Brae

The story

Brae in Colac: Modern Australian Tasting Menu on a Working Farm

Brae serves modern Australian cooking at 4285 Cape Otway Road, Birregurra, in the Otways hinterland near Colac, and it placed 44th on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017. Chef Dan Hunter leads the kitchen, which sits on a working farm two kilometres from the township.

Chef and farm

Dan Hunter's kitchen cooks from 20 acres of regenerative farmland, managed without pesticides or synthetic inputs. Each morning the gardeners gather that day's harvest, and local growers fill in the rest. The farm list runs from mulberries and white strawberries to shiso, sorrel and several varieties of basil. The farm-to-table approach shapes the menu from the ground up.

The tasting menu

Dinner and lunch are a single tasting menu at $370 per person. The cooking follows the weather and the season, and the restaurant describes it as environmentally focused Australian cuisine. Brae also earned 4 Radishes in the 2026 We're Smart Green Guide, which fits a kitchen built around ethical, sustainable production.

Wine and the guest suites

Matched wines add $240 per person, drawn from producers working with minimal intervention. A non-alcoholic pairing at $140 uses botanical drinks grown and made at Brae. Six guest suites, designed by Six Degrees Architects, can be booked alongside a restaurant reservation. The dining room looks onto native gardens and farmland.