Places

After almost 40 years, Peppermint Ridge Farm is an extraordinary display garden, café,  education centre, native bush foods plant nursery, and place to exchange ideas. “To grow bush foods commercially, we need to replicate natural systems, and learn from the chaos of nature,” Anthony says.

Tara and Ross Cheesewright grow good apples. They grow apples that taste like real apples. Old-fashioned apple varieties like Granny Smith, Greenstein and Golden Delicious. Amongst their 800 or so trees on their orchard at Bunyip on the Princes Highway 70km east of Melbourne in West Gippsland. What sets Sherwood Park Orchard apart from other orchards in this apple-growing region is that customers bring their own bags and boxes, picnics and picnic rugs, pick their own apples and picnic under the trees.

There has been a reinvigoration in rural agricultural shows. The focus has moved from the rides and fairy floss to good old-fashioned fun and fierce competition to see who can grow the largest zucchini. One of the state’s longest-running is the Bunyip Show which handed out its first blue ribbon in 1900. It is held in the sprawling recreation reserve in the West Gippsland town of Bunyip, a short walk from the V Line train station.

This Sunday, March 5 sees the historic town of Garfield come alive with the West Gippsland Railtown Food and Wine Festival. It’s the brainchild of the local community who want to see more visitors make the most of the West Gippsland towns serviced by V Line trains.

Next Sunday’s festival sees grassy common behind the Garfield Hotel taken over by the best local food and wine.

The Wimmera quietly meanders through the river red gum forest a block behind the main street of town. In drought, this river becomes a string of ponds.