Damien Monley to host seven-course dinner among the ruins of Joadja Old Town (NSW)

Adventure-experience festival Wildfest will return to the Southern Highlands in NSW this October* bringing with it more than enough reason to road trip it to that naturally magnificent part of the state. One such reason will be the Wild Native Feast, which takes place on International Earth Day in celebration of the tight-knit relationship between nature and culinary excellence.

“The fruit of the land” will be explored over 7 courses underneath the Southern skies, hosted by chef Damien Monley of Borwral’s Grand Bistro. The forest setting will be one of the dinner’s most alluring aspects as it takes place amid the ruins of Joadja Old Town in a remote and often unexplored corner of the Southern Highlands.

Monley will be showcase his passion for the provenance and seasonality of ingredients to create each course, focusing on native flavours and small-farm produce. Each plate will be paired with awarded cool-climate Highlands wines while the night is soundtracked by a Leonard Cohen-inspired acoustic performance.

Wild Native Feast is a highlight of Wildfest, the entirety of which is spread from October 27th to 29th*. The long weekend festival puts together a three-day program of curated wilderness experiences and journeys of discovery, all tied together by that starlit bushland setting.

Tickets to the dinner are priced at $295 per person and include all food and beverage plus return transport and costumes (top hat & tails for the males, or tiara and gloves for the females). It will kick off at 5pm and wrap up later in the evening. More information and bookings can be found HERE.

* Wildfest was originally scheduled to take place over one weekend in April but high demand has resulted in organisers postponing the event until October 2017.

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Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.