Episode 5

Rick travels to Australia's famous holiday hotspot Byron Bay. On his way, he takes a detour to the fishing town of Ballina, just south of the Byron Bay hinterland. Here, he pays homage to another of Australia’s oversized icons: the big prawn. Heading into the lush green hills, known locally as the big scrub, Rick visits one of the country’s most celebrated contemporary artists: Chinese Australian Lindy Lee. Like many artists, Lindy has been drawn by the local environment to make her home here, and her work explores the transplanting and universality of identity. Recently, her biggest sculpture, Ouroboros, was commissioned by the National Gallery of Australia to mark its 40th anniversary, the most expensive purchase in the Gallery’s history. At her subtropical rainforest studio, Rick prepares a lunch of big prawns for Lindy and her crew.

Rick then journeys up to world-famous surf spot Byron Bay. Although discovered by Hollywood A-listers, the town still reflects the easy-going surfie lifestyle that first drew people here. Rick meets British-born chef Darren Robertson, who has made Byron his home, creating his relaxed fine-dining, paddock-to-plate establishment, The Farm. Darren introduces Rick to some of the collective of farmers who grow the food he serves and shows him the orchard, where Rick samples a freshly grown macadamia – Australia’s endemic rainforest nut and most successful native produce. The day ends with a shared feast of surf and turf pizza, topped with clams in homegrown macadamia XO sauce, native Australian crayfish and homegrown herbs and salami. It’s creative, innovative and delicious – proof, as Darren observes, that these days some of the best food in Australia is to be found outside the city.