Erica Packer and new love Shannon Bennett enjoy lunch at The Farm restaurant in Byron Bay with the couple’s respective children

Erica Packer, the glamorous ex-wife of James Packer, is having a blast in Byron Bay with her new love interest, celebrity chef Shannon Bennett.

The couple were spotted this Christmas holiday and recently enjoyed a lavish lunch at the seaside resort’s famous restaurant The Farm.

Erica, 46, looked casual yet chic in a black top and long black skirt, her dark hair worn down.

Shannon, 48, the ex-partner of actress Madeleine West, wore a black Jolly Rogers Inn shirt and red hat as the couple gathered for lunch with their respective children in tow.

As the two families laughed together at the table, the couple chatted throughout their meal, and at one point they shared an adorable moment where Erica gave a Shannon a piece of her lunch.

Earlier in the day, Shannon and Erica were spotted on a romantic beach date with Erica and their kids.

The photos showed the couple packing on the PDA as they strolled along the beach, kissing and cuddling as they soaked up the summer sun.

The couple are reportedly staying at Shannon’s $2 million beachfront property on the Belongil Beach Peninsula, with his six children Phoenix, Hendrix, Xascha, Xanthe, Xahlia and Margaux.

Erica’s children Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle – who she shares with ex James – are also apparently staying at the sprawling mansion.

“They don’t show it off, but they certainly don’t hide it either,” an onlooker told The Sunday Telegraph of the couple’s romance.

“They waited for the children to enter the house until they shared a hug and a kiss,” she added.

The source claimed that Erica and Shannon’s children seemed to be doing well, and they spent the day riding electric bikes along the beach.

James and Erica got married in 2007 and later split in 2013, but they are on good terms as they are parents to their three children together.

Erica reportedly received a $100 million divorce payment, and bought a family home in Los Angeles shortly after the breakup.

James also bought a mansion in Los Angeles worth $80 million so he could be closer to Erica and their children when he was in town.

“James’ main priority at this time is the well-being of his children,” a family friend said The Daily Telegraph at the time of the divorce.

When Erica visits Sydney, she often lives with her former husband and their children in James’ $72 million Crown penthouse.

The ex-couple are so close that they often go on family holidays together.

In contrast, Shannon’s relationship with ex-partner Madeleine is not so amicable.

Shannon, who shot to fame on MasterChef Australia, split from Madeleine in September 2018 after 13 years of dating.

Madeleine later stated that the divorce process “became love-toxic.”

Two years after their breakup, she left Melbourne and moved to the Byron Bay area to be near their six children, where she bought her own $4.6 million estate overlooking Tallow Beach.

In May 2022, Shannon said Madeleine saw their children biweekly, while they spent the rest of the time with him.

“The children live with me full-time and visit their mother every fortnight for a few days,” he told the newspaper Herald Sun at the time.

Madeleine was embroiled in legal proceedings this year with Benny Bennett, Shannon’s elderly father, who had an AVO filed against her following an alleged clash at the chef’s Byron mansion in 2022.

Enforcing the AVO, a magistrate described Madeleine as an ‘evasive’ and unreliable witness, and her alleged treatment of her ex-father-in-law, 75, as ‘verging on aggressive’.

But the decision was overturned when Madeleine appealed to the NSW District Court and won in a ruling by Judge Jonathan Priestley, who said ‘the evidence of the facts supporting them is light and not supported by’ the footage of five different CCTV cameras around Shannon. Bennett’s house.