Bundjalung Country

July 13-14, 2026

 

   

 

As we often do, we visited south-east Queensland mid-winter to catch up with family and friends (and see a bit of sun). This year we added a new adventure to the itinerary, hiring a car and heading south across Bundjalung Country for a few days. We wandered up hills, by the beach, and through towns; visited op shops, art galleries and a beach-side book fair; saw whales, elevated views across the landscape, and a pretty sunrise. And, of course, we ate - here's what we liked best. 

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Our first breakfast, at Woods, really set the tone for the 'wellness' angle on so much of the cafe food in the region. I caught myself dodging and weaving dishes containing Beauty Chef and mushroom powders but found more than enough to enjoy in the banana bread ($15, pictured below left), which was piled with miso maple butter, blueberries, and macadamia-coconut streusel. Michael was delighted by the Mexican Shakshuka ($28, pictured below right), with its base of braised black beans and poached eggs, layered with tomatillo salsa, chilli butter, fried curry leaves and a side of roti. Woods' outdoor seating was lovely, and I enjoyed browsing the surrounding Lumberyard Creative Precinct.

 

   

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As the special meal of the trip, Michael booked us a table at Byron Bay's all-vegan No Bones in advance. We visited on $20 carbonara night and were happy to work that into our meal - it was both the best savoury dish we ordered that night, and an all-time top-ranking vegan carbonara alongside Green Man's Arms' version. We ate heartily, with mushroom ragu ($38), dips, chat potatoes ($15) and Brussels sprouts on lemon cream ($17). For me, the other high point was the chocolate cremeux ($16), a scoop of chocolate ganache hollowed out to hold a gooey miso caramel, with a side of hazelnut praline. We took advantage of the original cocktail list too.

 

   

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Shelter was Michael's breakfast pick in Lennox Head, and a set of wide-open windows facing the beach established its relaxed and positive atmosphere. He loved the local avo toast ($22) covered in chilli crunch, with two poached eggs ($7), pickled onions and a herb salad. They were out of the porridge that I was eyeing off so I happily made do with crumpets and a juice.

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After hopping all along the coast, we finished the day back in Bangalow for a meal at Ciao, Mate!. The focaccia ($6, served with butter) and veg supreme pizza ($30) were on point, and the tiramisu ($17) was as big as a brick. They had their own distinct specials, too: a cute little brie custard tart ($20, pictured above left) crowned with endive, chervil and candied walnuts; and a fancy almond whey tart ($17, pictured below left) accompanied by spiced figs and Davidson plum.

 

   

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Byron Bay's Folk had a lovely, rambling garden setting but the weather kept us indoors. This menu swapped Woods' Beauty Chef powder for a house-blend nettle tea, hemp seeds and bee pollen, and held on to the reishi. Their chai-spiced buckwheat porridge special ($20+) was exactly what I needed, served with half a poached pear, labne, a generous streak of almond butter, crunchy buckwheat sprinklings, and a pink edible flower garnish to break up the brown. Michael made quick and messy work of the double egg roll ($19.50) - the standard cheddar, pickles and barbecue sauce added plenty of flavour and he wasn't inclined to add on avo, halloumi or mushies as the menu invited.

 

   

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We turned around, had a cute little moment (but no food) at the Murwillumbah Farmers' Market, and set off back towards Brisbane. Happily Izakaya Midori was right on our path and I steered Michael into the strip mall it inhabits for a vegan Japanese lunch. He was just as charmed as I was on my first visit: it's cordoned off and thoughtfully decorated to transport your senses well away from the Pacific Motorway, and the staff are just lovely. We both ordered from the slightly discounted lunch menu (a rice bowl and iced tea for $26.50): a saucy mock-chicken curry karaage for Michael, and a bright, vege-heavy mock-chicken karaage don for me.

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With that, we were refreshed and ready to return to our second home of Kurilpa/West End. This wasn't a food-first holiday, but it was definitely one of the joys of the trip.