Tim Holding, Ambassador of Tourism Victoria
Good Day Mate!

Tourism Victoria sent out its best ambassador to India. Tim Holding, Minister for Finance, Tourism and Information and Communication Technology, Victoria, Australia, is dapper, chatty and in Mumbai to entice Indians to his part of the world. Food, he believes, is the common binding factor!

�There�s a whole food movement happening in Australia,� he explains, �and in Victoria we specialize in the production of citrus fruits, asparagus, mushrooms and dairy goods. I find that most people around the world today are going back to basic cooking, which depends a great deal upon the freshest of ingredients.�

�Of course,� he continues, �when we travel we all like fine food and Melbourne (the capital of Victoria) has a great tradition of multi-cultural cuisine. I reckon there�s not a country in world whose cuisine can�t be found here!

�Of course,� he continues, "when we travel we all like fine food and Melbourne (the capital of Victoria) has a great tradition of multi-cultural cuisine. I reckon there�s not a country in world whose cuisine can't be found here! We have everything from Indian food to Cantonese, Schezwan, Shanghai, Greek, Italian, Lebanese, Thai...

We have everything from Indian food (all the way from Tamil to Punjabi), Cantonese, Schezwan, Shanghai, Greek, Italian, Lebanese, Thai, Malaysian� you name it and there will be restaurants that serve up a wide range and diversity. And the good thing is that unlike some other cities, eating out isn�t over-priced in Melbourne.�

If we�re talking food, can wine be far behind. Here, too, Holding raises a toast and can�t help but boast! �Victoria has more vineries (583) than any other state in Australia. We have 22 wine regions and the Pinot Noirs are really excellent because of the cool climate. Since the vineries are small they encourage you to visit them and try their wine and you can chat with the people who are actually making the wine. It�s quite an experience. Australian wine is very value-for-money. Perhaps that�s why I�m seeing so many of our wines offered in restaurants in Mumbai,� he beams.

Australia is going green, he reports, and much organic farming is being done. Organic wine is also being made, and could well become the new trend with faddish yuppies!

Tim Holding avers that Australia is the country to go eat, drink and holiday. �It�s a healthy country, with very little pollution and a lot of farm fresh produce.� What are his favourite Aussie dishes? For someone who had been heaping a lot of foodie helpings upon our plate, he�s suddenly silent.

�Australia really doesn�t have too much by way of a national cuisine. I suppose you could say Kangaroo Steak, Pavlova and Lemingtons (a sponge cake and coconut sweet) are our traditional dishes. Other than that we have borrowed dishes from all over the world and historically our food has evolved out of a lot of fusion with other food. Perhaps that�s why some cutting edge chefs have emerged out of Melbourne. In fact, Anthony Bourdain is said to have called Melbourne the city to eat out in!�

What does Holding think of eating out in Mumbai? �Oh, it�s quite a lot of fun!� he enthuses. �I�ve been to Trishna and Khyber and rather enjoyed my meals there.�

He doesn�t eat too much Indian food back home in Melbourne, although, by his own admission, he�s a bit of a cook. �I enjoy making a Thai curry,� he offers, �and I cook things like steaks, casseroles, toss up some salad and do a barbecue now and then!�

How easy is vegetarian food to come by in Melbourne, given that most Indian tourists would, perhaps, shy away from steak (especially Kangaroo!) and barbecue? �Perhaps, some years ago that might have been a problem but not any more,� he assures. �There is a growing acceptance of vegetarianism all over the world and Australia is no exception.�

Tim Holding holds a law degree from the Melbourne University, although chatting with him you may not guess he has anything more than food and wine on his mind! This is his second term as Member of Parliament. Passionate about promoting his native Victoria, he believes the tourist inflow from India will continue to grow at an annual rate of 17 per cent all the way through to 2015.

He reveals, �For the year ending December 2006, the number of visitors from India to Victoria had increased by 33 per cent. India is expected to be the fastest growing market for Victoria in the next ten years.� Little wonder, then, that he is paying close attention to this part of the world!

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR