Tassie bushman Craig Williams leads the Quoll Patrol and ventures deep into the Tasmanian wilderness in pursuit of the eastern quoll, a small marsupial rare on the mainland but still found in significant numbers in Tasmania. But this is far from a rugged bush safari. Indulging in fine, though intriguingly novel, bush fare under the stars is as much a part of the quoll-spotting expedition as catching sight of the elusive "bush bandit".
It is a winning combination — a wildlife experience garnished with succulent barbecued meats and quality wines. The capricious carte du jour can extend far beyond wild imagination. No, the eastern quolls aren't on the menu, but Craig has been known to dish out "swamp rats" — campfire pan-fried bacon and sweet chicken pikelets topped with true-blue brie, sweet pickles and sun-dried tomatoes, drizzled with pepper berry honey.
Sourcing from nature makes the possibilities seem endless. An ever-changing main course might include wallaby mini-mountain burgers in pickle-berry sauce with stir-fried vegies and garlic bread. One of Craig's favourite meals is succulent char-grilled wallaby steaks with frijol banana and white rum sauce. If the fish have been biting, he can cook freshly snared trout, marinated in kunzea, mountain pepper and lemon myrtle, then steamed in butter, pepper berry and sassafras leaves.
Craig sources some of the ingredients from specialist providers, but others are collected on the tour. "I use rare ingredients like sassafras, native kunzea, lemon myrtle, seasonal native berries, native cherry, snow berry, pink mountain apple berry, native currents, venison and numerous other bush treats from Mother Nature's supermarket," he says.
Sometimes known as "Bushie", Craig Williams is Tasmania's version of Les Hiddins. He has a vast knowledge of the wilderness, but this Bush Tucker Man is not just about survival. Craig's idea of roughing it involves class, sophistication and a rare gourmet style of bush tucker.
Craig and his wife Janine have been operating Pepper Bush Adventure Tours for almost ten years at Scottsdale in Tasmania's northeast. While the Quoll Patrol is his most popular excursion, Craig operates many other personalised tours incorporating jet boat rides, white water rafting, caving, abseiling and, of course, fine Tasmanian cuisine in remote bush settings.
The Quoll Patrol begins at Launceston and journeys past Mount Ben Lomond to the northeast highlands. In the four-wheel drive we make our way through dense old-growth forest. We stop at the cascading Mathinna Falls and gaze skywards at the world's tallest White Gum trees, towering 91 metres.
On Williams' tours bush stories flow as easily as the wine. "We are blessed with a multitude of superb wines in Tasmania," Craig says. "With game dishes, my favourite wine is Tassie pinot. It's an excellent drop."
We are alone in the night until Craig turns on bright torches. Lively eastern quolls return our stunned stare. The nocturnal marsupials feed on insects and bush fruit. No bigger than small cats, their brown fury backs are dotted with white spots, succeeded by a distinguishing bushy tail.
"Every Quoll Patrol tour is unique," Craig says. "We're under the stars with some of the world's best cool climate wines and there's always weird and wonderful wildlife paying us a visit," Craig says. "We like our clients to leave Tasmania with saturated senses."
More information:
Pepper Bush Adventure Tours
Phone: 61 3 6352 2263
www.pepperbush.com.au
www.discovertasmania.com
Australia offers a myriad of unusual dining experiences for the adventurous foodie.
