Woy Woy, kayaks and oysters

Woy Woy is a coastal town 85 kilometres north of Sydney, on the Central Coast of New South Wales, and home of Spike Fest — an annual festival celebrating the life and works of comedian Spike Milligan, whose mother lived in the town.

Sir Lunchalot was reminded of Spike when he came across the Woy Woy Bay Oyster Tasting Kayak Tour. And although it sounds like something out of a Spike Milligan comedy script, the tour is actually a great way to get up close and learn about the local oyster farms - while paddling around them.

Lunch is on a secluded beach in Waterfall Bay where you’ll dine on freshly picked oysters and a full buffet lunch.

An annual oyster festival is held in mid-November every year in Woy Woy.

A little less than an hour’s drive north of Sydney in the Hawkesbury region, visitors will enjoy a hands-on seafood experience with the Crab‘N’Oyster Cruise. Catch a crab, open an oyster and experience the sights and sounds of the magnificent Hawkesbury River.

Renowned for producing succulent tasty oysters, New South Wales offers a variety of regional oyster farms that specialise not only in tastings and dining, but also informative tours.

For self-drive visitors following a Sydney-Melbourne coastal route itinerary, Wheelers Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Farm in Merimbula on the Sapphire Coast offers tours of its modern factory, where you can learn about the history of oyster farming and the life-cycle of oysters, as well as having a taste of the local produce on offer.

And the winners are...

It’s been award-time for Australian restaurants over the past couple of months, with one or two of Sir Lunchalot’s favourites winning more trophies and several outsiders getting well-earned culinary compliments.

Out of an impressive 2,287 restaurants and caterers visited anonymously across Australia (no, don’t ask me where to apply for the job), Ezard in Melbourne was applauded as 2006 Restaurant of the Year at the 2006 Australia Restaurant and Catering Awards.

It is well known that Australia’s restaurants are among the best in the world, so to be named as one of only 34 winners from more than 37,000 restaurants around Australia is an outstanding achievement.

Located in downtown Melbourne at the popular boutique Adelphi Hotel in Flinders Lane, Ezard is one of Melbourne's leading restaurants, where owner and executive chef, Teage Ezard, offers what he calls ‘Australian free-style cuisine’ influenced by the best of Asia, especially that of China and Thailand.

With an extensive wine list, Ezard offers a truly memorable wine and food experience and has been on a roll for quite a while, also winning Wine List of the Year in The Age Good Food Guide Awards 2007 and receiving two chef’s hats in the highly-recommended publication.

Among the other category winners at the 2006 Australia Restaurant and Catering Awards, the Best Entertainment Restaurant accolade went to Western Australia’s Friends Restaurant, located in the Hyatt Centre in East Perth -- for its coupling of fine food with some of Australia's most loved performers.

Seafood lovers heading for Sydney will want to try out the Pier Restaurant in Rose Bay, named as Best Seafood Restaurant. Situated in one of the prettiest bays in Sydney Harbour with views all around, the restaurant’s location shows the harbour at its sparkling best at daytime and most dramatic at night – and the food is excellent as well.

Lo Studio in the Surry Hills area of Sydney was once the Paramount Pictures building and has seen the likes of Charlton Heston and Bob Hope pass through its doors on their way to the private screening room. Named at the 2006 Australia Restaurant and Catering Awards as Best New Restaurant, Lo Studio took up residence back in 2005 and restored some of the old Hollywood magic to the Heritage-listed, art deco building.

Apart from Francesco Armillis’s modern Italian menu, Lo Studio's attraction is found in the details: the gold panelled bar, old-fashioned salt shakers and laidback jazz tunes tinkling in the background, all invoking the glitz and glamour of a bygone era.

For visitors who enjoy Australia’s popular BYO (bring your own wine) culture, the Best BYO Restaurant award went to Sydney’s Ripples Café at Milsons Point, a relaxed café where diners enjoy a casual harbour atmosphere. The food is fresh, funky, fun yet still stylish whilst offering great views of the ever passing parade along the promenade and the harbour. The café is alfresco with clear awnings and heaters to keep it during the colder months.