Orange Farmers Market, OrangeCredit: Destination NSW
In Orange outstanding seasonal produce is always on the menu.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
The New South Wales town of Orange, a 3.5-hour drive west of Sydney, offers a wealth of memorable food experiences, from a busy farmers’ market to pick-your-own experiences at the many farms in the surrounding region.
Meet the makers
Held on the second Saturday of each month, the bustling Orange Farmers Market at Northcourt, behind the Orange Regional Gallery, is a great way to take a comprehensive taste tour through the region. The market features more than 60 stalls, and discerning food lovers can meet independent primary producers, hobby farmers, providores and community and home gardeners.
Along with an extensive range of meats, including duck and goat, you can stock up on everything from deli items, preserves, sauces and mustards to olive oil, pasties, nuts and cut flowers. You can also sample some of the region’s award-winning wines, beers, ciders, port, spirits and liqueurs.
Food for thought
Renowned for the wide variety of berries it produces, Huntley Berry Farm, a 15-minute drive from Orange at the base of Mount Canobolas, invites visitors to pick its luscious fruit from Thursday to Sunday between November and May. Alternatively, head straight to the shop and treat yourself to fresh berry syrups, homemade jams, chutneys, vinegar and sauces. There are barbecues, picnic benches and shady trees on the grassy grounds, and kids can get up close to the goats, rabbits, guinea pigs and chooks. This not-for-profit farm is an Australian Disability Enterprise that encourages those with disabilities to experience meaningful employment and training.
Orange Farmers Market. Credit: Destination NSW
Fresh pears available for purchase at the Orange Farmers Market.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
Orange Farmers Market. Credit: Destination NSW
Fresh pears available for purchase at the Orange Farmers Market.
The Agrestic Grocer, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
The Agrestic Grocer, Orange.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
The Agrestic Grocer, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
The Agrestic Grocer, Orange.
Take your pick
Set on 30 hectares in Borenore, just 10km outside of Orange, Hillside Harvest is a family-run business abundant with delicious produce. From November through to April you can pick your own fruit. Fill a bucket with cherries in November and December; stone fruits, blackberries, boysenberries and figs in January and February; and apples and pears from March through to May.
Along with fruit and its own-brand apple juice and creamed honey and tomato relish, the Farm Store sells seasonal vegetable boxes, eggs and a range of locally produced olives, oils and deli goods. On weekends staff prepare harvest hampers and invite you to enjoy a picnic among the beautiful trees.
Taste the goodness
Local, sustainable and outstanding are the obvious prerequisites for everything on menu at The Agrestic Grocer, a 10-minute drive down Mitchell Highway northwest of Orange, where breakfast, lunch and beverages are filled with the flavours of locally grown ingredients.
If you love something on the menu, chances are you’ll be able to pick it up at the attached grocery. Take time to chat to the staff and you’ll find that there’s a fascinating story behind every product on the heaving shelves. The grocery’s own-brand items include jams, pickles, chutneys and relishes.
You’ll also find the cellar doors for Badlands Brewery and Pig in the House organic wines here. As well as finding offerings from both the restaurant and bar menus, you can book in for a tasting session and take a selection of the exceptional craft beers and Australian certified-organic wines home.
Badlands Brewery, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
Head brewer Jon Shiner at the Badlands Brewery, Orange.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
Badlands Brewery, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
Head brewer Jon Shiner at the Badlands Brewery, Orange.
The Agrestic Grocer, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
Pears and apples at The Agrestic Grocer, Orange.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
The Agrestic Grocer, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
Pears and apples at The Agrestic Grocer, Orange.
More Inspirational Stories
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, CorowaCredit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Feast on the riches of one of Australia’s most important food bowls on a road trip through the Murray, named after the mighty river that flows through this southwest area of New South Wales. Float down the river on a historic paddlesteamer wine cruise, stop by farm gates to sample incredible fresh produce, and dine at chic restaurants and bars in this unique culinary playground.
Take the back roads for gourmet treats
Head off the beaten path along The Backroads Trail, a 250km driving route that passes through the small pastoral towns of Barham, Moama, Mathoura and Deniliquin on the upper reaches of the Murray River. Sink your teeth into fresh olives, avocados, free-range pork, honey and citrus fruit from farm gates along its loops and trails, and taste the region’s wines at vineyards such as Restdown Wines. While you’re at this winery, venture out along the Restdown Wetland Walk to encounter Aboriginal cooking hearths and an old sheep camp.
Cruise along to The Old School Winery & Meadery in Womboota to pick up wine, pottery and honey mead. Or seek out Ivy Joyce in Barham to indulge in a warm space, offering local produce from farms for a truly paddock to plate experience in the heart of Murray River country. For more snacks and meaty fare such as British-style pork pies and sausages, head to Pacdon Park’s factory shop in Moama.
You can work up an appetite as you build your own itinerary on the theme of food, paddocks and produce, and find suggested routes and maps to Murray River farm gates, at the Echuca Moama Visitor Centre.
Wine and dine along the river
Embark on a wine tour by water in Moama, where the first steamboats made their way up the Murray in 1853. Take a Murray River Paddlesteamers Wharf to Winery Cruise from the town to Morrisons Riverview Winery for a leisurely lunch. Or drive along the river, stopping in at Three Black Sheep for risotto and woodfired pizzas, and tasting crisp dry whites and full-flavoured reds at St Anne’s Vineyards, where you can nibble on a cheese platter overlooking a scenic lake.
Head east along the riverside roads to rest and recharge in the town of Tocumwal, known for its riverside beaches, golf courses, glider flying and iconic Big Murray Cod statue. Start the following day with a solid foundation of breakfast pizza (topped with bacon, eggs and a hash brown) at The Old Bank and indulge in a scoop of ice-cream or sorbet from Tocumwal Ice Creamery – flavours include rocky road, green apple or macadamia. If you’re in town on a Saturday, pick up honey, fruit, vegetables, olive oil, dressings and other condiments made by local producers at the Tocumwal Foreshore Markets.
Continue your odyssey along the river to Corowa, the birthplace of Australian Federation. Immerse in the town’s rich turn-of-the-20th-century colonial heritage as you make your way to the former 1920s flour mill housing Corowa Distilling Co. Here you can book a whisky tasting and behind-the-scenes tour and buy locally made chocolates and sweets from sister shop Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory. Work off an indulgent afternoon with a walk along the river before settling into the stylish Circa 1936 hotel, which is housed in an Art Deco former bank on the main street of Corowa.
Celebrate regional ingredients in Albury
From Corowa, follow the Riverina Highway eastward to the city of Albury, a food, wine and culture hub. Taste how seasonality and locality are expressed at The Proprietor, a former butcher shop turned cafe offering brunch treats such as fruit toast with Beechworth honey and whipped ricotta, and banana waffles with Gundowring vanilla ice-cream. Or try the all-day breakfast offering at Mr Benedict, from cheesy bacon waffle with popcorn chicken to one of its signature eggs benedicts, including one with cider-braised ham hock.
At The River Deck restaurant, local ingredients are celebrated alongside stunning river views, and dishes may include chicken Caesar salad with Milawa eggs or beef brisket braised in coffee by Albury roaster The Brothers Cup. At tiny and elegant Bistro Selle, complement warm Gooramadda olives with a buttery Australian chardonnay and fresh market fish. Yardbird offers a bold-flavoured menu featuring dishes like scorched Albacore tuna, along with meats grilled in a Spanish woodfired oven.
In between meals, stroll along the Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk and take in the contemporary artworks by Aboriginal artists that line the Wagirra Trail. Meander through the Murray Art Museum Albury’s contemporary photographic collection, Aboriginal art and works by renowned Australian artist Sir Russell Drysdale. Afterwards, order lunch or dinner at the museum’s excellent Canvas Eatery – try the saltbush lamb rump or one of their Neapolitan-style pizzas.
The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.