Celebrity bush cook Ranger Nick will attempt an official Australian record for the ‘Largest Meat Loaf in the Shape of Australia’ at the Australian Camp Oven Festival in Millmerran on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
The idea for the record attempt came during a casual beer with a mate who was previously involved in setting the Guinness World Record for the longest damper in Charleville in 2019 (153.002 metres).
While discussing camp oven cooking and record attempts, the pair realised that while a world record for the largest meat loaf already existed, nobody had ever created one in the shape of Australia.
"It was one of those ideas that sounded brilliant after a couple of beers," Ranger Nick said.
"There's already a world record for the biggest meat loaf, so there's not much point in just making a bigger one. But a meat loaf shaped like Australia - that hadn't been done before. That's when the idea really started to take shape… literally!"
To cook the ambitious creation, Ranger Nick will use a custom-built oven fabricated in 2022 with a circumference of 4,465mm, which he previously designed to bake Australia-shaped dampers.
"I've used the mould before to make an Australia-shaped damper, so putting a giant meat loaf in it seemed like the next logical step," Ranger Nick explained.
The attempt will be conducted using traditional camp oven techniques in front of thousands of festival visitors. Patrons will be able to watch the entire process unfold - from preparing the fire and assembling ingredients to official measurement, cooking and verification.
Documentation, including video and photography, will be submitted to The Australian Book of Records, with two respected local community members overseeing the attempt to ensure official integrity.
Once cooked, weighed and verified, the giant Australian-shaped meat loaf will be served to festival patrons.
"You can make the biggest meat loaf in Australia, but there's no point making something that just sits there looking pretty," Ranger Nick said.
"We're going to cook it, prove it, cut it up and feed people. That's what bush cooking is all about."
Ranger Nick has been a major attraction at the biennial Australian Camp Oven Festival since 2010, regularly performing in front of crowds of more than 500 people.
"Most good camp oven stories start with someone saying, 'I reckon we could cook that,'" Ranger Nick said.
"This one started with a beer, a mate and a pretty mad idea. Now we've just got to make the bloody thing!"
For more information, visit www.rangernick.com.au

Media Contact:
Jutta Swan
Phone: 0435 189 186
Email: [email protected]