ABSTRACT
In 2014, Tourism Australia launched its Restaurant Australia marketing campaign to great fanfare. Journalists, chefs and celebrities from around the world, including the likes of A.A. Gill, Gwyneth Paltrow, Heston Blumenthal and Alice Waters, were invited to various media events that promoted Australia as a top culinary tourist destination. As Tourism Australia noted in their fact sheet: ‘Australia’s food and wine has become one of its greatest assets with a range and quality of produce that is second to none. Yet, remarkably, the appeal of Australian food and wine remains one of our best-kept secrets’ (Tourism Australia 2015). While this might be true of some parts of Australia, it ignores the steady development of Melbourne as a foodie city and destination since the early 1980s.
