On the hunt for Australia's truffle farms
For those who are after a fancier breed of farms, there are plenty of Australian truffieres on the market.
Earlier this week, New South Wales farmer found a whopping 1.172 kilogram black truffle, taking Title Tattle on a trip through the NSW Southern Highlands for other truffle bearing properties.
But there are truffle farms to be found all across the southern half of Australia, if you (or your pig) know where to look.
Victoria
415 Sunnyside Road, Apollo Bay
This Apollo Bay truffle farm offers about a hectare of 200 oak trees, each inoculated with Pernigold Black Truffle in 2001. Sunnyside Road has been producing black truffles for the past seven winters, with 30 kilograms of truffles harvested last year.
Owners Mikhiala Slade and Steve Earl, of the nearby restaurant La Bimba, moved into the 36 hectare property in early 2010, using a Wessex saddleback (pictured below), to sniff out the treasured truffles that were already harvested on the property. In 2011, Earl told The Australian that Dolores the pig identifies hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars’ worth of truffles every year.
The main residence is a double storey cedar construction home, with three bedrooms and, of course, an impressive kitchen. There’s also a two bedroom self-contained home on the property, for visiting relatives and friends.
The farm has plenty of other crops aside from the truffles – there is a berry patch, a vegetable garden and orchard with pear, apple, lemon, plum, quince, persimmon and kiwi fruit trees.
The sprawling estate also stocks a 45 heads of cattle and a flock of sheep. Beyond the main farm, there are fern gullies and pools, complete with stone paths and picnic areas. Slade and Earl are hoping for $2.35 million for their estate.
Tasmania
Tulloch Lodge, 1 Dexter Street, Westbury
While Gai Waterhouse’s Tulloch Lodge may be a little better-known than this one, Tulloch Lodge in Tasmania is also a high class horse haven.
The estate at 1 Dexter Street, Westbury currently operates as a dressage establishment, with an Olympic sized arena, six stables and a wash bay, with horse safe fencing and shelter for every paddock.
A single storey colonial homestead sits on the property, with four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
The 3.57 hectare estate also holds a full sized tennis court and a 700 tree truffle orchard. It’s located on the outskirts of Westbury, a 1,476 person strong town 30 kilometres west of Launceston. The farm is on the market for $695,000.
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South Australia
This 10 acre farm doesn’t just grow truffles, but also two acres of Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc grape vines, which are used to create the property’s unique vintage, providing for, as the listing says, “the budding vigneron”.
There are other natural fruit trees on the property, including cherry trees.
The farm’s recently renovated homestead has five bedrooms and two bathrooms, with a vast open plan living and dining area. Outside, there’s a woodfire pizza oven – perfect for cooking your own truffle-adorned pizzas while you sip some of your own personal vintage of Sauvignon Blanc.
The Montacute farm is on the market for $799,950.
Western Australia
The state that hosted the annual Truffle Kerfuffle festival just last weekend is home to plenty of truffle farms.
This truffiere in the south West Australian town of Pemberton is one such property. Five years ago, the owners planted 50 oaks infused with truffles on the property. According the Australian Truffle Growers Association, “black diamonds” commonly begin to appear about four or five years after planting, depending on the technology used, which means that the buyer might be in for quite the housewarming gift.
There is also a small orchard on the property, and plenty of grazing room for future livestock. Like the Montacute farm, there is also a small vineyard on site, with a purpose built wine shed that has allowed the owners to produce their own wines. With three dams on site and water flowing all year, this West Australian farm offers plenty of agricultural prospects for the future owners.
The 27 hectare farm also contains a solar powered timber mill cottage, with water and valley views. It’s on the market with mid $700,000 expectations.