Sample the wild harvest

Fine-tuned freshness on a plate is the winning recipe at this remote King Island restaurant.

Perched upon a windswept farm in Grassy – an aptly named harbourside town on the edge of Bass Strait – this eatery’s simple approach to high-quality cuisine is making waves. Wild Harvest Restaurant and Cooking School was dubbed TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice best fine-dining restaurant in Australia in 2022, and the five-star reviews keep rolling in.

Head Chef Ian Johnson spends as much time foraging on King Island as he does whipping up food at his restaurant. Herein lies Wild Harvest’s secret ingredient.

“Freshness in every dish that’s served up puts us poles apart,” Johnson says. “If you’ve got a good product, you don’t have to play with it much. It will do the dance on the plate for you.”

The King Island palate 

A prosperous blend of natural elements fuels Johnson's endless passion for good food.

About 80km off Tasmania's north-west coast, King Island sits secluded from the rest of Australia in the path of the Roaring 40s. These invigorating winds sweep some of the world's cleanest air and sea mist over the isle, creating lush, salt-tinged produce and pastures unlike anywhere else.

“When it rolls across the island, it also adds to the flavour – the uniqueness – of grassfed beef,” Johnson says.

The island’s plump, premium produce is exported globally for its quality. Johnson prefers it fresh from the source.

“The food trail of King Island is absolutely magnificent,” Johnson says. “It’s a great location to be a chef and, if you’ve got an open mind to it, there are many, many things that you can create within a few miles of the restaurant door.”

On most days, you'll find Johnson sustainably fossicking for King Island's chocolate-coloured bull kelp along the Grassy foreshore. In fact, it's his favourite part of the day.

We only harvest what Mother Nature brings on an incoming tide.

The young seaweed fronds add a tender saltiness to his signature abalone dish, thinly sliced and served in a lustrous shell, brimming with umami flavours and juices.

“The abs on King Island are ‘this big’, they’re like dinner plates, so it’s a meal within itself,” he says.

Also on the seasonally shifting menu is Johnson's fire-cooked lamb, succulent crayfish with foraged saltbush and char-grilled beef with vegetables from the garden.

Co-owner Lucinda Dengerink offers her warm hospitality to patrons and shares her recommendations from the substantial wine cellar. Guests feast together in the spacious timber and stone restaurant, gazing out over grazing wallabies and farm animals against a vast marine backdrop – sometimes stormy grey, other times shimmering blue.

Cooking up a legacy

When Johnson travelled to King Island as an 18-year-old on a “little holiday”, he felt an instant itch to discover more of the place. He returned as a 20-year-old to live and breathe the island lifestyle.

“I think as a young person, and it's still the same now, it has a rawness to it,” he says.

Bricklaying was his trade before buying his farm. Johnson shared his passion for place on outdoor tours, cooking for visitors in the fresh air using inventive means (a hole in the ground and a sheet of corrugated iron often did the trick).

“People used to say, ‘man, you should start a restaurant’,” he recalls. “So, Lucinda and I decided to build Wild Harvest seven years ago and we really haven’t looked back.”

They sourced second-hand materials to weave together their atmospheric restaurant: from the blue-gum cladding of an early-20th-century shearing shed to an open fireplace made from mined overburden rock.

“Our build has a story of King Island,” Johnson says. “To be a part of that and then to infuse the food trail into it, it just gives us a happy feeling.”

This is where Johnson immerses himself in his culinary passion.

“I’m really in my element when I cook,” he says. “I feel a creativity. It comes out on the plate and it makes me proud to be a part of the cooking industry. I feel that it’s all worthwhile because I’m making people happy.”

A taste for island life

If King Island were reduced to three words, Johnson’s picks would be “peace, freedom and tranquility”.

“King Island oozes that,” he says.

This haven of heart-pumping surf, jaw-dropping golf, friendly locals and starry skies is the kind of place, Johnson says, where yours can be the only footprints on a beach. Where doors are left unlocked and children are left to their own devices.

“It’s a wonderful place,” he says.

Daylight comes, the kids disappear. They’re like chooks; they come home at dark. They’ve been to the beach, they’ve learned to surf, they’ve caught a fish… They’ve had a great day.

He says King Island is its own brand of “Outback Australia”.

"We haven't got the red dust – we're a patchwork quilt of green – but we have that remoteness."

King Island FAQs

What is King Island known for?

Around the world, King Island is known for its big surf, dramatic oceanside golf courses and premium produce – from cheese and beef to crayfish and abalone. Read the local’s guide to King Island for insightful tips from local artist Caroline Kininmonth.

Why is King Island beef so good?

King Island beef has a top-notch reputation for being hormone-free and grassfed. Ian Johnson says the island’s lush pastures and pristine environment set it apart from other places. He adds, “the meats and cattle aren’t stressed here. We put a lot of flavour into our beef and you can’t do that in a pen”. For more farm-fresh goodness in Tasmania, read the guide to Tasmania’s best farm experiences.

Do you need a car on King Island?

You won’t find any public transport on King Island, so you’ll need a car to get around. Hire one from King Island Car Rental or Island Car Hire to travel at your own pace, or to follow the three days on King Island itinerary. Here’s some more helpful information on how to travel within Tasmania.