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I don’t have an overly sweet tooth, which my hips adore. But, I do love a good ice cream. It has to be gelato and have a stellar reputation, or I won’t bother.
I fell in love with gelato in Italy – of course. I had a gelato every day and not just one scoop either. My hips cried an extra 5kg in two weeks.
The only other memorable ice cream shop I’ve been to from my travels around the world was at Kilwin’s ice cream in Wilmington North Carolina.
The smell of chocolate, waffles and sugar hit you as soon as you walk in the door. That’s if you can get in. The line usually snakes out onto the footpath. It’s a famous must-do in the area and so I joined the line, which is a rarity in my world.
TripAdvisor has released their best ice cream places in Australia list. We didn’t visit any of these on our road trip around Australia, but there are a couple of places our taste-testing girls remember for great ice-cream on the trip.
Get ready for an ice cream shop adventure!
Annie’s Ice Cream Parlour Bathurst
Annie’s came highly recommended on our Facebook page to check out when Craig and Kalyra visited Bathurst. The line up out the door of Annie’s Ice Cream Parlour agreed it’s a Bathurst institution.
Many folks suggested the locally named Sofala Gold variety or Bridle Track, but Kalyra was having none of it and went straight for a scoop of blueberry + cookies & cream
Read More: 14 Awesom Things to do in Bathurst, NSW with kids
Millers Ice Cream, Margaret River
Millers Ice Cream is located on a dairy farm in Margaret River. It’s a drive to get to, but scenic and worth it. There is a playground and space for the kids to run around when they’ve finished licking their lips.
There’s a wide variety of ice-cream and is expensive, but the scoop sizes make up for it!
Read More: Best things to do in Margaret River with kids
Daintree Ice Cream Company, Daintree Rainforest, Qld
Even I splurged out here. How can you say no to an exotic ice cream made from the fruits of the Australian rainforest?
The Daintree Ice Cream Company is expensive ice-cream, but it’s a unique tasting experience worth coughing up the cash for and all the fruit is grown is native and naturally grown on the property. I loved the Black Sapote and Wattleseed and Coconut. The flavours change each day and in relation according to what has fallen from the trees!
Read More: 2 day getaway to the Daintree Forest
Gelato, Messina Surry Hills
My friend Chrissy from Hair Romance told me about her addiction to Gelato Messina in Surry Hills, Sydney.
She was their number one fan on Instagram and would duck around the corner to join the queue each time they released a phone of their new flavour creation.
When Kalyra and I went to meet her new distance education teacher before we set off on our road trip just around the corner, we decided to toast our new travel life with an ice cream from after it. It was worth it!
Read more: 15 fun things to do in Sydney with kids
Best ice cream on the Gold Coast
Since, this best ice cream in Australia list from Trip Advisor is only new and we are no longer road tripping around Australia, we decided to test whether the two Gold Coast ice cream places mentioned on the list from the Gold Coast were worthy.
We set out for a day of ice cream tasting! Hello, five-kg hips and off-the-wall children. They were in ice-cream heaven!
Read more: 15 Free & Cheap Things to do on the Gold Coast
Zanette’s Gelato, Surfers Paradise
Zanette’s Gelato is listed as the number 1 place to get ice cream in Surfers Paradise on Trip Advisor, and the number 11 restaurant to eat at in Surfers Paradise. There you go ice cream lovers; you’ve been given permission to dine at an ice cream parlour!
The reviews are long and filled with many exclamation marks, especially in regards to Frank, the owner of Zanette’s Gelato. He’s the friendliest and most generous ice cream owner in Australia.
We spent way longer than we anticipated at Zanette’s talking with Frank and tasting his delicious flavours of gelato and sorbet. Unlike many sorbet makers, Zanette’s is made with fresh fruit. There you go hips; it’s all good to eat!
The passionfruit and mango and lychee were my favourites – so refreshing.
The ice cream at Zanette’s was so good; I also tucked into a macadamia nut topped with salted honeycomb. Okay, Zanette’s you win! The girls happily gorged on different flavours of chocolate, announcing that the Mars Bar and Kit Kat were the best.
Triple thumbs up for Zanette’s. Pop it on your Gold Coast bucket list.
My Gelato, Kirra
Our afternoon stop for ice cream was at the other end of the Gold Coast at Kirra Beach, just around the corner from Coolangatta.
My Gelato is listed in Trip Advisor as number 3 restaurant in Coolangatta, the raving reviews and the walls covered in newspaper articles noting their ice-cream fame pointed to a great experience.
I was happy to sit in the swinging chair while the girls played in the small kiddie section and we waited for the hordes of people to leave so we could order our treats. I was tempted to grab a scoop of the chilli chocolate, but after tasting it, and loving the burst of spice through the chocolate, I decided an entire cup full could teeter on the break-me line.
If you don’t want to carry through with the dare either, I recommend you, at least, grab a taste.
Then scoop up some of the bailey’s flavour in a cup or cone after it for a softer experience.
Another triple thumbs up.
I can clearly see why these two ice creams are on the best ice creams in Australia list. The Gold Coast is the perfect place for ice cream. It’s the perfect place for almost anything!
Top 10 ice cream places in Australia
According to TripAdvisor, here are the best places in Australia for ice cream!
Looks like Queensland wins for ice cream in Australia, with Cairns rocking it!
- Gelocchio, Cairns, QLD
- Nitrolato, Cairns, QLD
- Zanette’s Gelato, Surfers Paradise
- Devine Gelato, Cairns, QLD
- Tea Gardens Ice Cream Shack, Tea Gardens, NSW
- Coffee Barn Gelateria, Moonta Mines, SA
- My Gelato Kirra, Coolangatta, QLD
- I Scream, Grafton, NSW
- Gelato Messina, Fitzroy Vic
- Amo Gelato Noosaville, Qld
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Let’s hear from you: Where’s been your best ice cream tasting experience? Can you add any ice creams to the must try in Australia list?
