As Canberra continues its post-COVID recovery, the ACT’s major tourist events are starting to come back in all the ways we know and love.
Floriade this year will be back at Commonwealth Park and our beloved celebration of winter, otherwise known as the Canberra Region Truffle Festival, is set for full steam ahead with events galore across winter.
Dick Groot Obbink of the Canberra Region Truffle Festival Association and Durran Durra Truffles in Braidwood, NSW said this season is shaping up to be a good one.
“This is different from last year where all sorts of events affected our truffle production,” he said.
“This year, we’re seeing truffles coming out of the ground quite early, and I hope that the season as such is going to be a very bountiful one for us.”
The 2021 events program is packed with the usual favourites, from hunts with the revered truffle dogs to brunches, lunches and dinners galore – look out for truffles on the menus of local restaurants!
And in more good news for lovers of local food and wine, the Canberra Wine District Fireside Festival will run from 17 July to 15 August in conjunction with the Truffle Festival with events celebrating local drops and produce – truffles included.
The Truffle Festival’s economic impact in the region is significant, and at a time where domestic travel is the only holiday option afforded to Australians (aside from New Zealand), the ACT Government is banking on domestic tourists to bolster the economy.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said while bushfires and the pandemic hit the agriculture production and tourism sectors hard, the ACT region has a strong food and wine reputation with seasonal offerings like the Truffle Festival.
“And it’s why, pre-pandemic, we were experiencing all-time record levels of domestic and international tourism.”
Mr Groot Obbink said people are drawn to the “mystique” of truffles, which act as a “winter magnet” for tourists.
“In the positive for us with the epidemic of COVID is the many people who would otherwise be overseas at this time of the year are now discovering the winter delights of our area.
The Truffle Festival will run through to the end of August. For the program of events, visit trufflefestival.com.au and canberrawines.com.au
