From truffle foraging to potato sack fashion parades, regional food festivals have a lot to offer – and they’re booming. Here’s our pick of five to visit this autumn and winter.
Splendour in the Grass might be cancelled, but there’s always the Robertson Potato Festival. It’s one of a growing number of food festivals held in autumn across regional Australia, where small-town charm, farm gate trails and food workshops are attracting an increasing number of visitors each year.
A record 15,000 people are expected to attend the third annual Robertson Potato Festival from May 4, lured by kitschy potato-themed food stalls, potato sack fashion parades (“Hessians on the Field”), and potato peeling competitions. Plus, a cooking stage headlined by MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin (“It’s a real coup,” says organiser Gary Fitz-Roy).
Visitor numbers are also predicted to increase at the Wandi Nut Festival in Wandiligong and the slick Grampians Grape Escape at Halls Gap, while the annual barbecue festival Smoke in Broke has “grown and has a life of its own” since quiet beginnings in 2018.
The festivals can have a significant economic impact on regional towns. Visitors to the first month-long Fungi Feastival on the NSW South Coast injected $29,000 into local businesses during off-peak season last year, while the Grampians Grape Escape reported $3 million in economic outcomes for the Shire of the Northern Grampians last year.
The success of regional food festivals has led to several new events over the past two years, including Caper in Byron Bay and the Mount Alexander Tastes Showcase, which kicked off for the first time on April 25.
Ready for a road trip? Here’s five regional food festivals to check out this autumn and winter.
The Robertson Potato Festival, Southern Highlands
May 4 - 5
There are more than 40 varieties of potatoes from across Australia showcased (and for sale) at the third annual celebration of Robertson’s potato harvest, where four generations of the Hill family has grown spuds since 1904.
Try the local potatoes at one of the market stalls, where they’re transformed into potato chips, potato bread, potato vodka, potato beer and organiser Gary Fitz-Roy’s pick of the crop: the potato and leek soup, made by families fundraising for the local school.
“Can I tell you, it is absolutely sensational, and done in a country way,” Fitz-Roy says.
Prefer to play with your food? Head to the Spud-a-dome, where visitors are welcome to compete in peeling, stacking and spud-and-spoon races. This is also where you’ll find the Hessians on the Field parade, with all manner of haute couture fashioned out of potato sacks.
Inaugural MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin is headlining the cooking stage, while renowned Southern Highlands farms Pecora Dairy and Moonacres Farm will host tours throughout the weekend.
potatofestival.com.au
Caper, Byron Bay
May 17-26
This Northern Rivers tourism beacon has a food festival with the all polished production values of its metropolitan counterparts.
Now in its second year, Caper has a series of 10 ticketed events over 10 days, from a family-friendly afternoon with ponies and pizza chefs in the backyard of the North Byron Hotel, to a high-energy tiki party, with Hawaiian dishes from local and travelling chefs like Louis Tikaram (The Stanley, Brisbane) and Ross Magnaye (Serai, Melbourne).
After a successful sold-out dinner at the inaugural Caper, Tikaram came on board as the food curator. He says he reaped the benefits of rubbing shoulders with industry leaders at food festivals early on in his career, and wants to do the same for hospitality workers in the Byron Shire.
“The goal is to bring like-minded people together to celebrate everything in the Byron Shire, from the producers to the fishermen to the hospitality workers,” he says.
“The people here have been screaming out for something like this.”
Other festival highlights include a five-course fire-fuelled feast held on a property in the Byron hinterland, helmed by chefs Magnaye and Jake Kellie from Arkhe, Adelaide, and a lunch of hand-crafted dumplings by Melbourne restaurant Shandong Mama on the breezy patio of the Salty Mangrove. But be warned, tickets are selling quickly.
Fungi Feastival, South Coast
June 21 - July 21
The South Coast is no stranger to food festivals but this newcomer is the first to celebrate the mushroom farms during foraging season in the Eurobodalla and Bega valleys.
It’s a not-for-profit initiative by three local mushroom growers who banded together to encourage regional tourism during the off-season: Annette Kennewell of Tilba Mushrooms, Josh Whitworth of Collective Cultures in Narooma and Fiona Kotvojs of Gulaga Gold, a truffle farm near Cobargo.
The inaugural festival in 2023 was such a success, encouraging new visitors and return business, that the program was extended this year.
Over a month in June and July, cafes and restaurants like Wheelers in Pambula and Il Passaggio in Bermagui will host mushroom-themed dining experiences, while others will add local mushroom specials to their menu.
The most exciting events, however, are held outdoors. Visitors can accompany trained dogs on their annual truffle hunt, paddle a kayak down the brilliantly blue Pambula River to Beowa National Park to explore the local fungi, and learn to grow their own mushrooms in a series of workshops held throughout the region.
Smoke in Broke, Hunter Valley
June 7 - 10
It took a Texan (and her Australian husband) to turn the small Hunter Valley town of Broke into a wintertime barbecue destination. Randi and Rob Thraves are world championship barbecuers, who returned from the international competition circuit to share their passion for wood-smoked meat in their own backyard.
“Nothing against a good sausage sizzle, but there’s something about a 12 to 14 hour smoked beef brisket that hits [beyond] the taste buds,” says Rob Thraves.
Smoke in Broke began as a way to showcase the Thraves’ barbecue business, Smokin Hot ’n Saucy BBQ, in 2018 and has since evolved into a major ticketed family-friendly gathering of barbecue enthusiasts with cooking demonstrations, camp fires, tastings, chilli cook offs, live music and competitions.
This year, teams from across Australia will travel to Broke to compete in barbecue competitions from the Australasian Barbecue Alliance and the Steak Cookoff Association, while some will be there for the strongman and strongwoman competition.
“We aim to make the whole festival feel like the best backyard barbecue, one where you see old friends and make new friends,” Thraves says, noting the barbecue competition scene places a strong emphasis on mental health, and the benefits of mateship.
Narooma Oyster Festival
May 3 - 4
You don’t have to love eating oysters to enjoy the Narooma Oyster Festival, but it certainly helps.
There are guided Sydney rock oyster tastings (with champagne, if you prefer), food stalls selling freshly the largest shucked pacific oysters you’re likely to have seen, and proud farmers toting around unshucked oysters the size of small children, dressed up for the occasion with ribbons and bow ties.
It all kicks off on Friday night, with a warm-up party featuring live music, performances, fireworks and food stalls. There’s also a (sold out) adults-only twilight seafood dinner hosted by Merivale (the Sydney hospitality group has a significant presence in town, having opened restaurants Quarterdeck and Queen Chow there in 2021).
Saturday is the highlight, with masterclasses, oyster farm cruises, shucking competitions, and plenty of market stalls showcasing local producers and makers (including more than 20 breweries, wineries and distilleries).
While you’re there, make sure to say hello to the seals at seal rock. Tour groups can organise to swim with them in the brilliantly clear, blue water – if you’re willing to brave the colder temperatures.
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Bianca Hrovat – Bianca is Good Food's Sydney-based reporter.