A mere Truffle....

The other weekend we went to Oberon in the central highlands to go to a Truffle Hunt. I was really looking forward to it and seeing how the truffle dogs worked and see a truffle up close and personal. My sister gave me a fresh truffle last year after doing the same hunt and I loved using it in the kitchen, so when she suggested we go with them, we were up for it!


In order to make the most of our weekend we planned a night away. Now you all know that I am a bit off 5 star accommodation at the moment ( unless some else is footing the bill, that is) so I search for some local pub accommodation which we have found recently offer excellent value for money.  We also planned a bit of a meander around the roads to see some areas we have not traversed for over 20 years.

Saturday morning saw us off about 10 ( still like my sleep in) anticipating the drive would have us arrive at 1.30 in time for a 2pm hunt. We decided to go via Goulburn along the highland way through Bundanoon which is much more scenic ( and apparently according to Google shorter than using the main highway). Turning off at Goulburn we headed west stopping at the quaint little town of Taralga which was originally settled by the workers on the Macarthur (yes, them of the merino fame) estate located nearby history of Taralga. We had coffee at the Taralga Girl Cafe and here is a picture of it ( before it was a cafe)

Taralga Girl cafe site on R, circa 1880,
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/imageservices/2011/06/taralga-on-the-road-to-wombeyan-caves/

really good coffee, blazing warm open fire and great friendly country service, do stop there if you are ever going through.

Twenty minutes later we were back on the road and heading into the mountains. I had a lot of fun using an app on my iPhone seeing how high we were getting,  (not THAT kind of high!)  with 1250m or thereabout being the measure.

After a short detour through Oberon we found out destination 9km out of town on Lowes Mount Road.

Here is where we went. Sue and Colin Roberts were our hosts and I can say the hunt was great fun and very informative. They trained their own Truffle dog, a very well fed black Labrador, apparently there is a shortage of trained dogs available. We follow behind the dog up and down the rows and when he smells a truffle he starts to dig under the tree.

sniffing the ground for truffles

We did find some truffles and Sue then does a taste and demo on what to look for in truffles ( beware of Chinese imitations!). Some of the fabulous food ideas were: honey infused truffle with hazelnuts served over fresh goats cheese, 

 (that will be making an appearance at my place), truffle omelette, and the piece de resistance .... truffle ice-cream. A very adult ice-cream, which I shall try when I have my new kitchen.

We stayed at the historic O'Connell Hotel which is located half way between Bathurst and Oberon. Built in 1865 you can see the wattle and daub of the building under glass in the main bar. Our room was small but perfectly formed with a wonderful electric blanket. Dinner was served in the dining room and we both had the best steak I have ever had cooked by someone else. After dinner we spent some time in the bar taking in the atmosphere and local colour.

A wonderful restful sleep and it was off to breaky. The hotel does not do breakfast but 100 meters down the road is the most wonderful cafe see here.

After breakfast it was off again via Wombeyan Caves which we plan to visit in November with the whole family for a weekend, they have cabin and camping sites for rent.

A drop into the Burrawang Belle's maison for a coffee and then we were home.

I am still eking out my truffle, storing it in a glass jar wrapped in kitchen paper with 2 fresh eggs which take on the aroma of the truffle, great for an omelette or scrambled eggs.

It was only 1 day and night away but we felt really refreshed and relaxed, I think mini-breaks are great for your soul, what about you???