block 60 Sturt Highway, Buronga NSW), a family-owned and operated Olive grove situated in the hamlet of Buronga, and named after Varapodio, the small Italian town in the province of Reggio Calabria, the home town of the first generation of the Scopelliti family. Their award-winning olive oils are grown and processed on the estate from a wide range of olive varieties, some propagated from trees brought from Italy back in 1940. Enjoy morning tea in the Cellar Door Café and browse the many olive products on offer, including dressings, moisturisers and soaps.

Tastings of a different kind mark your next stop – Orange World (93 Link Road, Mourquong NSW), a 50-acre working citrus property which produces a wide range of citrus varieties and avocados. Take a tractor train tour to really explore it all. Call into the retail area to try the fresh orange juice and then choose from the wide range of juices, marmalades, preserves and sorbets all made fresh on the property, along with other locally produced products, gifts and souvenirs. 

Make your way across the river to Stefano’s Cafe (27 Deakin Avenue, Mildura) and enjoy a snack and coffee inside or alfresco under the vines. Have a wander through the deli and pick up some of Mildura’s unique local food products including Stefano’s own pasta sauce, preserves, olive oil, vinegar, essential pantry items and of course the Stefano’s range of wines. 

It’s time to discover our region’s nuts, dried fruit, honey and juices. Take the short trip to Mildura Farms (59 Jacaranda Street, Red Cliffs) to stock up or the friendly staff can help you out with hampers which make the ideal gift for family and friends, if you can resist the temptation yourself of course! It is co-located with The Shed Café so if it’s time for lunch or coffee stop in.

For a little taste of Italy in Irymple, stop at Larry’s Prosciutteria (2160 Fifteenth Street, Irymple). Enjoy breakfast, lunch, a platter or a delicious homemade Italian dessert along with Italian beverages. There’s an Italian inspired mercato (market), play space and vespas to keep the kids entertained as well as bocce and chess for a little friendly competition. 

Plan ahead - make a booking for a truly unique experience

Coomealla Dairy

(109 Sandbar Road, Coomealla)

Take a tour of this working dairy farm and taste the delicious goat milk and cheeses. See how goats cheese is made and pet the menagerie of farm animals. Buy your favourite cheese (or two!) to enjoy later.

Open by appointment only. T: 0431 448 492

 

Table Top Grapes

(Sultana Avenue, Irymple South)

Book in to visit the Gareffa family-owned property, known for producing a range of fresh and premium dried fruit using a chemical free drying process. Pick up some hand-picked sultanas, currants, flame raisins, muscatel clusters or their very own Italian Vincotto.

Open by appointment only. T: 03 5024 5355

 

Discover Mildura

Book a tour with Alison from Discover Mildura to see the stunning Murray River Salt harvest site. As Australia’s only naturally pink salt, the salt flakes are loved by world famous Michelin Star chef’s, restaurants and self proclaimed foodies.

T: 0419 127 995 or 03 5024 7448

It will be time to stretch the legs and explore at SRS Benetook Farm (1022 Benetook Avenue, Mildura), a social enterprise designed to provide opportunities for people with disabilities and a delight for all. Make your way through the maze, feed the chickens and say hello to the various animals on site. When in season, you can pick your own strawberries and vegetables and then pick up a carton of fresh free-range eggs.

Then it’s onto the ‘Silver Shed’ or Sunraysia Produce (655 Benetook Avenue, Mildura), a locally owned and operated fruit and vegetable retailer with a difference. Chat to the owners about the wide range of fresh local produce from greater Mildura and adjoining regions, along with a great selection of other locally produced items such as preserves, dried fruits, olive oils and chocolate products. 

Dinner options abound but if you’d like to finish your tour with a dining experience at a hatted restaurant, book ahead at The Province by Matt DeAngelo (29 Langtree Avenue, Mildura) or Stefano’s Restaurant (Cellars of the Grand Hotel, Langtree Avenue, Mildura). Alternatively, you can dine at the globally acclaimed pizzeria 400 Gradi (31-33 Deakin Avenue, Mildura) and try the ‘Margherita Verace’, awarded the World’s Best Pizza in 2014.

More information: Mildura Visitor Information Centre, 180-190 Deakin Avenue, Mildura. T: 03 5018 8380.

Body image courtesy of Murray Regional Tourism.