Hello Yellow: the humble crop spinning tourism gold
Families visiting from India and Pakistan have made the trip to Cornella, a tiny township east of Bendigo in Victoria, to wander through the same field.
Others have travelled from Sydney or Melbourne for the chance to run their hands through blossoms and put their feet in the dirt.
Such is the allure of canola, the green and yellow winter crop getting a new life as a tourist attraction across the country.
Victorian winemaker Brian Spencer saw an opportunity to turn canola into gold when he noticed other farmers asking tourists to stay out of their picturesque paddocks due to damage and biosecurity concerns.
Mr Spencer opened the Cornella Canola Walk near his cellar door at Shiraz Republic vineyard, creating pathways through a crop so visitors can amble among the yellow flowers, take photos and connect with the land.
Approaching the fourth season of the walk, which will operate from late August, Mr Spencer has seen visitor numbers blossom from 700 to 5000 during the six-week flowering period.
International tourists, couples hoping to take romantic photos and city families are among his visitors.
"It's a very immersive experience, that sense of awe and wonder that people get from being in the midst of it," Mr Spencer told AAP.
"Connection with something real is good for the soul; it makes you slow down, reconnect with the ground and the earth.
"It's a gift that the country can give to the city."
While Australia's canola production amounts to more than $4 billion, the CSIRO estimates agritourism could be worth $18.6 billion annually by 2030.
Producers are increasingly embracing attractions like farm stays, roadside stalls, tours and meet-the-producer events to diversify and secure incomes.
A national agritourism summit in Orange, in central western NSW, in August will hear from renowned chef Matt Moran about his gastronomic ventures in the bush and feature tours through orchards and wineries.
Looking to agriculture was the answer for councils hoping boost tourism in the Riverina, NSW's largest canola-growing region.
Temora, Junee and Coolamon shires joined forces to create a canola trail linking the three heritage towns, also featuring hot air balloon rides over the vast yellow plains.
Their venture is called Hello Yellow, inviting people on "a journey of joy" on the canola trail.
Urban visitors are increasingly expressing interest in knowing where their food comes from, Temora council's Craig Sinclair said.
"There's an idyllic, romanticised idea that we have with the countryside and the benefits of country living and being surrounded by nature," he told AAP.
"It's that closer proximity to where your food is being produced because ... everything else in society, and in life, is pulling us further and further away from that."
Those who have tiptoed through canola in Cornella share the same sentiments.
Mr Spencer hopes greater exposure to rural life helps bridge the city-country divide.
"Understanding the challenges, the care and the stewardship that's involved in agriculture ... builds some trust and respect that's good for our industries," he said.
"If people have a glass of wine or a chat with the people that made it, or talk to the farmer, that changes things.
"It builds a connection with the country."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
'No-brainer': put women at centre of productivity push
Workforce participation by women must be at the forefront of the federal government's productivity agenda, as experts call for policies that continue to improve gender equality in Australia. Gender equality advocate Helen Conway has recently been appointed president of Chief Executive Women (CEW) and says the organisation will work with government, business and community leaders to advance women. The organisation was established in 1985 to address the under-representation of women in leadership. Four decades later, CEW has 1200 members across Australian workplaces who lead a combined 1.3 million employees and oversee $749 billion in revenue. As the 48th parliament prepares to meet for the first time, the Albanese government has declared its focus on boosting national productivity. This will include hosting a productivity summit in August at Parliament House attended by business, union and other leaders to focus on lifting economic output. But the priority of any productivity measures must be to boost women's workforce participation, Ms Conway said. That includes improving the foundations that allow women to work, such as affordable, accessible and quality childcare. 'Increasing female workforce participation is a no-brainer economically - it enhances GDP, brings in more workers and boosts the economy,' Ms Conway told AAP. 'One of the most critical issues is for the government to continue its program of ensuring childcare is available and that it is safe.' While reforms to make childcare more affordable and include superannuation on government paid parental leave had made a difference to working women, progress should not be taken for granted, Ms Conway said. The dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the United States should be cause for concern and gender equality efforts needed to include men. 'We have done a disservice to men and haven't brought them on the journey with us,' Ms Conway said. 'It's unfortunate that some men have drawn the conclusion that if women get ahead, they will be disadvantaged.' As the winner of one of the first scholarships offered by CEW at the beginning of her career, Ms Conway said it was a full circle moment to take on the role as president. During her career she has served at chief executive of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, ran as an independent for NSW parliament and undertaken roles in multiple boardrooms and legal practices. She credits CEW as pivotal to her being able to move through the executive ranks of multiple workplaces. But her priority as president is to make the organisation more ambitious, inclusive and active. 'We will champion women from all backgrounds and ensure no woman is left behind,' she said. 'We will make a concerted effort to champion First Nations and culturally diverse leaders, not-for-profit leaders, regional leaders and others who we believe are not being included at the level they should be.'
The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
The house that slashed its energy bills by 70 per cent
At first glance, the eight townhouses don't look like much. White and cream, they stand against the backdrop of clear blue sky and autumnal trees on a busy road in Melbourne's inner east, a perfect example of modern design. The interior is demure, in soothing, earthy tones. The air is warm, and it is quiet – so quiet that the noise generated by the construction site next door has ceased to exist. While roomy, townhouse number 3 (the rest are occupied) isn't huge, but it is comfortable. There is nothing obvious that signals the development is premium, other than its address in Hawthorn, and price tag of $2.5 million plus. And yet, it is Australia's first build-to-sell Passivhaus development, called ECHO.1, a proof-of-concept project by Projects and Neil Architecture that aims to show that incredibly energy-efficient homes can be built, at scale, in Australia. Kin Seng Choo, Projects director, also wants to prove that the private market can contribute to the decarbonisation of the building sector, which accounts for a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. 'A three-bedroom house would normally consume about 18,000 kilowatt-hours per year, while the passive house should consume about 5000 kilowatt-hours per year,' says Choo. 'This means the house is using about 70 per cent less energy than a typical Victorian home, with a typical annual energy bill of about $700 to $800.' Passivhaus, which translates as 'passive house', is a housing performance standard conceived in Germany in the 1980s by physicist Dr Wolfgang Feist and construction expert Professor Bo Adamson. The concept, which took its cues from ancient dwellings such as turf houses built in Iceland during the Middle Ages, optimises insulation and the airtightness of the building envelope to stabilise the internal temperature.
The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
Turning ocean winds into electricity is getting harder
Developers vying to build Australia's first offshore wind farms fear deadlocked negotiations between state and federal governments could derail the financial support needed to keep the launch of the nascent industry 'on track'. The Albanese government last year awarded permits for a dozen companies to begin investigating the feasibility of building giant turbines off Victoria's coastline that could turn ocean winds into electricity for homes and businesses and help compensate for the impending closures of ageing coal-fired power plants. However, as the global offshore wind sector reels from rising interest rates, soaring equipment and construction costs and supply chain disruptions, investors are privately warning they now need concrete government commitments to demonstrate the certainty over electricity prices and revenue to their lenders. Some of the prospective developers of the first Australian offshore wind projects have withdrawn from their early feasibility studies already, including one in the Gippsland zone: BlueFloat Energy's Gippsland Dawn project proposed between Paradise Beach and Ocean Grange. While the Victorian government has previously said it would hold the first auction in September to award 'contracts for difference', including a cap and floor price to help mitigate revenue risk, industry sources this week said it remained unclear when that would go ahead. Loading A dispute between Victoria and the Commonwealth about how much federal funding should be committed to Gippsland offshore wind projects had not been resolved, they said. 'We are seeing continued interest, but increased discussion between state and federal governments about what that support looks like,' said a source, who requested anonymity to discuss the private talks. Southerly Ten, the developer of the 2.2-gigawatt Star of the South project in Gippsland, regarded as the nation's most advanced offshore wind proposal, said the auction would be a 'crucial next step to keep progress on track for the whole industry'.
