Feast of the senses at eccentric Mallee Fowl restaurant

For those that haven't been, the adventure begins at the gate, with a treasure trove of 'art' installations and funny phrases along the driveway to the car park.

Once there, you certainly lose track of time walking around, taking in the vast collection of knick knacks, signs and interesting nooks collated by owners Frank and Sue Donnelly, who bought the themed restaurant and five-hectare property in Monash, near Berri, eight years ago in what was meant to be their retirement.

Frank said the purchase was a no-brainer, after running a similarly themed rustic outback restaurant in Koroit, Vic, for the seven years prior.

"We came to the Riverland to retire in the warm weather, but when I saw the Mallee Fowl Restaurant for sale, I thought it must be fate," he said.

"The way the previous owners had it set up, it was right up my alley, but then I took it to the next crazy level."

One the Riverland's longest-running restaurants, the Mallee Fowl has been described as one of Australia's best themed restaurants, even taking home the customers' choice gong in the 2023 Australian Good Food Awards.

It resembles an early settlement dwelling, but the eclectic Australiana decor has been described as something akin to the iconic Daly Waters Pub in the NT and Ettamogah Pub in NSW.

Birthday celebrations are often held at the restaurant, with Frank known to belt out a tune or two, but the outdoor entertainment area has also played host to weddings, bands, music festivals, wakes and even crab races.

The Mallee Fowl precinct is also home to Frank's menagerie of 'friends', including emus, alpaca, horses, goats, chooks, geese, ducks, peacocks, turkeys and more, that wander throughout a huge wildlife enclosure.

But now in his mid-70s, Frank said they were again ready to 'retire' and recently handed over the reins to new licensee Kiran Kaur.

"It was hard to take a step back from the restaurant, but I am excited to see what the new managers do with the place," he said.

New licensee Kiran Kaur took over managing the Mallee Fowl Restaurant in late June last year, and said it was a "dream come true".

"When I first came to the Riverland to study winemaking, the Mallee Fowl Restaurant was the first restaurant I dined in when I got here," she said.

"And I just fell in love.

"When I walked in, my reaction was wow! I'd never seen anything like this before in my life.

"The meals were good. The owners were lovely. Everything was lovely.

"Then I started bringing my friends here, my relatives when they came over from New Zealand - I brought them here to show them Australia at its best.

"Everybody loved it."

The one day Kiran said she was looking at various business opportunities in the Riverland, and saw the Mallee Fowl license was up for sale.

"I thought - why not give it a go?" she said.

"I love winemaking, it is my passion, but the restaurant also gives me joy."

Kiran said while there may be new management, don't expect to see too much change.

"I fell in love with this restaurant as it is, so we wanted to keep the chef the same, meals the same, staff the same," she said.

"We may consider doing a special meal of the week every now and then, to spice things up and to show off the full potential of the chefs we have here."

There are no plans to change the decor either, with Frank and Sue's years of collecting and hard work to remain pride of place.

"It certainly inspires us though that if we find some sort of Australiana piece somewhere, that we may add it the collection," Kiran said.

"Down the track, we do have a plan for the outside area to make it look even more beautiful and functional, but still with that Australian style."

And don't expect Frank to fade off into the distance either.

"He will still be floating around chatting to customers," Kiran said. "He can not stay away."

The Mallee Fowl Restaurant operates Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.