Days out: Hervey Bay
Steph invites you to EAT at Dan and Steph’s
by Michelle Gilmore
You know what winter brings? The humpback whales start their migration north past our shores. You can see them from our headlands, take a kayak tour with them at Double Island Point or a boat trip out from Hervey Bay.
Only 90 minutes away via a quiet forested road to Maryborough, Hervey Bay is touted as the whale watching capital of Australia. So make sure you book your tour in advance.
On our last tour, the humpbacks breeched and played by the side of the boat for ages, it wasn’t just one pod they found. Seeing those magnificent creatures is something I will remember forever.
You could bring a picnic, but I recommend stopping into an eatery we discovered last month.
We drove along the esplanade, and stumbled on EAT at Dan and Steph’s. I remembered them from My Kitchen Rules, and when they visited the Tin Can Bay Seafood Festival.
With views of the Bay, the café offers an “all day menu”. I couldn’t take my eyes off the modern Australian choices! Normally there may be one of two dishes that grabs your eye, but I was in a quandary!
We decided on The Bacon Benny, a toasted sandwich unlike any I have ever tasted. Topped with hollandaise, it was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
So good in fact, we returned the next week! The EAT Cuban promised a ‘slab of slow-roasted corned beef’ with cheese, onion relish, bacon jam (what was that? I wondered) and an mustard aioli. I was swooning. Yum.
Next time I am not sure if I will try The EAT Paleo Plate with pulled pork and quinoa salad, Hervey Bay scallops or a pork and sauerkraut jaffle. You can see for yourself how hard it is to decide: http://danandsteph.com.au/our-menu/
With a new bundle of joy themselves, Dan and Steph and their team really look after families. The kid’s menu does not have a chip in sight, but littlies will still love what is on offer.
After your culinary adventure, it is probably time to walk off your lunch. Find the historic Urangan Pier – at almost one kilometre, it’s one of the longest in Australia. Be rewarded with a great view of town and you may see fish, rays and dolphins.
If you have kids in tow, bring their togs for the free WetSide Water Park (check opening times) – or let them burn off some energy in the playgrounds along the foreshore. They’ll sleep all the way home!
