Where can I get "exotic" meat in Australia?

January 20, 2009 10:45 AM

I'm looking to buy some "exotic" meat in Australia. Which kinds are available here and where could I buy them from?

I live in Melbourne, Australia, and I'm looking to buy some "exotic" meat, e.g. ostrich, emu, camel, alligator, zebra, lion... etc. The kind of meats like one might be able to purchase on a site such as US-based exoticmeats.com. Kangaroo is sold at the supermarket here, but I'm finding it hard to locate any other sorts of meat which might be considered "alternative".

Which of these kinds of meats are available in Australia, and which retailers might I be able to buy them from? Would some meats only be available by ordering from overseas retailers, and are there laws about this?

posted by Eastgate to food & drink (6 comments total)

Australian Crocodile Traders sells crocodile, kangaroo, emu, wallaby, and camel, though they're up in Cairns, Queensland. They export the meat, so I'm sure they're set up to sell it within Australia as well. If you contact them they may be able to point you in the right direction for zebra and others.

The sticker will be lion meat (or any other carnivore). Think about how expensive it is to raise an herbivore, then consider how expensive it would be to raise a carnivore that feeds on those same herbivores. I found some places online that claim to sell lion and the like but they seem very sketchy.
posted by jedicus at 12:28 PM on January 20

To answer the last of your questions, there are very strict laws about this. AQIS has quite a bit of information about personal and commercial importation of food products.
You may or may not be able to find a retailer, but I'd recommend against going for DIY importation—your meat is likely to be confiscated.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 2:38 PM on January 20

You might find some more exotic meats at Queen Vic market, eg Nifra poultry has or can get emu, pheasant, quail. The Chicken Pantry claims to have crocodile sausages, according to the Queen Vic website. I would go and fish about at the market and have a look.

There seems to be at least one camel meat producer - Territory Camel, contact them for details of ordering.
posted by AnnaRat at 3:03 PM on January 20

Agree with jedicus re lion and other carnivore meats; I doubt you will find anything like that which is reliable and safe.

You can find butchers that sell game meats - I know my local butcher has advertised some. Here's a few I found on a brief Google for "game meat butcher melbourne":

Sam the Butcher (venison, crocodile sausages, wild boar; is in Sydney but delivers)

Wangara (buffalo, camel, crocodile, emu, venison)

Yarra Valley Game Meats (kangaroo, wallaby, venison, emu, ostrich, boar, goat, buffalo, crocodile and camel)
posted by andraste at 3:18 PM on January 20

Also, the Australia-based exotic meats like camel, buffalo, crocodile and emu are really common in the NT, and I'm sure someone will deliver them. (For the record, I like camel, buffalo and emu; crocodile, not so much. It tasted like fishy chicken).
posted by andraste at 3:20 PM on January 20

Thanks for the answers guys. I will probably order something from Wangara since they have a nice selection and offer free shipping to residential addresses for orders of $125+.

My example of lion meat was only half serious. The meat is very expensive on any site I've seen it, but apparently some people in South Africa are actually farming them. What a cool job title... "lion farmer".
posted by Eastgate at 12:59 AM on January 21