Australian Food, Part 1: Road Food in Australia

Rather than going on a study abroad trip during the academic year, I decided to travel to Australia during the summer and do a backpacking trip with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). The course took place in an isolated section of the Western Australia Kimberly region and required a 16-hour bus ride to get to our starting location. The road we took to get to our backpacking location is called the Great Northern Highway and is a major roadway for goods deliveries. Since this area is so isolated and because temperatures often reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, it is important for there to be enough gas stations along the way to prevent drivers from getting stranded out in the Australian Outback without supplies.

http://d3lp4xedbqa8a5.cloudfront.net/s3/digital-cougar-assets/AusGeo/2013/09/11/7966/kimberley_drive.jpg

While the Australian gas stations I saw on my trip were somewhat similar to American gas stations, they had some key differences and definitely had a lot more character than gas stations in the U.S. First off, Australian gas stations in this area are called roadhouses because they often have hotels and sitting areas or bars connected to the gas station. Animals such as peacocks, dogs, and snakes are commonly seen roaming the grounds. Inside the roadhouse, you can buy food and other supplies. Due to the hot weather, there is an emphasis on ice cream and cold drinks such as cordial, which is a highly concentrated fruit juice that is mixed with water. 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Sandfire_Roadhouse_Western_Australia.jpg

Australia is similar to America in that they are both large consumers of meat. The high level of meat consumption is evident in Australian roadhouses since many of them have large jerky sections. Unlike America, Australian roadhouses offer varieties of jerky such as kangaroo, emu, and crocodile jerky. Another big part of Australian roadhouses are meat pies. This food came from Europe with settlers in the 1700s and 1800s and has become a staple at most roadhouses. At the roadhouses I went to, most meat pies consisted of sausage or ground beef surrounded by a buttery pastry. One of my instructors, who is Australian, told my group that it was one of the worst things to eat because it was so high in fat, but it was much loved by Australian drivers.