How to have an Australian weekend in London

The news that Australia’s borders could remain closed until 2024 will be a blow to anyone hoping for a trip down under after lockdown. If you can’t wait that long (and fingers crossed you won’t have to) here’s our guide to having an Australian themed weekend here in London.

Where to eat

Though London’s Aussie population has shrunk in recent years, the standard of Antipodean cuisine has been very much on the rise - not that we’re alleging any correlation there, of course.

Leading the charge has been Daisy Green, a collection of Australian-run restaurants managing to gain a foothold in London’s already crowded brunch market with their inspired take on Melbourne and Sydney cafe culture.

Having expanded rapidly in the past few years, they’ve wasted no time in reopening this spring, with eight outlets taking bookings for outdoor dining. Over at their new Paddington restaurant, you can even get your hands on a farm-to-table Sunday roast. Not terribly Australian, but rather delicious all the same.

With light dining very much the order of the day, other options include Lantana Cafe (the Fitzrovia brunch spot that’s since expanded to London Bridge and Shoreditch), as well as West London’s Milk Beach. Both draw inspiration from the Asian fusion that has galvanised modern Australian cuisine.

If avocados and poke bowls are a little on the light side, why not treat yourself to a Tim Tam topped doughnut from Crosstown - the undisputed masters of pure sourdough decadence - on the way home. This special Anzac Day offering is only temporary. Thankfully Crosstown themselves are very much permanent.

Where to drink

While Australian pubs haven’t traditionally been the height of sophistication, anyone looking for a more discerning tipple need not worry.

Craft beer crew Little Creatures first began brewing their hoppy pale ales in a former crocodile farm in West Australia, before breaking into the surfer scene down in Geelong, Victoria. Having arrived here two years ago, they’ve just reopened their King’s Cross taproom, down by the renovated Coal Drops Yard, for outdoor beers.

It’s a slightly different story for Australian wine, which, despite coming on leaps and bounds, isn’t quite a mainstay on most restaurant lists. Scarlett Green in Soho and Wander in Stoke Newington boast the best selections, but they’re both shut until 17 May. In the meantime, Albertine in Shepherd’s Bush (naturally) is your best bet.

For something a little stronger, why not try an Australian whisky? The experts at Milroy’s swear by Starward’s Nova: a Melbourne-distilled whisky matured in old Shiraz casks. Get it by the dram in Soho or Spitalfields, or take a bottle to go.

Have a BBQ

If you’d rather do without the faff of booking tables, there is another option: hosting your own Aussie BBQ. After all, it's never been easier to get prime cuts delivered to your door.

Smithfield’s Tom Hixson is offering its Meater BBQ box, containing 5kg Aberdeen Angus brisket, 3kg of Wexford Valley short ribs, and 1.2kb of St Louis ribs, for £100 down from £150. The Ethical Butcher’ world BBQ box (£85) is another strong showing, as is the Ginger Pig’s alternative (£70).

Drinks-wise, it could be worth loading up on Stone & Wood, the pacific ale described as ‘Byron Bay in a bottle’. For wine, look to premium delivery service The Winery Collection, who have a solid selection of upmarket Australian wines.

If you’re looking to grill away from home, Lincoln’s Inn Fields is one of the few central spots that are BBQ friendly (and it also has free toilets at hand). Highbury Fields and Caledonian Park are also happy to host.

What to see

With galleries and theatres still closed, options for grabbing a quick fix of Australian culture are rather limited. Thankfully London isn’t short on historical sites to help fill the gap.

The ever-imposing Australia House - the longest continuously-used diplomatic mission in London - is always worth a look. Meanwhile, the impressive Australian war memorial in Hyde Park marks Anzac Day each year.

And did you know that London is the resting place of two Australian prime ministers, including Scotland-born Sir George Reid (died 1918), the only head of a foreign government to later sit in as a Westminster MP? He’s buried in Putney Vale, with his successor but two (Andrew Fisher) up in Hampstead.

Just a few minutes from Tate Britain, you’ll find the former site of Millbank Prison, where an engraved bollard marks the spot where, until 1867, Australia-bound convicts walked their last steps on British soil before boarding the boat to their new home.

And if Australian wildlife is your thing, head to nearby Battersea Park Children’s Zoo, where the wallabies just happen to be the descendents of those gifted to the Queen by the Canberra government to mark her coronation in 1953. Other Antipodean natives include the emus and the laughing kookaburra.