Top 5 Glen Innes

Glen Innes Gourmet Fiesta (Roberta Muir)

In February 2023 I had the honour of being the guest cook at the Gourmet Fiesta at the Glen Innes Show on the Northern Tablelands of NSW. The fiesta has been the food-lovers section of the Glen Innes Show, dubbed ‘the Royal of the North’, for over 20 years, with past guest presenters including Chris Manfield, Belinda Jeffery and Margaret Fulton, who grew up in Glen Innes. It’s organised and staffed by a team of passionate volunteers and a great opportunity to spend a few days in a friendly, lively country town. As the name indicates, Glen Innes was settled by Scots. The town is proud of its Celtic heritage and hosts the Australian Celtic Festival every May, so you have at least two reasons to visit each year. Here are five more.


Stay Waterloo Station

We stayed about 15 minutes out of town on Waterloo Station in the little schoolhouse next to the main homestead. A cosy two room building with a veranda overlooking the gardens, it’s a wonderfully peaceful spot to wake to bird song. The working cattle station offers several other accommodation options including the fully renovated shearers’ quarters and the off-grid-with-mod-cons ‘creek shack’.


Eat The Local Glen Innes

Dining options are a bit sparse in many country towns. The Local, a casual spot on the main street, has good pizza and the likes of pulled pork tacos with mango salsa and chipotle aïoli; they take their cocktails seriously too. Just across the road is The Coffee Incident, the town’s favourite café, the ideal spot for morning coffee and berry muffin.


Drink Glen Gowrie Distillery

Most Australian gin makers start with purchased neutral grain spirit. Not so plant scientist David Scott and family, who ferment their base spirit from local Sebago potatoes, limes, blueberries and molasses for a smooth, round base to which they add a few carefully selected botanicals to create a delicious range of unique gins. Cellar door open Fri–Sun. Try their blueberry gin instead of Scotch in my cranachan.


See Australian Standing Stones

On a hillside overlooking the town, this monument to the region’s Celtic history has become a focal point for civic gatherings and the site of the annual Australian Celtic Festival. The stones are laid out to indicate summer and winter equinox and solstice and the taigh-dubh croft café, with an extensive range of books on all things Celtic, serves great coffee.


Drive Mountain Villages

If you’re driving between Sydney and Glen Innes, take the road less travelled and wind through the tiny village of Ben Lomond and, now abandoned, Maybole for some lovely high-country scenery. Ben Lomond once boasted Australia’s highest railway station at 4,473 feet above sea level. There’s about 12km of well packed unsealed road that’s worth the bumps. Stop for a fresh strawberry milkshake at The Super Strawberry just south of town.


Like this list? You’ll Love An Aussie Summer Recipes+Videos Inspired by Matt Moran!

Share page on:

Glen Innes Highlands

Join Me Soon

What Our Cooks Say

Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Read More
We made the pot-sticker dumplings and bang bang chicken – once again both exceeded our expectations. My husband keeps saying it’s better ordering this than going out to restaurants as the recipes and food quality are amazing.
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Read More
The whole Be Inspired experience has helped me love cooking again. I was sick of cooking the same old things - meal time is a lot brighter thanks to you Roberta.
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Read More
I loved the Fresh & Easy Chicken – simple instructions, only a few ingredients and the time factor absolutely spot on. Then came the highlight, the taste, no compromise on the enjoyment of that meal! For the time poor Fresh & Easy hits the mark indeed.
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Read More
Thank you for stocking our pantry with such authentic ingredients and quality produce ... I’ve so enjoyed picking fresh leaves from the herb pots and loved listening to the chef's playlist while cooking. We really like the flexibility of cooking over a couple of days and changing the order we cook the dishes in when we want to.
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Read More
I am absolutely loving these boxes! There are ingredients I have never worked with before so having the confidence to try something new is so much fun! The recipes are just amazing and the notes on what can be prep’d beforehand are a great help too. Thank you so much.
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Read More
Loving Be Inspired! Felt like a kid opening up a Christmas present when the box arrived. Fresh herb pots are a nice touch!
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Read More
Thanks so much for the Fresh & Easy Meal, it was excellent. We regularly get another meal kit delivery – your offering is vastly superior and a similar price, so big ticks.
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Read More
I'm a competent cook whose learned so much from the Recipes+Videos Packs. The recipes are yummy and Roberta’s video guidance offers so many little tips to improve flavour and organise the flow of preparation. I enjoy her warmth, sense of humour, and ability to giggle at herself when she occasionally messes up.
Previous
Next
Subscribe To My Newsletter & Get A Free Online Italian Cooking Class (RRP $39)