Queensland bush cook Ranger Nick is preparing to turn the map of Australia into something you can eat.
On Saturday, 3 October 2026, he will attempt to create the largest meatloaf in the shape of Australia, cooked over hot coals at the Australian Camp Oven Festival in Millmerran, Queensland.
It is an ambitious combination of bush cooking, Australian ingenuity and the sort of larger-than-life idea that seems perfectly at home around the campfire.
Cooking up an Australian record
The attempt will take place in front of festival patrons, who will be able to watch the meatloaf being prepared, cooked, measured and officially verified.
The entire process will be filmed and documented by media creators Ezra Singh and Jaidyn Roberts for submission to the Australian Book of Records.
Two members of the local community will also oversee the attempt and sign the official documentation.
Should the record attempt succeed, the finished meatloaf will not go to waste—it will be shared with patrons attending the festival.
No stranger to cooking on a grand scale
Raised in the scrub of south-west Queensland, Ranger Nick learned to cook while working in the paddock with his father.
That early experience taught him about firewood, coals, heat control and the importance of keeping bush cooking simple. He has since built a career sharing those skills through camp oven demonstrations, outdoor education, books, television appearances and events across Australia.
Ranger Nick has been demonstrating bush cooking professionally since 2010 and is already a Guinness World Record holder, having helped create a damper measuring 153.002 metres in length.
His approach to outdoor cooking is built around uncomplicated techniques, fresh ingredients and making do with what is already in the tuckerbox.
Now, he is bringing that same practical bush spirit to an Australia-shaped challenge unlike anything he has attempted before.
A fitting stage in Millmerran
The record attempt will form part of the 2026 Australian Camp Oven Festival, held at the Millmerran Showgrounds on 3 and 4 October.
Located approximately 82 kilometres west of Toowoomba, the biennial festival celebrates Australian bush heritage and outback traditions through camp oven cooking, working demonstrations, workshops, live entertainment, bush poetry, country music and heritage displays.
It is described by organisers as Australia’s biggest camp oven cooking event, making it a fitting place for Ranger Nick to fire up the coals and take aim at a new national record.
While plenty of planning, cooking and official documentation will be involved, the attempt also promises to deliver something Ranger Nick has long brought to his demonstrations: good food, Australian humour and a reason for people to gather together.
More than a bush cook
Visitors who have watched Ranger Nick perform may also know that cooking is not his only talent.
During a camp oven demonstration at the Man From Snowy River Bush Festival, Ranger Nick recited his poem “A Sudden Summer Storm”. The performance was recorded and later shared through the Bush Poetry Podcast.
Listen to Ranger Nick perform “A Sudden Summer Storm” on Spotify
It is another side of an Australian entertainer whose work brings together bush cooking, outdoor knowledge, storytelling, poetry and a lifelong connection with the country.
See the attempt unfold
Festival patrons attending on Saturday, 3 October will have the opportunity to watch the Australia-shaped meatloaf take shape—from its preparation and cooking over hot coals through to its final measurement and verification.
For festival information, tickets and visitor details, visit the Australian Camp Oven Festival website.
Whether the attempt finishes with an Australian record, an enormous feed or both, it promises to be one of the most distinctly Australian sights seen around the campfire this year.
Ranger Nick
Bush Cook • Camp Oven Specialist • Entertainer • Storyteller • Bush Poet
Ranger Nick is a multi-award-winning bush cook, camp oven specialist, entertainer and storyteller raised in South West Queensland. A Guinness World Record holder and lifelong advocate for Australian bush cooking, he blends practical knowledge, native flavours, humour, yarns and poetry in demonstrations across Australia.
