Bulaguy Bagaraygan [Saltbush Gathering] is back for its third year. Experience an immersive long lunch of storytelling, native ingredients, and cultural connection among the saltbush.
Native ingredients are finding their way onto menus across the country, as more chefs embrace the flavours that have long defined this land, from lemon myrtle and Kakadu plum to mud crab and wattleseed. But while it’s one thing to taste them in a restaurant, it’s another to eat them in the open air, surrounded by the very plants on your plate. On 25 May 2025, Bulaguy Bagaraygan [Saltbush Gathering] returns to Lowe Family Wine Co.'s Tinja Farm for a powerful celebration of food, culture and Country, marking the beginning of National Reconciliation Week with a long lunch that celebrates culture, storytelling, food and place.
Take a seat on Saltbush Ridge of Tinja Farm to experience a cultural and culinary journey led by Nathan Lovett, founder of Naway Yila Buradja (Today Brings Tomorrow) and Zoe Purdy of The Zin House. It’s an immersive dining experience that is as close to the source as they come.
“This event and its constant evolution is hugely special to me. Together with The Zin House, we’re creating an experience that deeply connects people to Country through food and drink”, says Nathan.
Cuisine, Country and culture
Each year, the Bulaguy Bagaraygan [Saltbush Gathering] menu deepens its roots. For the past four years, Nathan Lovett has worked alongside Lowe Family Wine Co. on its ‘Healing Country’ mission, an ongoing effort to restore biodiversity across Tinja Farm by reintroducing native plants to a landscape once scarred by excavation in the 1800s. “My work with Tinja Farm has always been about restoring the land and bringing a wider array of native ingredients onto dining tables,” Nathan says.
This year, the collaboration between Nathan and Zin House head chef Zoe Purdy will see even more of Tinja’s native produce featured across the menu. “This year’s Saltbush Gathering is a true reflection of that journey,” Nathan adds. “With more of the menu sourced directly from our regenerative project, we’re able to showcase these ingredients in their purest form, using traditional techniques to honour their origins.” At this year’s gathering, the menu will highlight open fire, a key traditional cooking method.
A cocktail collaboration with The Waratah!
Saltbush Gathering welcomes a new collaboration partner: The Waratah!, a celebrated Sydney bar and restaurant known for its love letter approach to Australian ingredients. Alongside a collection of thoughtfully matched Lowe Wines, you’ll have the opportunity to lock lips with unique tipples by co-founder and award-winning bartender Evan Stroeve. Expect a creative menu of cocktails and mocktails that echo the land itself, crafted with Indigenous ingredients grown onsite.
A cultural journey in every course
Saltbush is as much a cultural journey as it is a feast. Between courses, join Nathan Lovett for a walk across the farm to the Wiradjuri Tree — a striking carved and painted artwork by local artist Emmett McLeod, telling the Dreamtime story of a serpent descending from the heavens into the earth. Along the way, discover native farming techniques, regeneration efforts at Tinja, and the cultural practices behind the ingredients on your plate.
Event details
