Some people call them ‘icy poles’. Others ‘ice blocks’ but in this article, we’ll refer to them as the umbrella term of ‘ice creams’.
Call them as you will, ice creams are the quintessential part of any Aussie summer. No day at the beach is worthy of being called one if you have not indulged in their refreshing treat.
For many people, they are also an integral part of their desert scene in the winter too. That’s how much they are loved down under.
Overall in Australia, there are two major manufacturers of ice cream – Streets and Peters. Between them, they produce most of Australia’s best-loved brands of ice creams.
Clearly, we all have our favourites, but here is our take on 15 of the ones we like the most.
1. Zooper Dooper
While there are some lavish and downright extravagant ice creams on this list, Zooper Dooper is definitely not one of them. Instead, it is as down-to-earth as they come.
Available in a wide range of flavours, the good old ZD (as many people refer to it) is a straight-up icy pole. There are no cool shapes or attempts at modern art. It is what it is. And therein lies its appeal.
Ingeniously, Zooper Dooper isn’t actually an icy lolly at all when you buy it from the shops. It is a flavoured liquid that you have to put in the freezer when you get home.
However, you know what you are going to get with Zooper Dooper when you do get to eat it. Just a nice solid hit of frozen, flavoursome bliss.
Zooper Doopers are available in boxes of 8 flavours. The Magic Flavours box contains banana candy, grape bubblegum, toffee apple, red creamy soda, lemonade, orange sherbet, strawberry & cream and jaffa.
The cosmic flavours box has lime, orange, cola, raspberry, blackcurrant, pineapple, bubblegum, fairy floss, raspberry and blackcurrant in it.
Relatively inexpensive, the Zooper Dooper has been a significant part of many Aussies childhood since it launched in the 1970s.
2. Cornetto
‘Just one Cornetto, Give it to me. Delicious ice cream. From Italy’ – we all remember the advert featuring the guy on the gondola.
That memory could go a long way to explaining why the Cornetto has held a cherished place in the heart of Australians ever since it came out in 1976.
Traditionally available as a vanilla or chocolate flavour, it was seen as a decadent treat when it first became available. Its timeless appeal still renders it popular today.
Everything about the Cornetto delights. The crunch of the waffle cone and the delicious chunk of chocolate nestled in the bottom of it. The roasted nuts and the rich sauce and of course the divine ice cream. It is enough to make your heart sing!
Nowadays this popular ice cream comes in a range of flavours, above and beyond its original two. These include Lemon, Nut, Mint Chocolate, Strawberry and Whippy – which is a kind of yoghurt that has a chewy chocolate within it.
One of the best things about Cornetto is that thanks to its built-in cone, it is very easy to eat.
3. Billabong
You can’t get a more Aussie treat than Billabong. (It even had a kookaburra on its wrapper back in the day!).
When it comes to ice cream, it is a bit of an underdog, lacking some of the flashy qualities of others on this list. But then Aussies love a good underdog, don’t they?
Similar to the Paddle Pop (more about that later) the Billabong is available in a chocolate flavour. It is notable for its light and creamy taste and for not carrying the guilt that some other treats do.
Made by Peters, it also always feels really good on your tongue when you get that first delicious hit.
4. Golden Gaytime
Golden Gaytime is undoubtedly one of Australia’s best-loved ice creams.
Proudly manufactured by Streets, this heaven-on-a-stick creation is ”a combination of toffee and vanilla flavoured ice cream, dipped in scrumptious choc coating and covered in delicious biscuit pieces’ according to the company. But that doesn’t even begin to describe the experience of eating one.
Offering exquisite flavour profiles, the ice cream offers a complex variety of textures that dance on your tongue. A purchase of a Golden Gaytime is a guarantee that your taste buds are about to soar with exhilaration.
What sets the Golden Gaytime apart from other ice creams on this list is that often the very mention of it makes you want one. In fact, have read this paragraph, you are probably wanting one right now!
5. Milo Scoop Shake
Aussies love Milo! So when it comes to the Milo Scoop Shake you’d think Peters would be on to a winner.
While this ice cream is popular, it often doesn’t get some of the plaudits it deserves. Partly this might be due to the fact that it comes with a tub and spoon. So you don’t get that ‘feeling’ that eating ice cream on a stick gives you.
That said, it can lay claim to being the quintessential Aussie ice cream on account of its containing real MILO. There is also no denying that with the vanilla ice cream and choc pieces, it does taste pretty good.
6. Magnum
If you want something a little bit decadent and deluxe then nothing beats a Magnum.
A genuine work of art, this ice cream is exactly the kind of gastronomic experience for which the words ‘guilty pleasures’ were invented.
Boasting a rich chocolate shell and deliciously smooth ice cream, there is something about a Magnum that has a real luxurious feel to it. Perhaps the guilt associated with it is that it feels like you should be paying a lot more money for it, given how chic and upscale it is in comparison to its peers.
When it first came out, Magnum was available in a vanilla ice cream flavour. Now that range has been extended to include mint, raspberry, honeycomb, chocolate, almond, caramel and hazelnut.
This means you can try a different one every day of the week and get a completely different taste experience.
7. Paddle Pop
Paddle Pops first came out in Australia in 1953 and remain as popular today as they have ever been.
It is not just children that love them, parents and grandparents do as well. This goes some way to explaining why it has lasted the test of time.
Available as a chocolate, vanilla or rainbow version, this sweet and smooth confection delivers an ice-cold hit flavour which is instantly refreshing. It’s perfect for hot days by the beach or in the park.
The good thing about Paddle Pops is they just keep it simple. Focusing on packing as much flavour as they can into the block.
While its mascot, the Paddle Pop Lion, might be a bit annoying. Its ice cream is most certainly not. Indeed so popular is this delicious treat, it has an annual turnover for Streets of some $70 million.
8. Drumstick
Slightly resembling a Cornetto, the Drumstick has enjoyed good success in Australia despite sharing the same name as a part of a chicken.
It is not quite as polished as a Cornetto, but it is well deserving of a place on this list due to its delicious flavours. These include caramel, boysenberry, choc mint, vanilla, affogato and super choc, among many others.
Just don’t bite into the bottom of the come first – or you will get some very strange looks. Just like in that advert on TV.
Made by Peters, The Drumstick can be considered an iconic Aussie ice cream. It is another one which is very easy to eat whilst on the beach or walking, due to its cone shape,
There are some people who call every single ice block they see as an icy pole. But the one made by Peters is the OG.
Arguably one of the most popular and influential ice cream style confections ever produced, this is very much a ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of treat.
Simple in design, this solid block of refreshing flavoured ice is the perfect way to stave off the rising mercury.
They come in a lemonade or raspberry flavour and are a quintessential part of many Aussies summer outdoor experiences.
10. Frosty Fruits
Just like Zooper Dooper, Frosty Fruits sits on the ‘watery’ side of the ice cream landscape.
For many people, it is the ultimate way to stay refreshed in the summer. Manufactured with real fruit juice and being 99% fat-free, it is also a ‘healthier’ way in comparison to other treats on this list.
Renowned for having somewhat of a tropical tang, this confection comes in a range of flavours including watermelon slice, tropical and the delightful-sounding summer sunset.
One of the best ways to eat it is fast, as its ice melts pretty quickly onto your fingers on a very hot day!
11. Heart
Unfortunately, the Heart is no more. But back in the day, it was a real favourite.
Simple, yet elegant, the ice cream came in the shape of a heart and was covered in delicious milk chocolate.
There was something so graceful about it and a little bit classy – not quite to Magnum levels, but good enough.
Made by Peters the ice cream was also responsible for kick-starting a few romances over the years with guys buying them for girls as a way to express their amorous desires for them.
12. Splice
The Splice seems to have been around since 1962. So it is fair to say it has stood the test of time.
Invented by Peter Lancaster, the food scientist who also brought us the Golden Gaytime, this ice cream takes the form of an icy fruit-flavoured shell that features vanilla ice cream in its middle.
It is a very simple ice cream, but it is also very delicious. It is so delicious that Qantas began serving them on their flights in 2009.
As well as the original Pine Lime flavour, a raspberry one was introduced in 2009. In the early 2000s, a mango flavour was also brought out. Although this has since been discontinued.
13. Calippo
On those days when you are so hot you think you are going to explode, a Calippo is the ultimate ice cream treat.
With its exceptional raspberry pineapple or lemon flavours, nothing refreshes you quite like a Calippo. Made by Streets, the confection is designed to provide you with instant relief from the piercing Aussie sun.
It has a very tropical quality to it that instantly transports you to a shady spot somewhere under a palm tree.
Word of warning with Calippos though. They are so delicious, you can’t just stop at one!
14. Maxibon
When you fancy a change from Magnum then why not turn to Maxibon?
It might not be as fancy in terms of packaging or design, but what it does have is the ability to tantalise all your tastebuds.
Featuring a delicious mix of ice cream, chocolate, cookie crumbs and biscuits, they even put nuts in there for good measure too. Someone obviously had the great sense to put lots of lovely-tasting food
items together to make something ultra decadent – and it just works in the form of the Maxibon.
While the block has two distinct halves that look markedly different, the proof is definitely in the eating.
Whether you go for a vanilla, honeycomb, choc a block, double handle caramel, monster cookie or caramel rough nut, Peters has created something that will blow your mind.
15. Weis Mango
When it comes to ice creams, the Weis Mango and Ice Cream Bar are a bit different from others on this list. That is because it offers a purer fruit flavour to the marketplace.
Fusing creamy textures with mango flavour, this ice cream might not be for everyone. However, there is no denying it has refreshing qualities.