Food & Drink

Patricia started with a tomato chutney and a Sauvignon Blanc. That was 2004. Now her 1830s weatherboard on Stanley's main street runs three rooms deep, stocking King Island and Ashgrove cheeses, Anvers chocolate, Bruny Island fudge, and enough cool-climate wine to make the drive worthwhile. The shop tells you who made everything, and why that matters.

Josh and Kate Clementson took on a rundown vineyard at Apple Tree Flat in 2007, with Josh drawing on years managing vines for Peter Logan and now Huntington Estate to bring it back into shape alongside partners Michael and Anne-Marie Horton. The cellar door is little more than a rustic cabin with a covered tasting bar looking out over the vines and the hills beyond, where visitors work through estate-grown chardonnay, merlot, cabernet blends and a run of Italian varieties — barbera, sangiovese and a sangiovese rosé. Plates draw on the district: charcuterie from Stein Farm, cheese from High Valley, sourdough baked in Mudgee. Guesthouses added more recently sit a short walk from the tasting bar, turning a stop into an overnight stay. Open Thursday to Monday, with Thursday visits by appointment. For anyone working through the Mudgee wine region beyond its bigger names, it's a small, family-run detour off the Castlereagh Highway.

Fifty years old in 2026 and still community owned and run. A bulk grocery in central Canberra with a café that opens for two hours at lunch, an events space, and working member roles for anyone who wants to put in shifts. The co-op runs its own low-waste recipe series and publishes in Chinese as well as English. Shop open seven days.