Each year the Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival is held around the first weekend in October for the long weekend. This also conveniently coincides with the annual Tulip Time Festival that is held in Corbett Gardens in Bowral. The festival has been increasing in size and popularity over the years and is now held on Bowral’s historic Bradman Oval.
Welcome to the Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival
The Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival features local wineries, food producers and artists. There are also a number of stalls from further afield to be explored. Focusing on the festival atmosphere, the stalls are arranged in rows with a large common space in between to allow the crowd to set up a picnic spot where they can spend a few hours enjoying the day. Local musicians entertain you with original songs as well as popular covers. Different musicians take turns throughout the day providing an interesting program to listen to while sampling the products on offer from the stallholders.
Bradman Oval
In case you haven’t heard about the Bradman Oval, it is one of Bowral’s claims to fame. Bradman Oval is a NSW heritage-listed cricket ground in Glebe St Bowral. It is named after Sir Donald Bradman, the most famous Australian cricketer of the early 20th Century who lived locally and played at the ground in the 1920’s. There is also a museum dedicated to Sir Donald Bradman on-site at the oval.
Enjoy some interesting food
There are plenty of different food stalls to sample, and I managed to find some gluten-free options with the Raclette and the Buckwheat Crepes. These were both French cuisine stalls, and I really enjoyed the flavours!
We spent ages tasting all the sample pots of sauces, vinegars, mustards and jams at the Tar 10 stall. I remember thinking that I didn’t actually know what I would do with half those things, but they tasted pretty good none the less. They were probably a goldmine for a more sophisticated cook than yours truly! I left with a couple of safe choices in hand that I would be sure to know how to use.
My favourite find from the 2019 festival was the Goose on the Loose salami stall. So many different choices! They even had duck salami. I have never tried duck salami before and it was absolutely fantastic, melt in your mouth quality. I was pretty happy to find out that we can order their products online too. https://www.gooseontheloose.com (this is not an affiliate link – I just LOVE their salami, and you will too!)
You’re welcome.
Sample the local wines
The Southern Highlands wineries produce cool-climate wines. The associated lengthy ripening period produce wines that have a unique taste and texture as a result of the growing conditions.
Some of the stallholders are from small wineries who don’t have a cellar door yet. This was a wonderful opportunity to do some tasting from wineries that we hadn’t heard of before.
My favourite wineries from the 2019 festival
- Cuttaway Hill Winery https://www.cuttawayhill.com.au/
- Rotherwood Estate Wines https://www.rotherwood.com.au/
- PepperGreen Estate https://peppergreenestate.com.au/
- Highland Spring http://www.highlandspring.com.au/
- Dawning Day Wines https://dawningday.com.au/wines
(Again, no affiliate links, just amazing wines for your tasting experience)
Non-alcoholic beverages also available
At the Mailer MgGuire stall, I tasted the most unusual Kombucha I have ever tried. Midnight Chai Kombucha. It did taste just like a chai tea, but in Kombucha form. There was also a traditional lemonade from the Dutch Pancake stall that was very more-ish.
Tips for attending the Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival:
Bring a picnic blanket and/or a shade tent. Take a group of friends and make a day of it.
Take a hat and sunscreen so you don’t get burnt, plus a coat in case the weather changes, because – it’s the Highlands!
Sample the food as well as the wine! Listen to the live music, and take your time enjoying the foods and wines on offer over a few hours.
Ask the stallholders to look after your purchases for you while you walk around the rest of the festival, so that you don’t have to carry everything. (But don’t forget to go back and claim your items.)
If you are planning on drinking a lot and you don’t want to drive, the Bradman Oval is an easy 15-minute walk from Bowral train station. Better yet, why not just stay a night in the beautiful town of Bowral?
Where will you stay?
( this one is an affiliate link, and at no additional cost to you, I may be paid a small commission if you use this link to make a booking)
Other NSW destinations you may enjoy:
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