Purveyors of fine food & wine

REFINED COUNTRY FARE

GRAZING IS LOCATED IN THE HISTORIC RURAL VILLAGE OF GUNDAROO, AND FIRST OPENED ITS DOORS IN 2003. NESTLED IN THE Yass Valley of the SOUTHERN TABLELANDS, THE AWARD-WINNING RESTAURANT SITS WITHIN THE ORIGINAL ‘ROYAL HOTEL’ BUILT IN 1865.

LED BY HUSBAND AND WIFE, KURT AND TANYA NEUMANN, the team delivers beautiful, contemporary, seasonal food matched with wines from the local region. Memorable menus are generally altered twice each season, according to best available produce and Mother Nature.

WELCOME

Local heart and country soul. Under the tin roof of the historic 1865 Royal Hotel, just 30 minutes from Canberra, Grazing in Gundaroo is dining escape like no other.

Led by husband and wife duo, Kurt and Tanya Neumann, who bring with them a wealth of industry experience, Grazing offers an award-winning restaurant and an exquisite wedding and function hall, surrounded by the most stunning country grounds.

Take a seat at our table and we’ll fill your plate with refined country fare inspired by our history, designed for the seasons and made using the best local produce. All the while your glasses will be bursting with the finest drops from our surrounding region.

Stay a while and enjoy what our rural haven has to offer. Seek respite in our historic dining rooms by the fire, meander through our enchanting flower and edible garden, greet our neighbouring cattle as they graze in their pastures, or celebrate with loved ones in our charming stone set dining hall.

However you choose to experience Grazing, memories will be made. We welcome you to Grazing.

HISTORY

Grazing is a restaurant steeped in history. Situated on the corner of Harp and Cork Streets in Gundaroo, it’s housed inside ‘The Royal Hotel’ – a building that was opened in 1865 by local William Affleck after an abundance of European settlement was occurring in the area.

Ironically, Affleck, a committed church goer, promoted abstinence from alcohol. But if Gundaroo was to be recognised as a prominent town in the area, he knew he needed to put his views aside and offer a venue to replenish new locals and travellers coming to and from Sydney.

The Royal was a traveller’s inn and became a meeting place and an unofficial town hall, being closely associated with the development of the Gundaroo area. After a few decades of new owners, plenty of ups and downs – once being referred to as a place in which you wouldn’t sell a bottle of whisky in a month – and perhaps even serving as a partial post office, The Royal was the sole surviving licensed hotel in the region. That was until 1928 when the license was transferred to a new Hotel Queanbeyan and it became a private dwelling.

Thankfully, in 1968 it was sold for a mere $3,750 to a Queanbeyan man named Ron Murray who renovated it as a venue for Canberran’s and visitors to the Nation’s capital who wanted to see some of the countryside’s real history. It operated as the Gundaroo Pub until 2003 when it became Grazing.

Today, as a ‘building of historic significance,’ as classified by the National Trust, the restaurant remains authentic to its colonial roots with its original stone walls, fireplaces and hand-cut ironbark ceilings. The perfect ambience from which to enjoy an incredible meal in great company.

The Royal Hotel, Gundaroo, Built in 1865. Photo provided by Gundaroo and District Historical Society.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Our philosophy is uncomplicated and approachable. Refined country fare created using the best in local, seasonal produce and crafted to reflect our historically welcoming pub setting. It’s elevated dining, made for everyone.

Whether its produce grown in our edible gardens, in the backyard of our staff members, or in our neighbouring farms, we’re forever inspired by the flavours around us and draw inspiration from the memorable meals of our past.

Our wine list reflects our position in the heart of the best wineries the region as the offer. We pull drops from Murrumbateman to Lake George, Bungendore to Collector, hand selecting each variety to ensure the perfect pairing, no matter what you order.

But your experience at Grazing goes well beyond our menu. In the historic town of Gundaroo, it’s a refuge from the mayhem that is our day to day life. A drive to Gundaroo, and our surrounding towns is one of escape, to decelerate and unwind. And best of all, it’s just 30 minutes from Canberra and 2.5 hours from Sydney.

We encourage you to explore and uncover all that our rural corner of the globe has to offer. Just be sure to stop in for lunch or dinner, perhaps even stay a while.

OUR WINES

With an emphasis on showcasing quality wines that communicate a sense of place and time, the Grazing wine list champions locally sourced produce.

ESTD. 2003

“In many ways Grazing epitomises all that is good about the local food and wine scene … a menu, and wine list, that reflects local produce and the seasons, and circumstances, that affect change.”

THE CANBERRA TIMES

“I have long loved the sheer atmospherics of dinner at Grazing … things feel more pared back and focused while still essentially hearty and country in style. We leave happy with the firm conviction that Grazing is pleasingly offering much more than simply a romantic place to be.”