HIT THE ROAD: NSW RIVERINA FOODIE TRAIL
When we travel, it very much revolves around food. So when the opportunity arose to hit the road in the Riverina region of south western New South Wales, we couldn’t wait to pack our bags and explore!
The Riverina which extends out to Hay, as far north as Wyalong and includes the Snowy Mountains, begins around 4 hours from Sydney. We found country brimming with amazing produce and wine, artisans dedicated to making everything from exquisite cheese to exciting craft beers, and a strong community with deep connections to history and the land. And yet there is still a sense of the “undiscovered” here which makes it all the more appealing!
Below are some of our favourite foodie finds on our trip. Four days wasn’t long enough to see it all of course, but all the more reason to return!
EAT
Three Blue Ducks at Nimbo Fork Lodge
Yes, the “Ducks” (my partner’s restaurant business) have a restaurant at Nimbo Fork Lodge (see below for property details…it’s stunning) and what a treat it was to experience it all for the first time! It was amazing to be so far from home in Byron Bay and yet still experience a “Ducks” dinner, that is rustic, locally inspired delicious fare. The highlights were the dishes celebrating the region’s local produce like the Nimbo trout, and the wines from neighbouring vineyards. An intimate farm-to-table experience with beautiful views that I can’t wait to return to!
Coolamon Cheese Company
This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip! The village of Coolamon is delightful and the high street is lined with old wares, antique and art stores. We came for the cheese though, and my goodness, it blew us away. Beyond the lovely barn-style cafe, head cheesemaker Jenn Nester is working her magic creating up to 14 different styles of cheese from blue to brie - and quietly winning awards globally for them. The layers of flavour, some powerful and others nuanced, are in some part due to slow and mindful ageing process as well as Jenn’s creativity, intuition and innovation. Jenn is completely hands-on in her cheese-making: she personally collects the milk from a nearby farm, carefully selects the cultures for her various cheese styles and then crafts and nurtures them for weeks until they’re ready. Her use of native ingredients like river mint, desert raisin and alpine pepper are unique, inspired and just so delicious. It’s impossible to pick a favourite but The Rock Blue Vein, D’Brie and native ingredient flavoured styles are a must to try. Coolamon has something very special going on here. Now we just need to work out how to get them in Byron!
DRINK
Tumut River Brewing Company
AKA Darren’s happy place - I honestly don’t think I’ver ever seen him so much in his element. This was a bit of a surprise for us as it was only going to be a quick stopover, but we ended up staying for hours! If you love beer and craft beer, a visit here is a must for a sample of some of the region’s most wide ranging selection of “stunning” beers (Darren’s words) from sours to stouts.
Best Coffee
We love our coffee and these cafes worth driving for! The Coffee Pedaler, in Tumut and Gundagai, and Dusty Road Coffee Roasters in Cootamundra gave us the morning caffeine fix we needed with friendly service to boot!
Courabyra Wines
Fun fact: the Riverina produces 60% of the wine grapes in NSW so it’s no surprise that there are some exceptional cellar doors to visit and wines to sample! We only had time to visit one of them, Courabyra, an award winning winery known for its cool climate sparkling and table wines. Lucky enough to arrive by chopper, we saw this stunning area in all its glory- vineyards, mountains, pristine lakes and nature rebuilding following last summer’s devastating bushfires. Courabyra, incredibly, survived the fires. Following lunch and a tasting, we strolled through the vines, which were abundant with sweet, ready to pick, grapes and I happened to spot a ripe peach in the orchard which was perhaps the best I’ve ever had.
STAY
Wallendbeen Park
Wallendbeen Park is a historic, working regenerative farm that offers a farm stay in a renovated school house, a short walk from the main residence. This very special land has been in Annie and Christoff’s family since the 1840s and flourishes from the love and energy they put into sustainable agriculture, namely free rage pork, beef and lamb. We shared stories over a beautiful home cooked dinner and while our cottage kitchenette was stocked with lovely local produce to make breakfast, we opted to share a meal again with our hosts and roamed the paddocks. Connecting with local people and producers - and learning of their deep connection to the land and history of their region - made our trip really memorable.
Nimbo Fork Lodge
Nimbo Fork Lodge is a beautiful boutique accommodation and historic fly fishing site, tucked in between Gundagai and Tumut, on the fork of the Tumut River and Nimbo Creek. The area is well known for its trout fishing and stunning landscape, and the beautiful country lodge complete with outdoor fire pit and cottages offer stunning views. We were greeted by dozens of sheep lazing about the property entrance and the sounds of the flowing river, then strolled along the banks, enjoyed sunset drinks at the lodge and dinner at Three Blue Ducks - it was the perfect escape.
We travelled throughout the Riverina as guests of Destination NSW and Visit Riverina, and opinions and reviews are entirely my own.