Fertile Ground

Explore

25 Oct

In the Riverina, the gates are swinging open and the region known as Australia’s food bowl is stepping into the spotlight and reimagining its abundance as experience. From vineyards and malt houses to floristry farms, delis and dairies, a new generation of producers is inviting travellers to taste, learn and connect. Here, agri-tourism isn’t a performance; it’s participation – an open invitation to sit at the table, hear the stories and witness the ingenuity transforming one of the nation’s most quietly powerful regions.

Article & Photography by ALICE ARMITAGE

For years, the Riverina has been content to grow quietly in the background, filling the plates of Australians without fuss, but the region has started to shift in recent years. As agri-tourism and produce focused experiences rise in popularity, the area is taking note and a new wave of operations are emerging – setting the stage for the region to become top contender for destinational dominance.

Recent estimates from the CSIRO suggest agritourism will contribute 18.6 billion dollars to the Australian economy by 2030 and regions such as the Riverina - with its strong agricultural pedigree and flourishing local charm - are primed to capitalise on the emergence of the sector. One might argue that the rise of agri-tourism is connected to the everyday person developing a desire for narrative and understanding, for knowing not just what they’re consuming but who grew it, how and why. Something central to the Riverina’s appeal.

This stretch of fertile river country has become a patchwork of farming systems over generations; grapes, rice, lamb, citrus, cotton, olives, nuts – the abundance is staggering.

These produce driven experiences are affording producers the opportunity to close the supply chain gap and reconnect consumers with the province of the food & fibre they consume, while also offering options for revenue diversification. Both essential elements of building sustainable agricultural enterprises that will ensure the survival of multi-generational legacies.

This province - spanning 80,500 square kilometres and home to a population of just 283,300 people - offers a relaxed, easygoing environment where things can unfold more gently. This pace unfortunately often comes with some downsides but with cities such as Wagga Wagga & Griffith at its centre, any pilgrim maintains proximity to pockets of urban life and access to country outposts without losing connectivity and any of the creature comforts.

Events and festivals are turning the region's calendar into a series of shared meals. Griffith’s A Taste of Italy festival celebrates the Italian heart of the town with food, wine and music while citrus festivals turn harvest into theatre.

The Riverina is an enticing prospect and its allure is felt but city dweller and country conduits alike. It's an easy escape without losing its raw edges. It’s an open gate to a landscape where dozens of farming stories run in parallel, in a region defined by successive waves of settlement and hard work, where rural identity is shared, celebrated, and proudly lived. It’s a reminder that our country towns are not just functional, but cultural, full of experiences worthy of pursuit. It’s a glimpse into the shared DNA of rural life – resilience, resourcefulness, and pride in what the land can yield.

Agri-tourism here doesn’t feel staged, it feels like an invitation to sit down at a table that has long been set. And perhaps that's what makes the Riverina such a compelling proposition, the lure of the promise of authenticity and community.

The Riverina’s strength has always been its people, and now their ingenuity is taking centre stage. What was once seen as a region designated purely from traditional agricultural operations, is now dotted with creative and proactive new ventures — cellar doors, farm stays, distilleries, citrus tours, and experiences stitched directly into the rhythm of the land. Each new operation adds to the story of a region in rapid transformation, where tradition and innovation sit comfortably side by side.