An Aussie pest is making a name for itself and filling up locals’ tummies at Cromwell’s newest gourmet burger joint.

Prospectors’ ‘Sweet Chilli Wallaby’ features a homemade wallaby pattie, brie, red onion and sweet chilli sauce. It's the brainchild of West Coasters Paul and TJ Greaves, founders and owners of the burger joint.

Paul said the conservation angle was just another reason to enjoy a wallaby burger.

“They taste really good, it’s very lean like a light fallow deer.”

Otago Regional Council (ORC) predicted this week that the economic benefit to the South Island of eradicating wallabies would be more than $23.5M a year. 

ORC environmental implementation acting manager Libby Caldwell said wallabies are causing serious environmental damage to forests and preventing native regeneration, competing with livestock for food, fouling pasture and damaging crops and fences.

Wallabies are causing serious environmental damage in Otago

Wallaby sightings are most common in the Maniototo, Lindis, Hāwea and North Otago areas.

The wallaby burger is not the only unique offering on the Prospectors menu.

It includes two trademarked burgers: Quackle (featuring duck crackling); For Real Paua (homemade paua patty with light wasabi cream dressing); and a truffle Wagyu burger. 

And Paul said the plan is to “absolutely” have a rabbit burger on offer soon.

The couple opened their doors six weeks ago and pride themselves on championing local ingredients and not using processed patties.

The wallaby and rabbit come from Central, and other South Island locations. It is harvested and processed “in the most natural way” by a Marlborough based game meat supplier.

Paul, who used to work for a gold mining company in Kumara resigned from his job and opened a food van around four months before Covid-19 hit.

“We had one and half million tourists going past at that point,” TJ said.

Within a few months TJ left her role in health and safety for a trucking company to help Paul as he was run off his feet.

They won a $20,000 People’s Choice Award from 2degrees to champion local businesses last year.

After Covid-19 hit their business they decided to “put the business into hibernation” and undertake a year-long working holiday with their caravan and dog (check out Instagram and facebook account: you_me_and_a_dog_named_poo for some highlights).

Paul said they fell in love with Cromwell and they’re definitely not missing the wet West Coast.

The shop used to be a different takeaway outlet, it’s now been refurbished using local recycled timber from old power poles and cute Poo is onsite to greet visitors

“It doesn’t rain here, the weather is great.

“The locals and all the people here are so nice, we haven’t even met a grumpy dog.”

Poo, their two-year-old pooch, loves the rivers and the lake and Paul said “we’re definitely a dog friendly business”.

In terms of more traditional ways of dealing with the wallaby problem, Otago is the closest to achieving eradication in the short to medium term from among the participating regions in the Ministry of Primary Industries national programme, Libby said.

But success relies on the public reporting sightings, she added. 

You can report a wallaby sighting by clicking on The Central App here and a team will be dispatched to the area within 24 hours. 

Find Prospectors at 61a The Mall, or call 03 265 2044.